An apparatus and method are provided for differentiating multiple detectable signals by excitation wavelength. The apparatus can include a light source that can emit respective excitation light wavelengths or wavelength ranges towards a sample in a sample retaining region, for example, in a well. The sample can contain two or more detectable markers, for example, fluorescent dyes, each of which can be capable of generating increased detectable emissions when excited in the presence of a target component. The detectable markers can have excitation wavelength ranges and/or emission wavelength ranges that overlap with the ranges of the other detectable markers. A detector can be arranged for detecting an emission wavelength or wavelength range emitted from a first marker within the overlapping wavelength range of at least one of the other markers.

The present disclosure is drawn to temperature-cycling microfluidic devices. In one example, a temperature-cycling microfluidic device can include a driver chip having a top surface and a heat exchange substrate having a top surface coplanar with the top surface of the driver chip. A fluid chamber can be located on the top surface of the driver chip. A first and second microfluidic loop can have fluid driving ends and fluid outlet ends connected to the fluid chamber and can include portions thereof located on the top surface of the heat exchange substrate. A first and second fluid actuator can be on the driver chip. The first and second fluid actuators can be associated with the fluid driving ends of the first and second microfluidic loops, respectively, to circulate fluid through the first and second microfluidic loops.

A system for determining the presence of cell-free non-coding RNA (cfNCR) biomarkers in interstitial fluid includes a microfluidic device for non-invasively and passively accessing interstitial fluid from a patient. The microfluidic device is formed of a substrate containing multiple vertical micro channels therethrough, wherein at a first end of each of the multiple vertical micro channels a microheater is formed for controllably ablating a portion of dry dead skin cells to access the interstitial fluid; and wherein at a second end of each of the multiple vertical micro channels is a horizontal micro channel for receiving accessed interstitial fluid from a vertical micro channel and guiding the accessed interstitial fluid to a common collection port.

The present disclosure relates to a device for the thermal treatment of samples, including: a base unit with a receiving region; a cover for closing the receiving region, the cover movable from a first, open position into a second, closed position; at least one connecting element connected to the cover; and a cover drive disposed in the base unit and coupled to the at least one connecting element as to drive a movement of the cover such that, during the movement from an open into a closed position, the cover is initially brought from the open position into a third position, in which the cover extends parallel to and spaced from the receiving region, and such that the cover is further moved from the third position in a direction of a shared normal until the cover has reached the closed position.

A method includes coupling a molecular diagnostic test device to a power source. A biological sample is conveyed into a sample preparation module. The device is then actuated by only a single action to cause the device to perform the following functions without further user action. First, the device heats the sample via a heater of the sample preparation module to lyse a portion of the sample. Second, the device conveys the lysed sample to an amplification module and heats the sample within a reaction volume of the amplification module to amplify a nucleic acid thereby producing an output solution containing a target amplicon. The device then reacts, within a detection module, each of (i) the output solution and (ii) a reagent formulated to produce a signal that indicates a presence of the target amplicon within the output solution. A result associated with the signal is then read.

A reaction vessel capable of measuring a light amount from a reaction liquid without degrading a function of maintaining the reaction vessel at a predetermined temperature is provided. A reaction vessel including a cylindrical shape centered on a first axis, in which an overall length in a first axis direction is longer than an overall length in a second axis direction and an overall length in a third axis direction, the second axis being perpendicular to the first axis and the third axis being perpendicular to the first axis and the second axis. The reaction vessel includes: an opening part which dispenses a liquid at a portion on one end side in the first axis direction; a first flat surface and a second flat surface which is substantially parallel to the first flat surface.

An incubation system includes an actuator, a platform, an incubation lid, and a dispenser. The actuator includes a motion disc and a shaft connected to the motion disc. The shaft extends away from the motion disc. The platform is connected to the shaft of the actuator in a manner allowing movement transmission. The platform has a through hole and a thermal conductive plate. One end of the through hole is sealed by the thermal conductive plate. The incubation lid is movably disposed over the platform. The platform is thermal insulating. The incubation lid has an opening allowing fluid communication, and the dispenser suspends over the thermal conductive plate of the platform.

Methods of determining methylation of DNA are provided. In one illustrative, but non-limiting embodiment the method comprises i) contacting a biological sample comprising a nucleic acid to a first matrix material comprising a first column or filter where said matrix material binds and/or filters nucleic acids in said sample and thereby purifies the DNA; ii) eluting the bound DNA from the first matrix material and denaturing the DNA to produce eluted denatured DNA; iii) heating the eluted DNA in the presence of bisulfite ions to produce a deaminated nucleic acid; iv) contacting said deaminated nucleic acid to a second matrix material comprising a second column to bind said deaminated nucleic acid to said second matrix material; v) desulphonating the bound deaminated nucleic acid and/or simultaneously eluting and desulphonating the nucleic acid by contacting the deaminated nucleic acid with an alkaline solution to produce a bisulfite converted nucleic acid; vi) eluting said bisulfite converted nucleic acid from said second matrix material; and vii) performing methylation specific PCR and/or nucleic acid sequencing, and/or high resolution melting analysis (HRM) on said bisulfite-converted nucleic acid to determine the methylation of said nucleic acid, wherein at least steps iv) through vi) are performed in a single reaction cartridge.

A method and a system for rapidly predicting the frying and bubbling tendency of edible oil, the method comprising: heating the edible oil, and immersing a polar component content detection probe into the oil to measure the initial polar component content of the edible oil; a frying state: removing the detection probe, placing frying food into the edible oil and frying same, extracting the frying food after frying, and observing the highest value of the frying oil bubble height and recording same as an initial bubble height; an air introduction state: immersing the detection probe into the edible oil and introducing air into the edible oil, and continuing to introduce air and heat until detecting that the polar component content of the oil has reached 10%; repeating the frying state; and formula fitting. The present method does not require actual frying, as the frying and bubbling tendency of the oil can be predicted with a 60 g sample, saving raw materials and implementing a comprehensive evaluation of the bubbling properties; the system equipment is simple, and is suitable for industrial practical operations.

The disclosure provides a micro-fluidic chip, and belongs to the field of chip technology. The microfluidic chip provided in the present disclosure includes a plurality of microfluidic units, each microfluidic unit includes an operation region and a transition region located on at least one side of the operation region, the transition regions at adjacent side of two adjacent microfluidic units are disposed opposite to each other. Each microfluidic unit includes: a first substrate; a first electrode layer disposed on the first substrate, the first electrode layer including a plurality of first sub-electrodes located in the operation region and at least one second sub-electrode located in the transition region, and the at least one second sub-electrode configured to drive a droplet to move from one of the plurality of microfluidic units to an adjacent microfluidic unit.