A microchip 1 equipped with a chip main body 2 in which a reaction space 3 depressurized with respect to an atmospheric pressure is formed, in which the chip main body 2 has a two-layer structure of a first plate-shaped part 7 having gas impermeability, and a second plate-shaped part 8 having a self-sealing property, which is laminated on one surface of the first plate-shaped part 7, and the reaction space 3 is formed between the first plate-shaped part 7 and the second plate-shaped part 8.

A method of treating a biological sample, preferably a sample of blood or bodily fluids likely to contain one or more species of interest, and including a step of decomplexification by acoustophoresis (as well as associated systems, devices, substrates and connection devices).

The disclosure relates to an apparatus for segregating particles on the basis of their ability to flow through a stepped passageway. At least some of the particles are unable to pass through a narrower passageway bounded by a segregating step, resulting in segregation of the particles. The breadth of the leading edge of at least one step of the apparatus is significantly greater than the overall width of the passageway in which the step occurs, permitting high and rapid sample throughput. The apparatus and methods described herein can be used to segregate particles of a wide variety of types. By way of example, they can be used to segregate circulating tumor cells from a human blood sample.

A nucleic acid amplification disk apparatus using a temperature sensitive polymer synthesis and the analysis method using the same, and more specifically, and the nucleic acid amplification device, and the analysis method using the nucleic acid amplification disk unit and the nucleic acid amplification disk for amplifying the Bacterial DNA or RNA, and the driving control section for controlling the nucleic acid amplification disk.

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.

A fast, multiplexed PCR system is described that can rapidly generate amplified nucleic acid products, for example, a full STR profile, from a target nucleic acid. Such systems include, for example, microfluidic biochips and a custom built thermal cycler, which are also described. The resulting STR profiles can satisfy forensic guidelines for signal strength, inter-loci peak height balance, heterozygous peak height ratio, incomplete non-template nucleotide addition, and stutter.

Apparatus for processing life-based organic particles, including particles selected from the list comprising cells, cellular spheroids, tissues, eukaryotes, micro-organisms, organs or embryos, comprises a hollow volume (10) that (a) is internally divided into at least first (14), second (16) and third (17) sub-volumes by at least two phaseguides (12, 13) formed inside the volume and (b) includes parts that are relatively upstream and relatively downstream when judged with reference to the movement of a meniscus or a bulk liquid in the volume (10). The apparatus includes at least first, second and third fluid conduits (19, 21, 22) connected to permit fluid communication between the upstream exterior of the volume (10) and a respective said sub-volume (14, 16, 17); and at least one further conduit (24) connected to permit fluid communication between the downstream exterior of the volume (10) and a said sub-volume. The first sub-volume (14) contains one or more life-based particles supported in or by a gel or gel-like substance; and the second sub-volume (16) communicates with the first sub-volume so as to permit transport of substances between the first and second sub-volumes (14, 16) and contains at least one gel or gel-like substance.

The present invention is a method and apparatus for acoustically manipulating one or more particles.

The present invention is a method and apparatus for acoustically manipulating one or more particles.

The exosome analysis method of the present invention comprises (a) bringing an exosome-containing sample into contact with a substrate that is modified with a compound having a hydrophobic chain and a hydrophilic chain to bind the exosome to the compound; (b) bringing the exosome into contact with a first molecule that specifically binds to a biomolecule existing on the surface of the exosome to form a first molecule-exosome complex on the substrate; and (c) detecting the first molecule-exosome complex on the substrate.