Devices, systems, and their methods of use, for generating droplets are provided. One or more geometric parameters of a microfluidic channel can be selected to generate droplets of a desired and predictable droplet size.

Described herein is a microfluidic cartridge for purifying target particles or target cells of a predetermined size from contaminants in a sample, the cartridge comprising a first and a second planar support the first and second planar support each having a top surface and a bottom surface, wherein the top surface of the first and/or second planar support comprises at least one embedded channel extending from one or more inlets to one or more outlets; the at least one embedded channel comprising a plurality of obstacles, wherein the microfluidic cartridge comprises at least one void space configured to be deformed when assembling the first and second planar supports into the microfluidic cartridge.

Described herein are method of transferring liquid using a robotic liquid handler from a reagent reservoir having a sloped bottom along a length of the reagent reservoir, the sloped bottom defining a shallow end and a deep end of the reagent reservoir, wherein the shallow end is proximal to a first side-wall of the reagent reservoir, wherein the deep end is proximal to a second side-wall of the reagent reservoir opposite the first side-wall.

A system for testing for an analyte includes a test strip. The test strip includes a first flow path. The test strip further includes a heating element in communication with a heating area of the first flow path, for heating a sample in the first flow path. The test strip further includes an e-gate, the e-gate in the first flow path, the e-gate separating the heating area from a detection area of the first flow path.

Modular active surface devices for microfluidic systems and methods of making the same including adhesive-free assembly are disclosed. In some embodiments, the presently disclosed modular active surface devices and methods provide adhesive-free assembly processes, such as, but not limited to, laser beam welding (LBW) processes, ultrasonic welding processes, heat welding processes, chemical bonding processes, mechanical compression processes, and the like. In some embodiments, the modular active surface devices and methods provide a reagent hopper or well that is out-of-plane with the reaction chamber.

A device includes a first container having a floor and walls extending from the floor to an opening opposing the floor. The walls include opposing ledges at an interior of the first container. A second container has a first open end, sides, and a second end opposing the first open end. The second end has at least one hole adapted to receive a biopsy specimen cup. The first and second containers are made from opaque materials. A translucent panel has a notch in an edge thereof. The translucent panel is disposed on the ledges and spans the interior of the first container. The opening of the first container is sized to slidingly receive the second container wherein the first open end of the second container rests on the translucent panel. A light source is disposed in the first container between the translucent panel and the floor of the first container.

A microfluidic device includes a lower casing and an upper casing covering the lower casing. The lower casing includes a lower base wall having a top surface and a plurality of spaced-apart columns that protrude upwards from the top surface. The upper casing includes an upper base wall. A first gap between the upper base wall and a column top surface of each of the columns is large enough to permit passage of large biological particles of a liquid sample, and a second gap between any two adjacent ones of the columns is not large enough to permit passage of the large biological particles and is large enough to permit passage of small biological particles of the liquid sample.

Among other things, the present invention is related to devices and methods of performing biological and chemical assays, particularly an easy sample manipulation and/or a rapid change or a rapid thermal cycling of a sample temperature is needed (e.g. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) for amplifying nucleic acids).

Disclosed herein is a multi-well plate for imaging small animals, which is designed so that a well is not shadowed at the edge thereof to be suitable for imaging of small animals. The multi-well plate for imaging small animals includes a plurality of wells each in the form of a groove formed on a plate body to store small animals, wherein each of the wells is gently slanted at a boundary with the plate body to form a groove in order to prevent the well from being shadowed at the boundary with the plate body when the well is captured from above by a camera and then imaged. Therefore, it is possible to accurately identify the positions of small animals since imaging is smoothly performed even if a small animal is located at the edge of each well.

Systems and techniques are described for capturing target extracellular vesicles from a fluid sample. In some implementations, a microfluidic device includes a microfluidic channel where an internal surface of at least one wall of the microfluidic channel includes a plurality of grooves or ridges, or both grooves and ridges, arranged and configured to generate chaotic mixing within a fluid sample flowing through the microfluidic channel. The microfluidic device also includes a plurality of elongate flexible linker molecules, each having a molecular weight between about 1.8-4.8 kDa, where each elongate flexible linker molecule is bound at a first end to an internal surface of at least one wall of the microfluidic channel and is bound at a second end to one or more binding moieties that specifically bind to a target extracellular vesicle.