The present disclosure provides a chip, a microfluidic device including the chip, and a method for sorting target droplets. The chip includes a first container for accommodating a first fluid, a second container for accommodating a second fluid, a delivery channel including a first flow channel communicating with the first container and a second flow channel communicating with the second container, the first flow channel and the second flow channel intersecting and communicating with each other at a junction, and at least one collector. A portion of the first flow channel includes the junction and is divided into two sections by the junction, in each section, the section thickens gradually along a first direction away from the junction. The second flow channel includes the junction and is divided into two sections by the junction, in each section, the section thickens gradually along a second direction away from the junction.

Provided herein, among other aspects, are methods and apparatuses for analyzing particles in a sample. In some aspects, the particles can be analytes, cells, nucleic acids, or proteins and contacted with a tag, partitioned into aliquots, detected by a ranking device, and isolated. The methods and apparatuses provided herein may include a microfluidic chip. In some aspects, the methods and apparatuses may be used to quantify rare particles in a sample, such as cancer cells and other rare cells for disease diagnosis, prognosis, or treatment.

A modular cassette and method for separating a composite fluid into at least two component parts thereof during centrifugation is provided. The modular cassette includes a fluid inlet portion, at least one fluid separation portion, at least one media chamber in fluid communication with the fluid separation portion, a fluid collection portion, at least one fluidic channel configured to form a fluid communication between at least two components of the cassette, at least one wax valve including undulating flow channel portions configured to close at least one of the fluidic channels, and at least one heating element configured to actuate the at least one wax valve.

An apparatus and method to detect disease-specific antigens assists in disease diagnosis. Point-of-care (POC) micro biochip incorporates at least one hydrophilic microchannel for controlled and self-driven flow of body fluid. Metallic nano-interdigitated electrodes disposed within the channels give enhanced sensitivity detection. Microchannel controls flow and amplifies a capillary effect. Electrodes are fabricated on microchannel surface to detect biomolecular interactions. When a sample flows through microchannel, disease-specific antigens from the sample form antigen-antibody complex with antibodies immobilized on electrodes. Antigen-antibody interaction is detected via an electrical change in the biochip's nano circuit. Each electrode may include a different antibody to detect different antigens. Capacitance during antigen-antibody interaction without microfluidic flow is higher than with microfluidic flow due to immobilized antibodies instability on sensing surface caused by shear stress. POC biochip provides nano level detection of many disease-specific antigens of any type based on micro volume or single drop sized sample.

A microfluidic sealing valve 1 comprises a primary channel 2, a valve channel 4, and a geometry that permits liquid in the primary channel 2 to flow into the valve channel 4 through an inlet 5. Liquid in the primary channel 2 is inhibited from flowing through a first port 8 into the void volume 7. A meniscus 9 moved by a flow of liquid in the primary channel 2 is restrained at the first port 8. A flow of liquid through the primary channel 2 generates a capillary force that causes the flow of liquid to flow into the valve channel 4. A capillary force generated by the flow of liquid through the valve channel 4 causes the meniscus 9 to expand from the first port 8 into the primary channel, to inhibit flow of liquid in the primary channel 2 past the first port 8.

A blood pack donation system configured for use with a lab-on-a-chip device for biomarker collection during whole blood donation including a blood collection container, a biomarker collection container, a first flow path connected to an opening in the blood collection container and to a first outlet opening of a lab-on-a-chip device, a second flow path connected to an opening in the biomarker collection container and to a second outlet opening of the lab-on-a-chip device, and a third flow path connected to a needle and to an inlet opening of the lab-on-a-chip device. The system may be used in a single pass collection procedure. A second version includes a fourth flow path connected to the first flow path and to the third flow path, with a plurality of flow control components that selectively control flow to provide a single pass collection procedure or a multiple pass collection procedure.

Systems and methods for rapid determination of microorganism growth and antimicrobial agent susceptibility and/or resistance are disclosed.

In various embodiments methods of determining methylation of DNA are provided. In one illustrative, but non-limiting embodiment the method comprises i) contacting a biological sample comprising a nucleic acid to a first matrix material comprising a first column or filter where said matrix material binds and/or filters nucleic acids in said sample and thereby purifies the DNA; ii) eluting the bound DNA from the first matrix material and denaturing the DNA to produce eluted denatured DNA; iii) heating the eluted DNA in the presence of bisulfite ions to produce a deaminated nucleic acid; iv) contacting said deaminated nucleic acid to a second matrix material comprising a second column to bind said deaminated nucleic acid to said second matrix material; v) desulfonating the bound deaminated nucleic acid and/or simultaneously eluting and desulfonating the nucleic acid by contacting the deaminated nucleic acid with an alkaline solution to produce a bisulfite converted nucleic acid; vi) eluting said bisulfite converted nucleic acid from said second matrix material; and vii) performing methylation specific PCR and/or nucleic acid sequencing, and/or high resolution melting analysis (HRM) on said bisulfite-converted nucleic acid to determine the methylation of said nucleic acid, wherein at least steps iv) through vi) are performed in a single reaction cartridge.

The present invention relates to, inter alia, a microfluidic device for capturing target cells and analyzing genomic DNA isolated from the target cells while under flow conditions. The microfluidic device includes a cell microchannel and a nucleic acid microchannel that intersect in an orthogonal manner, thereby forming a cell capture intersection region. The microfluidic device also includes a cell capture array and a nucleic acid entanglement array. The cell capture array includes a plurality of cell capturing micropillars and is located in the cell capture intersection region. The nucleic acid entanglement array includes a plurality of nucleic acid entanglement micropillars that function to physically entangle and maintain thereon genomic DNA isolated from the one or more target cell, and is located in a portion of the nucleic acid microchannel that is adjacent to and downstream of the cell capture intersection region. Methods of using the microfluidic device are also disclosed.

Methods are provided for separating magnetically responsive beads from a droplet in a droplet actuator. Droplet operations electrodes and a magnet are arranged in a droplet actuator to manipulate a bead-containing droplet and position it relative to a magnetic field region that attracts the magnetically responsive beads. The droplet operations electrodes are operated to control the droplet shape and transport it away from the magnetic field region to form a concentration of beads in the droplet. The continued transport of the droplet away from the magnetic field causes the concentration of beads to break away from the droplet to yield a small, concentrated bead-containing droplet immobilized by the magnet.