Apparatus and methods are described including successively acquiring a plurality of microscopic images of a portion of a blood sample, and tracking motion of pixels within the successively acquired microscopic images. Trypomastigote parasite candidates within the blood sample are identified, by identifying pixel motion that is typical of trypomastigote parasites. It is determined that the blood sample is infected with trypomastigote parasites, at least partially in response thereto. An output is generated indicating that that the blood sample is infected with trypomastigote parasites. Other applications are also described.

A microfluidic device for thermocycling of a reaction mixture is provided. The device comprises an inlet opening, an outlet opening, a flow channel connecting the inlet opening and the outlet opening and defining a flow direction from the inlet opening through the flow channel to the outlet opening, wherein the flow channel comprises a first flow channel surface and a second flow channel surface opposite to the first flow channel surface, and an array of wells provided in the first flow channel surface for fluidic communication with the inlet opening and the outlet opening. Further, the first flow channel surface provides a first hydrophilicity and at least a part of the second flow channel surface provides a second hydrophilicity, wherein the first hydrophilicity is greater than the second hydrophilicity.

A particle manipulation system uses a MEMS-based, microfabricated particle manipulation device which has a sample inlet channel, output channels, and a movable member formed on a substrate. The device may be used to separate a target particle from non-target material in a sample stream. In order to improve the sorter speed, accuracy or yield, the particle manipulation system may also include a microfluidic structure which focuses the target particles in a particular portion of the sample inlet channel. The particle manipulation device may have two separate sort output channels, wherein the sort channel used depends on the characteristics of the sort pulse delivered to the micromechanical particle manipulation device.

Embodiments of apparatus and methods for counting cells in a liquid sample are provided herein. In some embodiments, an apparatus for counting cells in a liquid sample includes: a flow-splitting chamber fluidly coupled to a collection chamber; an input tube configured to deliver a liquid sample to the flow-splitting chamber; a spaced apart array of posts along a flow path configured to redirect the liquid sample into a plurality of streams; a plurality of sensing zones corresponding to the plurality of streams; and a plurality of sensing electrodes, wherein each sensing electrode is disposed in a corresponding sensing zone of the plurality of sensing zones and configured to detect a change in electrical impedance as the liquid sample flows through the plurality of sensing zones.

The invention relates to a microfluidic chip comprising at least two units for droplet formation, each unit comprising a first supply channel for supplying a first phase, a second supply channel for supplying a second phase and a discharge channel for discharging a product phase, wherein the first and second supply channel converge at a junction to the discharge channel. The hydraulic resistance of the supply channels is higher than that of the discharge channel, so that there is a better flow at the junction, yielding droplets of higher uniformity. In a preferred embodiment, there is a manifold that feeds all the units for droplet formation in a parallel fashion, wherein the manifold has at least a ten times lower hydraulic resistance than the supply channels in the units for droplet formation. This results in droplets that have an even higher uniformity. Another advantage, especially with higher numbers of units for droplet formation in the chip, is that there is less disturbance of liquid flow by gas bubbles and less inactivity of channels when starting a process in the microfluidic chip.

Methods are provided for emulating disease in a microfluidic system with a releasable interfacial film component that allows communication between non-gel aqueous solutions to emulate natural physiological conditions. The systems and methods emulate cellular communication in a disease state in a more accurate aqueous environment and provide data on the interaction between the cells that can be used to develop a treatment for a subject in need. The systems and methods also can be used to assess the effect of a particular treatment, such as a drug therapy, radiation therapy, or a combination thereof, for example. The systems and methods can show how a particular therapy is affected by any of several known factors including, but not limited to, the sex of the subject, the age of the subject, hereditary factors or other genetic predispositions, as well as perhaps other physiological states of the subject, or a combination thereof.

The present invention relates to a gradient-on-a-chip device for quantification of cell migration and metastatic potential of tumor cells. The device comprises a chip having a chip surface, and a nano gradient layer of nanoparticles provided on the chip surface. The nano gradient layer having a gradient direction along an axis of an X-Y plane of the chip surface. The device further comprises a biomolecule conjugated to the nanoparticles and a linker conjugated to the nanoparticles, the linker linking together said biomolecule to said nanoparticles. The chip surface has at least one guiding structure arranged to guide the tumor cells in the gradient direction, the guiding structure extending in the gradient direction and delineating a migration corridor comprising the nano gradient layer.

In a method for isolating analytes of a first analyte class, which are extracellular vesicles and/or circulating tumor cells, and analytes of a second analyte class, which are cell-free nucleic acids, from the same sample volume of a biological sample in a centrifugal microfluidic system, the sample volume is guided into a first isolation chamber of a fluidics module containing a first isolation structure so that the analytes of the first analyte class are retained by the first isolation structure while the analytes of the second analyte class are not retained and pass through the first isolation structure as part of a residual liquid, which is passed into a second isolation chamber of the fluidics module containing a second isolation structure so that the analytes of the second analyte class are retained by the second isolation structure. The analytes of the first analyte class and the second analyte class are separated from the respective isolation structure to provide the analytes for subsequent analysis.

Devices and methods for analyzing a sample are disclosed. In various embodiments, the present disclosure provides devices and methods for preparing a serial dilution of a sample. In various embodiments, the present disclosure provides devices and methods for preparing a serial dilution of a sample and conducting sample analysis. In various embodiments, the present disclosure provides a cartridge device and a reader instrument device. The reader instrument device receives, operates, and/or actuates the cartridge device to prepare a serial dilution of a sample and conduct sample analysis.

A fluidics module has first fluidics structures having a first fluid chamber, second fluidics structures having a second fluid chamber, a first connection having a fluidic resistance between the first fluid chamber and the second fluid chamber, third fluidics structures having a third fluid chamber, a second connection having a barrier between the first fluid chamber and the third fluid chamber, a pressure compensation channel between the second fluid chamber and the third fluid chamber, and fourth fluidics structures having a fourth fluid chamber connected to the second fluidics structures via a third connection. Liquid can be transferred centrifugally from the first fluid chamber into the second fluid chamber. Liquid from the second fluid chamber can be transferred under rotation into the fourth fluid chamber via the third connection to generate negative pressure in the third fluid chamber. The barrier can be overcome by liquid from the first fluid chamber due to the negative pressure generated to transfer liquid from the first fluid chamber into the third fluid chamber via the second connection.