The invention relates to a method of performing an acoustophoretic operation, comprising the steps of: a. providing an acoustophoretic chip comprising a polymer substrate in which a microfluidic flow channel is positioned, b. providing at least one ultrasound transducer in acoustic contact with one surface of the substrate, c. actuating the at least one ultrasound transducer at a frequency f that corresponds to an acoustic resonance peak of the substrate including the microfluidic flow channel filled with a liquid suspension, and d. providing the liquid suspension in the flow channel to perform the acoustophoretic operation on the liquid suspension. The invention further relates to an acoustophoretic device, a method of producing an acoustophoretic device, and a microfluidic system comprising the acoustophoretic device.

The present disclosure relates to an integrated chip, which includes a cell enrichment region, a cell separation region and a cell capture region, wherein one end of the cell enrichment region is provided with an inlet, and the other end of the cell enrichment region is provided with a waste liquid outlet and an enriched liquid outlet; one end of the cell separation region is provided with a buffer solution inlet and an enriched liquid inlet , and the other end of the cell separation region is provided with an outlet; one end of the cell capture region is provided with an inlet, and the other end of the cell capture region is provided with a separated liquid outlet. Compared with the traditional technology, the chip can separate a target cell from a to-be-treated cell solution with a high efficiency, and capture the target cell in situ in a chip.

A variety of devices and methods are provided for separating or enriching circulating tumor cells in a biological sample such as whole blood. In some aspects, the devices are multi-stage devices including at least (i) a filtering stage, (ii) a sheath flow stage for ferrohydrodynamic separation of magnetically labelled white blood cells, and (iii) a focusing stage for markerindependent and size-independent focusing of magnetically labeled particles so as to separate or enrich unlabeled rare cells in the biological sample. The devices and methods are, in some aspects, capable of high throughput in excess of 6 milliliters per hour while achieving high separation (>95%) of the unlabeled rare cells.

A microfluidic apparatus, systems and methods for microfluidic crystallization based on gradient mixing. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes (a) a first layer, (b) a plurality of first channels and a plurality of vacuum chambers both arranged in the first layer, where the plurality of vacuum chambers are each coupled to at least one of the first channels, (c) a membrane having first and second surfaces, where the first surface of the membrane is coupled to the first layer, (d) a second layer coupled to the second surface of the membrane, (e) a plurality of wells and a plurality of second channels both arranged in the second layer, where the wells are each coupled to at least one of the plurality of second channels and (f) a plurality of barrier walls each disposed in the plurality of second channels and arranged opposite to one of the plurality of vacuum chambers.

Devices, systems and methods for magnetically separating paramagnetic beads for biomolecule isolation and processing are disclosed.

Example implementations relate to coagulation sensing. For example, a microfluidic chip for coagulation sensing may include a microfluidic channel, an outlet at an end of the microfluidic channel having an air interface, and an impedance sensor located within the microfluidic channel and within a particular proximity to the air interface, the impedance sensor to determine a stage of a coagulation cascade of a blood sample flowing through the microfluidic channel to the impedance sensor.

Disclosed herein are methods, devices, and systems for efficient loading and retrieval of particles. In some embodiments, a fluidic channel of a flowcell comprises a ceiling, a first sidewall, and a bottom, wherein the contact angle of the ceiling is at least 10 degrees smaller than the contact angle of the first sidewall, and wherein the bottom of the fluidic channel comprises a substrate that comprises a plurality of microwells.

A microfluidic device can comprise at least one swept region that is fluidically connected to unswept regions. The fluidic connections between the swept region and the unswept regions can enable diffusion but substantially no flow of media between the swept region and the unswept regions. The capability of biological micro-objects to produce an analyte of interest can be assayed in such a microfluidic device. Biological micro-objects in sample material loaded into a microfluidic device can be selected for particular characteristics and disposed into unswept regions. The sample material can then be flowed out of the swept region and an assay material flowed into the swept region. Flows of medium in the swept region do not substantially affect the biological micro-objects in the unswept regions, but any analyte of interest produced by a biological micro-object can diffuse from an unswept region into the swept region, where the analyte can react with the assay material to produce a localized detectable reaction. Any such detected reactions can be analyzed to determine which, if any, of the biological micro-objects are producers of the analyte of interest.

A flu assay system including a sample module, a microfluidic nucleic acid amplification device, and an analyzer to facilitate fully automated nested recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) on a sample delivered to the nucleic acid amplification device via the sample module. The assay includes providing a sample to a microfluidic device, and amplifying a target polynucleotide sequence in the sample. Amplifying the target polynucleotide sequence includes performing a first round of amplification on the sample to yield a first amplification product, and performing a second round of amplification on the first amplification product to yield a second amplification product. The second amplification product includes a smaller sequence completely contained within the first amplification product produced during the first round of amplification.

A device for sorting bio-particles by image-manipulated electric force includes a first substrate, a second substrate, a fluidic channel, one or more photosensitive layers and an inlet hole. The first substrate has a first conductive electrode, and the second substrate has a second conductive electrode. The second conductive electrode is disposed opposite the first conductive electrode. The fluidic channel is disposed between the first conductive electrode and the second conductive electrode. The photosensitive layer is conformally disposed on at least one of the surfaces of the first conductive electrode and the second conductive electrode. The inlet hole is disposed in the first conductive electrode and the first substrate, where the inlet hole includes a first opening close to the fluidic channel and a second opening away from the fluidic channel, and the surface area of the first opening is greater than the surface area of the second opening.