There is provided a system for automated handling of live organisms for studying biological development of the organisms. The system has a reservoir for containing a plurality of the organisms, a module for automatically trapping and orienting the organisms in desired positions for imaging purpose, a module for automatically controlling orientation of the organisms leaving the reservoir and entering the trapping and orienting module, and a module for automatically loading the organisms from the reservoir into the orientation control module. The trapping and orienting module may include an array of channels configured to allow flow of fluid and travel of the organisms in the system.

Techniques for fabricating horizontally aligned nanochannels are provided. In one aspect, a method of forming a device having nanochannels is provided. The method includes: providing a SOI wafer having a SOI layer on a buried insulator; forming at least one nanowire and pads in the SOI layer, wherein the nanowire is attached at opposite ends thereof to the pads, and wherein the nanowire is suspended over the buried insulator; forming a mask over the pads, the mask having a gap therein where the nanowire is exposed between the pads; forming an alternating series of metal layers and insulator layers alongside one another within the gap and surrounding the nanowire; and removing the nanowire to form at least one of the nanochannels in the alternating series of the metal layers and insulator layers. A device having nanochannels is also provided.

A method of synthesizing an oligonucleotide using a nanofluidic device including a plurality of nanopore channels, a plurality of electrodes, and an electrolyte solution, includes coupling a primer to an inner wall of a nanopore channel of the plurality of nanopore channels, the primer having a protecting group. The method also includes applying a voltage to an electrode of the plurality of electrodes that corresponds to the nanopore channel to produce an acid from the electrolyte solution at the electrode. The electrode includes an anode and a cathode disposed at opposite sides of the nanopore channel. The method further includes the acid removing the protecting group from the primer. Moreover, the method includes coupling a nucleotide to the primer with the protecting group removed to form an intermediate product. In addition, the method includes repeating the steps on the intermediate product until the oligonucleotide is synthesized.

A delivery system for a sensor chip includes a plurality of selectable ports arranged on a first assembly. Each of the selectable ports is in communication with a separate channel. The delivery system includes a second assembly movable in relation to the first assembly. The second assembly has a channel that is mechanically connectable to different ones of the plurality of selectable ports on the first assembly by motion of the second assembly relative to the first assembly. The delivery system includes a mechanical interface configured to engage a separate actuator so that relative motion of the first assembly and the second assembly is affected by the actuator.

The present disclosure relates to an apparatus (100) and method for controlling a plurality of simultaneously active optical traps (OT1, OT2, OT3). In one method, trapping beams (TB1, TB2, TB3) are provided and redirected for individually controlling a respective position (X,Y) of optical traps (OT1, OT2, OT3) formed by focusing of the redirected trapping beams in a sample volume (SV). Light (L11,L20) from the sample volume (SV) corresponding to the optical traps is received. A path of a detector beam (AB) is overlapped with one of the trapping beams (TB3), wherein the detector beam has a distinct wavelength (A) from that of the overlapping trapping beam (TB3). In one channel, the light from the sample volume is filtered according to wavelength, and only the filtered light having the wavelength (A) of the detector beam (AB) is measured.

Disclosed are microfluidic flow-based devices for extracting fragments of genomic DNA in a selected size range from a cell or cell nucleus. The devices include a microfluidic channel and an array of micropillars disposed within the microfluidic channel in a defined configuration. Also disclosed are systems including such devices and a fluid control module. Additionally disclosed are methods of selecting parameters for extracting fragments of genomic DNA having a desired size metric from a cell or cell nucleus, as well as methods of isolating fragments of genomic DNA having a selected size metric from a cell or cell nucleus.

Methods and apparatus for long read, label-free, optical nanopore long chain molecule sequencing. In general, the present disclosure describes a novel sequencing technology based on the integration of nanochannels to deliver single long-chain molecules with widely spaced (>wavelength), 1-nm aperture tortuous nanopores that slow translocation sufficiently to provide massively parallel, single base resolution using optical techniques. A novel, directed self-assembly nanofabrication scheme using simple colloidal nanoparticles is used to form the nanopore arrays atop nanochannels that unfold the long chain molecules. At the surface of the nanoparticle array, strongly localized electromagnetic fields in engineered plasmonic/polaritonic structures allow for single base resolution using optical techniques.

Techniques for fabricating horizontally aligned nanochannels are provided. In one aspect, a method of forming a device having nanochannels is provided. The method includes: providing a SOI wafer having a SOI layer on a buried insulator; forming at least one nanowire and pads in the SOI layer, wherein the nanowire is attached at opposite ends thereof to the pads, and wherein the nanowire is suspended over the buried insulator; forming a mask over the pads, the mask having a gap therein where the nanowire is exposed between the pads; forming an alternating series of metal layers and insulator layers alongside one another within the gap and surrounding the nanowire; and removing the nanowire to form at least one of the nanochannels in the alternating series of the metal layers and insulator layers. A device having nanochannels is also provided.

A mechanism is provided for presenting single strands of a double strand molecule to a membrane. The double strand molecule is driven to a first side of the membrane by an electric field. The membrane has a first and second nanopore spaced apart by a nanopore separation distance. The first strand of the double strand molecule is captured in the first nanopore when driven to the first side of the membrane. The second strand is captured in the second nanopore by having the nanopore separation distance between the first nanopore and the second nanopore corresponding to a strand separation distance between the first and second strands, and/or by having captured the first strand to limit diffusion of the second strand. The first and second strands respectively in the first and second nanopores are individually stretched, by the first and second strands recombining on the second side of the membrane.

Nanochannel arrays that enable high-throughput macromolecular analysis are disclosed. Also disclosed are methods of preparing nanochannel arrays and nanofluidic chips. Methods of analyzing macromolecules, such as entire strands of genomic DNA, are also disclosed, as well as systems for carrying out these methods.