Devices and methods for capturing biological materials using a potential well. An electrical signal is applied across a nanopipette having one end in a back-fill chamber and another end in a collection chamber containing a suspending medium including one or more types of particles. The collection end of the nanopipette includes a tip having an opening. The electrical signal applied across the nanopipette is configured to generate the potential well proximate to the tip in which the electrokinetic forces acting on the particles are balanced. The potential well may be configured to selectively trap one or the other types of particles suspended in the suspending medium. The particles may be transferred to a sample collection medium by immersing the tip in the sample collection medium and reversing the polarity of the electrical signal.

A method of synthesizing an oligonucleotide using a nanofluidic device including a plurality of nanopore channels, a plurality of electrodes, and an electrolyte solution, includes coupling a primer to an inner wall of a nanopore channel of the plurality of nanopore channels, the primer having a protecting group. The method also includes applying a voltage to an electrode of the plurality of electrodes that corresponds to the nanopore channel to produce an acid from the electrolyte solution at the electrode. The electrode includes an anode and a cathode disposed at opposite sides of the nanopore channel. The method further includes the acid removing the protecting group from the primer. Moreover, the method includes coupling a nucleotide to the primer with the protecting group removed to form an intermediate product. In addition, the method includes repeating the steps on the intermediate product until the oligonucleotide is synthesized.

Techniques regarding one or more structures that can facilitate automated, multi-stage processing of one or more nanofluidic chips are provided. For example, one or more embodiments described herein can comprise a system, which can comprise a roller positioned adjacent to a microfluidic card comprising a plurality of fluid reservoirs in fluid communication with a plurality of nanofluidic chips. An arrangement of the plurality of nanofluidic chips on the microfluidic card can defines a processing sequence driven by a translocation of the roller across the microfluidic card.

Described herein are sample loading systems for loading a sample into a processing and/or analysis system comprising: a sample reservoir for receiving a sample and a metering volume reservoir, the sample reservoir and a first side of the metering volume reservoir being interconnected through a first channel with a first flow resistance to allow filling of the metering volume reservoir with sample; a further reservoir for receiving a second fluid interconnected with the metering volume reservoir at the first side via a second channel having a smaller second flow resistance; a first valve for blocking flow of sample from the metering volume reservoir into the second channel; a second valve connected to a second side of the metering volume reservoir for controlling the blocking and flowing of sample; and a first timing circuitry for timing the opening of the second valve as a function of filling of the further reservoir.

A DNA sequencing device and related methods, wherein the device includes a substrate, a nanochannel formed in the substrate, a first electrode positioned on a first side of the nanochannel, and a second electrode. The second electrode is positioned on a second side of the nanochannel opposite the first electrode and is spaced apart from the first electrode to form an electrode gap that is exposed in the nanochannel. At least a portion of first electrode is movable relative to the second electrode to decrease a size of the electrode gap.

Constricted nanochannel devices suitable for use in analysis of macromolecular structure, including DNA sequencing, are disclosed. Also disclosed are methods for fabricating such devices and for analyzing macromolecules using such devices.

Disclosed herein, inter alia, are nanoarrays and methods of use thereof.

A blood biomarker analysis systems providing fast biomarker identification includes a multimodal bioassay device having a biosensor within a portable pipette-shaped device and using nanoplasmonic barcode detectors, such as formed of antibody conjugated gold nanoparticle arrays (AuNPs), capable of capturing any of a plurality of biomarkers. The biomarker analysis system further includes the pipette-shaped device being smartphone-connected and portable to form a highly accurate, point-of-care bioassay device.

Methods of liquid-phase synthesis of polymers using polymer substrates and systems for facilitating such methods allow gating of a synthetic reaction into a binary (reacted or unreacted) readout. Polymer substrates are used as carriers for molecular reagents and act as separation tags that allow them to be purified using nanoscale deterministic lateral displacement. Two polymer substrates are linked together by a bond-forming reaction to form a longer polymer that includes a synthetic product. The synthetic product can be purified away from unreacted polymers/reagents using strand-length dependent lateral displacement.

The present invention relates to a micro-object extraction method using diffusiophoresis enabling collection and extraction of micro-objects by using the concentration difference of a solution including the micro-objects to be extracted, and a micro-object identification method using same, wherein the present invention has the following advantages: desired micro-objects can be easily extracted only with a simple device by using diffusiophoresis; the collection and extraction of micro-objects can be easily controlled by changing the type of solution injected into a micro-channel; and energy usage is efficient by using self-powered energy by diffusiophoresis without separate external power required for extracting micro-objects.