A liquid application unit and a liquid application apparatus are provided, for which a liquid material can be readily resupplied or replaced. A liquid application unit includes: a plurality of application needle units each including an application needle and a liquid material container in which the liquid material is stored and from which the liquid material is supplied to the application needle; and a first driving unit configured to move the application needle relative to a target and the liquid material container in a first direction. The plurality of application needle units are integrally attachable to and detachable from the first driving unit.

A contact pin printhead for microfluidic array spot printing can include a printhead chassis with a plurality of micro-pins insertable within respective sockets in the printhead chassis. An individual micro-pin can include a micro-pin tip that can be individually biased in a distal direction toward a target substrate via an elastic mechanical biaser associated with the micro-pin. An individual micro-pin can deposit fluid carried within a cavity therein and onto a target substrate during physical contact therewith at a micro-pin tip. Also, an individual micro-pin can retain fluid carried within the cavity, without depositing, absent physical contact at the micro-pin tip.

An apparatus and method are provided for rapid and precise manipulation and transfer of tiny liquid droplets. by dynamically introducing microstructures with relatively high surface energy to a non-wettable surface, which surface has in-situ switchable adhesion to liquid droplets. By penetrating microstructures on the background surface, the chemical property of the surface is locally modified. Capillary bridges will form between microstructures and liquid droplets which lead to high adhesive forces. When the microstructures are retracted, the capillary bridges either pinch-off or recede, which drastically reduces the adhesion. With proper chemical modification, the surface can either manipulate a liquid droplet in air or in an immiscible carrier liquid. Tiny droplets with volumes down to nanoliter scale can be prepared and dispensed by using the surface.

A method of screening for at least one biological entity of interest using a microfabricated device which has a top surface defining an array of microwells. A sample is loaded onto the microfabricated device such that at least one microwell of the array of microwells includes at least one cell and an amount of a nutrient. A membrane is applied to the microfabricated device to retain the at least one cell and the nutrient. A plurality of cells are cultured from the at least one cell in the at least one microwell of the array of microwells. The plurality of cells is then analyzed to determine a presence or absence of a biological entity of interest.

A method of screening for at least one biological entity of interest using a microfabricated device which has a top surface defining an array of microwells. A sample is loaded onto the microfabricated device such that at least one microwell of the array of microwells includes at least one cell and an amount of a nutrient. A membrane is applied to the microfabricated device to retain the at least one cell and the nutrient. A plurality of cells is cultured from the at least one cell in the at least one microwell of the array of microwells. The plurality of cells in the at least one microwell of the array of microwells are split into a first portion of the plurality of cells and a second portion of the plurality of cells. The plurality of cells is analyzed to determine a presence or absence of a biological entity of interest.

A kit includes a microfabricated device having a top surface defining an array of microwells for receiving a sample comprising at least one cell, and a membrane for applying on the top surface of the microfabricated device to retain the at least one cell in at least one microwell of the array of microwells after the sample is loaded on the microfabricated device.

An interface is provided for storing microfluidic samples in a nanoliter sample chip. A fluid access structure provides a fluid access region to a selected subset of sample wells from an array of sample wells. A fluid introduction mechanism introduces a sample fluid to the fluid access region so that the sample wells in the selected subset are populated with the sample fluid without the unselected sample wells being populated with the sample fluid.

A method of screening for at least one biological entity of interest using a microfabricated device which has a top surface defining an array of microwells. A sample is loaded onto the microfabricated device such that at least one microwell of the array of microwells includes at least one cell and an amount of a nutrient. A membrane is applied to the microfabricated device to retain the at least one cell and the nutrient. Without furnishing additional nutrient to the microwells, the microfabricated device is incubated to grow a plurality of cells from the at least one cell in the at least one microwell of the array of microwells. The plurality of cells is then analyzed to determine a presence or absence of a biological entity of interest.

A differentially coated device for conducting a plurality of nano-volume specified reactions, the device comprising a platen having at least one exterior surface modified to a specified physicochemical property, a plurality of nano-volume channels, each nano-volume channel having at least one interior surface in communication with the at least one exterior surface that is selectively coated with an optionally dissolvable coating agent physisorbed to at least one interior surface, wherein the optionally dissolvable coating agent comprises a coating agent and a first component for the plurality of specified reactions. Methods for preparing and using such devices are also provided, as well as a method of registering a location of a dispenser array in relation to a microfluidic array. A first one of the dispenser array and the microfluidic array is movable in relation to the frame, and the other of the first one of the dispenser array and the microfluidic array is fixed relative to the frame. Quantities related to a vector displacement from the alignment position to a fixed position on the one of the dispenser array and the microfluidic array is determined. The quantities thus determined are used to guide positioning of the dispenser array relative to the microfluidic array.

A method for manufacturing a three-dimensional object comprises the steps of (a) bringing at least one nozzle in a first position close to a surface of a substrate, (b) delivering through said at least one nozzle at least one reactant to said surface, (c) effecting a solid forming reaction of said at least one delivered reactant such that said at least one delivered reactant undergoes a transition to become a growing solid deposit on said surface under said at least one nozzle, and (d) detecting an interaction of said growing solid deposit with said at least one nozzle.