Provided are methods and related devices for preparing a cell and tissue culture, including a hanging drop culture. Microwells are specially loaded with cell mixtures using a removable reservoir and forcing cells into the underlying microwells. The removable reservoir is removed and the cells partitioned into the individual microwells and covered by an immiscible layer of fluid. The microwells and immiscible layer is inverted and the cells in the microwells cultured. The microwells may have shape-controlling elements to control the three-dimensional shape of the culture.

A metallic sample holder includes an array of wells, wherein each well of the array is adapted to capture a sample volume. A first sector of the array comprises wells that are loaded with a first reagent of a first dried or freeze-dried nucleic acid amplification test reagent. A second sector of the array comprises wells that are loaded with a second reagent of a second dried or freeze-dried nucleic acid amplification test reagent.

The invention discloses a microfluidic device for the culture, selection and/or analysis of sample organisms such as nematodes, as well as for other biological entities such as for instance animal embryos. The device features reservoirs, culture chambers and smart filtering systems allowing fir the selection of specific populations/specimens of sample organisms, thus permitting long-term cultures thereof as well as phenotypic/behavioural analyses. Systems and methods for using the microfluidic device are within the present disclosure as well.

The detection chip includes a first substrate, a micro-cavity defining layer, a hydrophilic layer, and a hydrophobic layer. The micro-cavity defining layer is on the first substrate and defines a plurality of micro-reaction chambers. Each of the plurality of micro-reaction chambers includes a reaction trap, and the reaction trap includes a sidewall and a bottom. The micro-cavity defining layer includes a spacing region between the plurality of micro-reaction chambers, and the spacing region includes a first region adjacent to the sidewall, and a second region non-adjacent to the sidewall. The hydrophilic layer covers the sidewall and the bottom of each of the plurality of micro-reaction chambers, and the hydrophobic layer covers the second region.

The method includes preparing a liquid supply pipe in which the solution to be inspected, air, and oil are disposed in this order, and installing the liquid supply pipe above the substrate at an angle such that the solution to be inspected is positioned on a lowermost side and the solution to be inspected, the air, and the oil flow onto a front surface of the substrate by gravity. A cross-sectional area of the liquid supply pipe is designed such that the air continues to be present between the solution to be inspected and the oil while the solution to be inspected, the air, and the oil are flowing through the liquid supply pipe, and after the solution to be inspected is supplied to the spot, the solution to be inspected present on the front surface of the substrate is replaced with the air, and then the liquid supply progresses.

An example of a flow cell includes a substrate, which includes nano-depressions defined in a surface of the substrate, and interstitial regions separating the nano-depressions. A hydrophobic material layer has a surface that is at least substantially co-planar with the interstitial regions and is positioned to define a hydrophobic barrier around respective sub-sets of the nano-depressions.

A system for use in spectral analysis procedures can include a slide and a holder for carrying the slide. The slide includes a substrate forming a plurality of wells that are recessed relative to a surface of the substrate. Each of the wells forms a sample region that is recessed by a sample depth from the surface and a trough region that is recessed by a trough depth from the surface, the trough depth being greater than the sample depth. The holder includes a body defining a cavity between a first side and a second side of the body, a port for receiving the slide into the cavity, one or more first fenestrations on the first side, and one or more second fenestrations on the second side.

One aspect of the present invention is to provide the device and methods for performing an assay that uses the multiplexing of sample thicknesses on the same plate. The sample thickness multiplexing can offer many information that are unavailable in using a single sample thickness.

An example of a flow cell includes a substrate, which includes nano-depressions defined in a surface of the substrate, and interstitial regions separating the nano-depressions. A hydrophobic material layer has a surface that is at least substantially co-planar with the interstitial regions and is positioned to define a hydrophobic barrier around respective sub-sets of the nano-depressions.

An example of a flow cell includes a substrate, which includes nano-depressions defined in a surface of the substrate, and interstitial regions separating the nano-depressions. A hydrophobic material layer has a surface that is at least substantially co-planar with the interstitial regions and is positioned to define a hydrophobic barrier around respective sub-sets of the nano-depressions.