Among other things, the present invention is related to devices and methods of sample holders that facilitate biological and chemical assays, and use of the same. Particularly, the present invention is related to an assay sample hold (also termed card) that comprises two plates that are movable relative to each other and that can sandwich a sample between the two plates. One objective of the present invention is to provide sample holders that are easy to separate them when the plates are stacked two plates, easy to handle by one hand while loading a sample, easy to fabricate, and/or low in cost. Another objective of the present invention is to ensure the two plates stay together when they are insert into a slot of an adaptor for analyzing the sample sandwiched between the two plates. The present invention offers particular advantages to simple and easy operation in the cases of (a) the plates' thickness very thin in down to 1 um (micron) thick (or both of the plates of 25 um thick), and (b) small plate area size which is not easy to handle by hands (e.g. the plate is a few cm long and wide).

Methods and apparatus for manufacturing a microfluidic arrangement are disclosed. In one arrangement, a continuous body of a first liquid is provided in direct contact with a first substrate. A second liquid covers the first liquid. A separation fluid, immiscible with the first liquid, is propelled through at least the first liquid and into contact with the first substrate along all of a selected path on the surface of the first substrate. First liquid that was initially in contact with all of the selected path is displaced away from the selected path. The first liquid is divided to form sub-bodies of first liquid that are separated from each other. For each of one or more of the sub-bodies, a sub-body footprint represents an area of contact between the sub-body and the first substrate, and all of a boundary of the sub-body footprint is in contact with a closed loop of the selected path surrounding the sub-body footprint.

Methods, systems, and devices are disclosed for enrichment and detection of molecules of a target biomarker. In one aspect, In one aspect, a biosensor device for enriching and detecting biomarker molecules include a substrate, and a microarray of hydrophilic islands disposed on the substrate. A sensing area on each of the microarray hydrophilic islands is structured to anchor bio-molecular probes of at least one type for detecting molecules of a target biomarker and to attract an array of nanodroplets of a biomarker solution that includes the target biomarker molecules. A hydrophobic surface is disposed to surround the microarray of hydrophilic islands.

An array of membranes comprising amphipathic molecules is formed using an apparatus comprising a support defining an array of compartments. Volumes comprising polar medium are provided within respective compartments and a layer comprising apolar medium is provided extending across the openings with the volumes. Polar medium is flowed across the support to displace apolar medium and form a layer in contact with the volumes, forming membranes comprising amphipathic molecules at the interfaces. In one construction of the apparatus, the support that comprises partitions which comprise inner portions and outer portions. The inner portions define inner recesses without gaps therebetween that are capable of constraining the volumes comprising polar medium contained in neighbouring inner recesses from contacting each other. The outer portions extend outwardly from the inner portions and have gaps allowing the flow of an apolar medium across the substrate.

The present invention relates to methods and systems for testing for the presence of a material such as one or more analyte types within a sample and more particularly, for improved single enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (sELISA) testing as well as other variants of single-enzyme linked molecular analysis (SELMA).

An apparatus for biological reactions is provided. The apparatus includes a substrate and a plurality of reaction sites within the substrate. A surface of the substrate is configured to have a first hydrophilicity and each surface of the plurality of reaction sites is configured to have a second hydrophilicity to load a substantial number of reaction sites with a sample volume. The sample volume of each loaded reaction site is substantially confined to its respective reaction site. The sample volume is configured to undergo a biological reaction within the reaction site.

A device includes a first structure with a sheet layer with a plurality of discrete through-holes and a second structure coupled to the first structure. At least a portion of a first surface of the sheet layer of the first structure is exposed from the second structure. A top portion of the sheet layer, including the exposed portion of the first surface of the sheet layer, includes fluorocarbon. The second structure includes a material of a higher surface tension than the top of the sheet layer. A second surface of the sheet layer, opposite to the first surface of the sheet layer, is embedded in the second structure. The second structure extends at least partially into the plurality of discrete through-holes of the first structure.

Various aspects of the present invention relate to the control and manipulation of fluidic species, for example, in microfluidic systems. In one aspect, the invention relates to systems and methods for making droplets of fluid surrounded by a liquid, using, for example, electric fields, mechanical alterations, the addition of an intervening fluid, etc. In some cases, the droplets may each have a substantially uniform number of entities therein. For example, 95% or more of the droplets may each contain the same number of entities of a particular species. In another aspect, the invention relates to systems and methods for dividing a fluidic droplet into two droplets, for example, through charge and/or dipole interactions with an electric field. The invention also relates to systems and methods for fusing droplets according to another aspect of the invention, for example, through charge and/or dipole interactions. In some cases, the fusion of the droplets may initiate or determine a reaction. In a related aspect of the invention, systems and methods for allowing fluid mixing within droplets to occur are also provided. In still another aspect, the invention relates to systems and methods for sorting droplets, e.g., by causing droplets to move to certain regions within a fluidic system. Examples include using electrical interactions (e.g., charges, dipoles, etc.) or mechanical systems (e.g., fluid displacement) to sort the droplets. In some cases, the fluidic droplets can be sorted at relatively high rates, e.g., at about 10 droplets per second or more. Another aspect of the invention provides the ability to determine droplets, or a component thereof, for example, using fluorescence and/or other optical techniques (e.g., microscopy), or electric sensing techniques such as dielectric sensing.

Among other things, the present disclosure is related to devices and methods for containing a liquid sample between two plates.

A method for forming a lipid membrane vesicle includes: filling a chamber with a first aqueous solution by introducing it to a liquid flow path facing a microreactor chip hydrophobic layer main surface; forming a first lipid monolayer membrane in an opening part of the chamber filled with the solution; forming a second lipid monolayer membrane on a layer interface of the organic solvent formed on the main surface of the hydrophobic layer with a second aqueous solution by introducing the solution to the liquid flow path; allowing a first aqueous solution form in the chamber to alter to a spherical droplet covered with the first lipid monolayer membrane; and forming a lipid membrane vesicle by moving the droplet to a position of the second lipid monolayer membrane by applying a physical action, and by zipping the first lipid monolayer membrane covering the droplet and the second lipid monolayer membrane.