The invention relates to a method for identifying test compounds that have an effect on cell objects, which comprises the following steps: a) providing a liquid sample presumably containing a cell object, b) performing mass spectrometry and/or destructive spectrophotometry testing of the liquid sample according to step a), c) comparing the mass spectrometry spectrum and/or the spectrophotometry spectrum obtained in step b) with the elements of database (s) containing such spectra of known cell objects, d) identifying the cell object present in the sample according to step a) in the course of the comparison according to step c), e) the non-destructive spectrophotometry testing of the sample according to step a), in the course of which the non-destructive spectrophotometry spectrum of the sample is recorded in such a way that test compound is not added to it, and so that test compound is added to it at a given concentration or at several different concentrations, and the recording of the spectrophotometric spectrum of the solution of the test compound, f) comparing the spectrophotometric spectrum measured in the sample without the addition of any test compound and obtained in step e) with the spectrophotometry spectrum of one or more samples prepared with the addition of the test compound, g) drawing a conclusion relating to the effective concentration of the test compound from the result of the comparison according to step f). The invention also relates to a deive serving for implementing the method.

Described herein are pipette driven well plates for nano-liter droplet storage and methods of using same. Embodiments may include an inlet, an outlet, a bypass channel, and a fluidic trap containing a valve covered by a removable covering, in which the fluid enters the fluidic trap when the removable covering is removed. The fluid enters either the fluidic trap or the bypass channel, depending on which of the fluidic trap or bypass channel has the lower hydrodynamic resistance. Embodiments may be used by closing the valve, introducing a first fluid to fill the fluidic trap and partially fill a bypass channel, opening the valve, removing the first fluid surrounding the valve, and introducing a second fluid into the fluidic trap, in which the introducing results in a mixture of the first and second fluids.

The present invention provides microfluidic devices and methods for measuring blood. The microfluidic devices of the present invention include an inlet port adapted and configured to receive a fluid sample, a microfluidic flow path in fluidic communication with the inlet port, an outlet in fluidic communication with the microfluidic flow path, the outlet: having a smaller cross-sectional area than the microfluidic flow path; and adapted for communication with a pressure sink. The microfluidic devices further include a priming circuit in fluidic communication with the microfluidic flow path such that when a priming fluid is applied under pressure to the priming circuit, the priming fluid will flow through the microfluidic flow path to the inlet port due to low resistance to laminar flow in the microfluidic flow path relative to the outlet.

Embodiments described herein generally relate to apparatuses, cartridges, and pumps for peristaltic pumping of fluids and associated methods, systems, and devices. The pumping of fluids is, in certain cases, an important aspect of a variety of applications, such as bioanalytical applications (e.g., biological sample analysis, sequencing, identification). The inventive features described herein may, in some embodiments, provide an ability to pump fluids in ways that combine certain advantages of robotic fluid handling systems (e.g., automation, programmability, configurability, flexibility) with certain advantages of microfluidics (e.g., small fluid volumes with high fluid resolution, precision, monolithic consumables, limiting of the wetting of components to consumables).

A lateral flow assay device comprising a conjugate pad for receiving a quantity of fluid; and a membrane comprising a test line for determining whether the fluid comprises a target analyte. In a first state of the lateral flow assay device, the lateral flow assay device is configured with a removable gap between the conjugate pad and the membrane which is substantially filled with air and prevents the fluid from flowing from the conjugate pad into the membrane. In a second state of the lateral flow assay device, the removable gap is removed from between the conjugate pad and the membrane causing the conjugate pad to come in contact with the membrane, allowing the fluid to flow from the conjugate pad into the membrane and the test line by capillary action.

Methods and apparatus for detecting, quantifying, enriching, and/or separating bacterial species in fluid sample are provided. The fluid sample is provided as input to a microfluidic passage of a microfluidic device, wherein the microfluidic device comprises at least one electrode disposed adjacent to the microfluidic passage. The at least one electrode is activated to capture bacteria in the sample using dielectrophoresis, wherein the capture efficiency of bacteria is at least 99%.

Methods and apparatus for detecting, quantifying, enriching, and/or separating bacterial species in fluid sample are provided. The fluid sample is provided as input to a microfluidic passage of a microfluidic device, wherein the microfluidic device comprises at least one electrode disposed adjacent to the microfluidic passage. The at least one electrode is activated to capture bacteria in the sample using dielectrophoresis, wherein the capture efficiency of bacteria is at least 99%.

Provided herein are devices and methods for analysis of male fertility. The invention provides self-contained, hand-held receptacles and systems for collection and analysis of semen samples and methods of using such devices to analyze semen samples. Also provided are processor-implemented and machine learning methods of analyzing semen sample data obtained using devices of the invention.

Methods for isolating viable cancer cells from a sample that comprises a mixture of cancerous cells and normal (non-cancerous) cells are provided. In the methods, a fluid preparation comprising a mixture of cancerous and normal cells is repeatedly exposed to fluid shear stresses, whereby the repeated exposure to the fluid shear stresses preferentially imparts fluid shear stress-resistance to the cancerous cells.

A pipetting arrangement includes at least two sets of pipettes (9a; 9b; 9c; 9d). Each set of pipettes (9a; 9b; 9c; 9d) is operationally connected, via a controllable ON/OFF valve (11a; 11b; 11e; 11d) to a common aspiration port (7). Latter is connectable to a pumping arrangement. The valves (11a; 11b; 11e; 11d) are controlled by a timing-control unit (15) conceived to establish, by control of the valves (11a; 11b; 11e; 11d), the operational connections of the at least two sets of pipettes (9a; 9b; 9c; 9d) to the aspiration port (7) in a time-multiplexed manner.