Disclosed in one example is an apparatus including a substrate, a sensor over the substrate including an active surface and a sensor bond pad, a molding layer over the substrate and covering sides of the sensor, the molding layer having a molding height relative to a top surface of the substrate that is greater than a height of the active surface of the sensor relative to the top surface of the substrate, and a lidding layer over the molding layer and over the active surface. The lidding layer and the molding layer form a space over the active surface of the sensor that defines a flow channel.

The present invention relates to sample-to-answer systems, devices, cartridges, and method of using the same for detecting the presence of microorganisms in a sample, such as bacteria.

The present disclosure relates to methods, devices, assays and systems for rapid detection of food-borne pathogens, including Vibrios.

Techniques relate to forming a sorting device. A mesh is formed on top of a substrate. Metal assisted chemical etching is performed to remove substrate material of the substrate at locations of the mesh. Pillars are formed in the substrate by removal of the substrate material. The mesh is removed to leave the pillars in a nanopillar array. The pillars in the nanopillar array are designed with a spacing to sort particles of different sizes such that the particles at or above a predetermined dimension are sorted in a first direction and the particles below the predetermined dimension are sorted in a second direction.

This invention is related to high-throughput screening field, in particular to an application method for automatic micro droplet array screening system of picoliter scale precision. According to this invention, the fluid driving system and the capillary are fully filled with fluid of low thermal expansion coefficient as the carrier fluid to thoroughly empty air bubbles in the capillary; after that, immersing the sampling end of capillary into the oil phase that is mutually immiscible with aqueous sample to aspirate a section of oil phase into the capillary for isolation of aqueous sample and carrier fluid; once completed, immersing the sampling end of capillary into the sample/reagent storage tube to aspirate a certain volume of aqueous sample into the capillary; finally, moving the sampling end of capillary to the oil phase above microwells on microwell array chip, and pushing the sample solution in the capillary into microwells to form sample droplet. Quantitative metering of fluid and droplet generation according to this invention are provided with volume precision in picoliter, which can effectively minimize the consumption of sample/reagent, and save the testing cost during high-throughput screening.

An exemplary method includes forming a sacrificial layer along sidewalls of an array of trenches that are indented into a substrate, depositing a fill layer over the sacrificial layer, and then creating an array of gaps between the fill layer and the substrate by removing the sacrificial layer along the sidewalls of the trenches, while maintaining a structural connection between the substrate and the fill layer at the floors of the trenches. The method further includes covering the substrate, the fill layer, and the gaps with a cap layer that seal fluid-tight against the substrate and the fill layer. The method further includes indenting a first reservoir and a second reservoir through the cap layer, and into the substrate and the fill layer, across the lengths of the array of gaps, so that the array of gaps connects the first reservoir in fluid communication with the second reservoir.

The invention relates to mutant forms of Msp. The invention also relates to polynucleotide characterisation using Msp.

A microfluidic apparatus, systems and methods for microfluidic crystallization based on gradient mixing. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes (a) a first layer, (b) a plurality of first channels and a plurality of vacuum chambers both arranged in the first layer, where the plurality of vacuum chambers are each coupled to at least one of the first channels, (c) a membrane having first and second surfaces, where the first surface of the membrane is coupled to the first layer, (d) a second layer coupled to the second surface of the membrane, (e) a plurality of wells and a plurality of second channels both arranged in the second layer, where the wells are each coupled to at least one of the plurality of second channels and (f) a plurality of barrier walls each disposed in the plurality of second channels and arranged opposite to one of the plurality of vacuum chambers.

A low-cost method is provided for fabricating a nano-droplet plate with surface features having re-entrant (anvil-like) geometries capable of holding droplets of a precise, predetermined volume. Such structures are useful for a variety of applications, including cull culturing, high-throughput screening of therapeutics and as microwells.

A mobile, self contained molecular diagnostics system is provided with a microfluidic chip, detection apparatus and an integrated or wireless control interface and imager. The system provides automated sample preparation and rapid optical detection of multianalyte nucleic acids and proteins. On chip PCR may be performed to improve the optical fluorescence signal for nucleic acid detections. Plasmonic protein detection is performed using a dark field smartphone microscope. Dark field illumination is based on an evanescent field generated by LED total internal reflection. The smartphone element may also be used as an interface to control the detection apparatus, acquire images, process data and for wireless communications with remote computers. The handheld automated system has low power requirements and is particularly suited for point of care and on demand diagnostics in resource limited settings.