Disclosed herein are microfluidic devices that may be used to mimic human organ systems, in particular, pancreatic function, and methods of using same. In particular, disclosed are microfluidic devices that may include a first chamber having a plurality of pancreatic ductal epithelial cells (PDECs), a second chamber having a plurality of pancreatic islets, and a permeable membrane fluidly connecting the chambers. The disclosed devices and methods may be used for the study of pancreatic cell function, for the development of therapeutics, or for the development of personalized therapeutics wherein the cells of the device are obtained from an individual in need of such treatment.

Microfluidic devices, systems and methods are described herein. The devices, systems and methods provide for trapping particles, including cells. Methods of generating a droplet in a microfluidic device and collecting droplets from microfluidic devices are also disclosed herein.

A microfluidic device for detection of an analyte in a fluid is described. The microfluidic device comprises a substrate having a first surface defining entrances to one or more chambers defined in the substrate, surfaces of the chambers defining a second surface of the substrate, the first surface being modified for selective targeting and capture of at least one analyte to operably effect a blocking of the entrance to at least one of the chambers, and wherein a response characteristic of the microfluidic device is operably varied by the blocking of the entrance to the at least one of the chambers, thereby providing an indication of the presence of the analyte within the fluid.

A microfluidic group includes a female connector and a male needle connector. The female connector has a connector chamber in a containment body; a duct extending in the containment body to a duct opening on a first face of the connector chamber; a needle entry hole extending from a lateral face of the containment body to a second face, not facing the first face of the connector chamber; and a gasket arranged in the connector chamber. The gasket has a side wall internally delimiting a cavity and extending in part adjacent to the second face of the connector chamber. The cavity of the gasket faces the first face of the connector chamber.

A system and method for isolating and analyzing single cells, wherein the system includes: an array of wells defined at a substrate, each well including an open surface and a well cavity configured to capture cells in one of a single-cell format and single-cluster format, and a fluid delivery module including a fluid reservoir superior to the array of wells through which fluid flow is controlled along a fluid path in a direction parallel to the broad face of the substrate; and wherein the method includes: capturing a population of non-cell particles into the array of wells in single-particle format; releasing, from the non-cell particles, a set of probes into the array of wells; capturing a population of cells into the array of wells in single-cell format; releasing biomolecules from each captured cell into the array of wells; and generating a set of genetic complexes comprising the biomolecules associated with a single captured cell and a subset of probes within individual wells of the array of wells.

A microfluidic group includes a female connector and a male needle connector. The female connector has a connector chamber in a containment body; a duct extending in the containment body to a duct opening on a first face of the connector chamber; a needle entry hole extending from a lateral face of the containment body to a second face, not facing the first face of the connector chamber; and a gasket arranged in the connector chamber. The gasket has a side wall internally delimiting a cavity and extending in part adjacent to the second face of the connector chamber. The cavity of the gasket faces the first face of the connector chamber.

Devices for high throughput cell electroporation include a trapping component that at least partially defines an upper boundary of a microfluidic chamber. A cell trap array is patterned on the underside of the trapping component, and a channeling component is positioned beneath the trapping component. The channeling component includes a vertically oriented nanochannel array. The trapping component and the channeling component are positioned such that a given nanochannels is positioned beneath a cell trap. During use, fluid flow holds trapped cells in secure contact with the nanochannels beneath the cell trap. The device further includes upper and lower electrode layers for generating an electric field to electroporate trapped cells via the nanochannel array. A reservoir positioned beneath the channeling component can be filled transfection reagent solution. During electroporation, the transfection reagent solution travels through the nanochannel array during to transfect the trapped cells.

An apparatus includes a reaction vessels coupled to an electronic sensor for monitoring a reaction product in the reaction vessel; a fluidics system for sequentially delivering a plurality of reagents to the reaction vessel, the fluidics system including a plurality of reagent reservoirs in fluidic communication via a plurality of flow paths with a fluidics circuit and to a common passage in fluidic communication between the fluidics circuit and the reaction vessel, a solution reservoir in fluidic communication with the common passage via a branch passage connected with the common passage at a junction between the fluidics circuit and the reaction vessel; and an electrode in contact with a solution within the branch passage, the electrode being in electrical communication with the reaction vessel through fluid extending from the branch passage and through the common passage, the electronic sensor generating an output signal depending on a voltage of the electrode.

An electromagnetic sampling device is disclosed, which comprises a needle having a hollow housing that extends from a proximal end to a distal end, and an electromagnet comprising an electromagnetic coil and a metal core, at least a portion of said metal core extending through said hollow housing of the needle and be configured to transition between an extended position in which the distal end of the metal core extends beyond the distal end of the needle's hollow housing and a retracted position in which the distal end of the metal core is positioned within the needle's housing, wherein an activation of said electromagnetic coil magnetizes the metal core.

A microfluidic chip comprises: a first unit which has a channel for a cell sample to pass through and is configured to separate circulating tumor cells in the cell sample; a second unit, a front end of which communicates with a tail end of the first unit, and the second unit is configured to capture single cells from the separated circulating tumor cells and subject the captured single cells to closed lysis; and a gel layer which is provided at the second unit. The microfluidic chip is configured to implement the binding of a protein molecule of the single cell with an antibody in the gel layer after the single cell is lysed. A cell separation and western blotting method using the microfluidic chip comprises: lysing circulating tumor cells, capturing, and implementing the binding of a lysate with an antibody. A manufacture method of the microfluidic chip, comprises: manufacturing a first interlayer and a separation unit; manufacturing a second interlayer and pasting the second interlayer on a basal layer, and manufacturing a single-cell capture unit; and bonding the first interlayer with the separation unit and the second interlayer with the single-cell capture unit.