Disclosed herein is a system to detect and characterize individual particles and cells using at least either optic or electric detection as the particle or cell flows through a microfluidic channel. The system also provides for sorting particles and cells or isolating individual particles and cells.

An assay cartridge for detecting a target component in a liquid sample is provided. The cartridge comprises: a sample collection unit configured to introduce the liquid sample into the cartridge; a fluid pathway commencing at its proximal end at the sample collection unit and extending distally through the cartridge including: one or more capture components immobilised within the fluid pathway; one or more detection reagents provided within the diffusion distance of the capture components.

A microfluidic apparatus and methods thereof. The Apparatus having a flat and thin substrate, the substrate including at least one microfluidic testing device, each device with: plurality of Stationary Nanoliter Droplet Array (SNDA) components; a common inlet port and a distribution manifold, configured to enable an introduction of a fluid into all the primary channels; plurality of individual inlet ports, each coupled to a different primary channel, configured to enable an individual introduction of a fluid into its associated primary channel; and one or more outlet ports and optionally a collecting manifold, configured to evacuate liquid and/or gas flowing out thereof.

An apparatus for patterning biological cells, and a method of patterning and coculturing biological cells using the apparatus. The apparatus includes a fluidic structure having an outlet and a plurality of inlets, the fluidic structure is arranged to facilitate a flow of a plurality of different cells in a cell suspension therethrough, wherein each of the plurality of inlets is arranged to facilitate a loading of the plurality of different cells from a plurality of supplies into the fluidic structure; and a flow controlling device arranged to control the flow of the plurality of different cells through the fluidic structure and/or the loading of the plurality of different cells from the plurality of supplies through the plurality of inlets; wherein the fluidic structure is further arranged to facilitate a simultaneous observation of the plurality of different cells arranged in a predetermined pattern in the fluidic structure.

There is provided a microfluidic device for reversing a flow through a microfluidic channel. The microfluidic device comprises a first microfluidic channel extending between a first inlet and a first outlet, a second microfluidic channel which fluidically connects a first point of the first microfluidic channel to a second outlet via a first valve, a third microfluidic channel which fluidically connects a second point of the first microfluidic channel to a second inlet via a second valve, the second point being located between the first point and the first outlet, and at least one circuit for opening the first valve and the second valve. The first and the second valves are arranged to be initially closed, Upon opening of the first and the second valve during use, the flow direction through the first microfluidic channel between the first point and the second point is reversed.

A method for aligning sequences of droplets in streams of an emulsion comprising target droplets and tag droplets, a tag droplet comprising first and second tags. A target droplet is split into first and second target droplets and a tag droplet is split into first and second tag droplets. Each of the first and second tag droplets comprise the first and second tags. The first target droplet and first tag droplet are in a first stream of droplets, and the second target droplet and second tag droplet are in a second stream of droplets. The method detects the first tag droplets and first target droplets in the first stream and the second tag droplets and second target droplets in the second stream, determines a first sequence of droplets in the first stream and a second sequence of droplets in the second stream, and compares these to align the sequences.

The present disclosure provides a cartridge and method to move fluids within the cartridge that simplifies the design and removes the need for any internal valves or metering devices. The design is amenable to injection molded manufacturing lowering cost for large volume manufacturing. The design can be adapted to carry out both sample preparation and detection of biological substances including nucleic acids and proteins.

Control of fluid flow in a fluidic network is provided by controlling phase transitions of a phase-change material between a liquid phase and a non-fluid phase. The phase-change material is disposed at ports of the fluidic network where the fluidic network is in communication with an ambient. This advantageously provides control of pressure-driven flow within the fluidic network without altering properties of fluids within the fluidic network.

Mesofluidic devices for culturing cell aggregates and methods of using the same are disclosed. An exemplary mesofluidic device comprises at least one fluid inlet, at least one fluid outlet, a plurality of fluid channels, and a plurality of culture chambers. Each culture chamber can comprise at least one chamber inlet and at least one chamber outlet. The at least one chamber inlet can be in fluid communication with the at least one fluid inlet via at least one of the plurality of fluid channels. The at least one chamber outlet can be in fluid communication with the at least one fluid outlet via at least one of the plurality of fluid channels. The mesofluidic device can be configured to contain a cell aggregate in each of the plurality of culture chambers.

A method of partitioning droplets from a fluid reservoir containing particles provides a non-Poissonian distribution of dispensed droplets containing a desired number of particles. The method constitutes a method of operating an electrowetting on dielectric (EWOD) device including the steps of: inputting a fluid reservoir containing particles into the EWOD device; performing an electrowetting operation to dispense a plurality of dispensed droplets from the fluid reservoir; interrogating each droplet with a detector and determining whether each dispensed droplet has a desired number of particles; selecting dispensed droplets that contain the desired number of particles and performing an electrowetting operation to move the selected dispensed droplets to a reaction area on the EWOD device; and rejecting dispensed droplets that do not contain the desired number of particles and performing an electrowetting operation to move the rejected dispensed droplets to a holding area on the EWOD device that is different and spaced apart from the reaction area. The selected droplets may be combined, including with or without a portion of the rejected droplets and/or additional reagent, into a larger reaction droplet that may be used in subsequent reaction protocols.