A microfluidic device includes a first channel, second channels, and a transition channel splitting the first channel into the second channels. The transition has a first end fluidically connected to the first channel and a second end fluidically connected to the second channels. The transition channel expands in width from a width of the first channel at the first end to no less than a sum of widths of the second channels at the second end so as to promote fluid flow from the first channel to the second channels.

A device, in particular a microfluidic device, for facilitating visual determination of presence and/or quantification of one or more species in a sample solution. The microfluidic device includes an inlet arranged to receive a solution, and a trap in fluid communication with the inlet and arranged to substantially trap one or more species of a sample solution. The sample solution may be the sample solution received at the inlet or a processed solution obtained by processing the sample solution received at the inlet. The trap includes, at least, a fluid channel. The trap is arranged such that the one or more trapped species is visible for presence determination and/or quantification. A method of use in also described herein.

A microfluidic device includes an inlet port configured to receive a sample, a first reaction chamber fluidically coupled to the inlet port, a first pump fluidically coupled to the inlet port, a second pump fluidically coupled to a mixing chamber, a metering channel fluidically coupled to the first reaction chamber and to the mixing chamber, and one or more second reaction chambers fluidically coupled to the mixing chamber. The first pump is configured to move fluid from the inlet port to the first reaction chamber and from the first pump to the inlet port. The second pump is configured to move fluid from the second pump to the mixing chamber, from the first reaction chamber to the mixing chamber, and from the mixing chamber to the one or more second reaction chambers.

The present disclosure relates to reversible sealing of a microfluidic chip used for thermal incubation of an aqueous sample suspected to contain a target nucleic acid. The microfluidic chip contains a flow channel and a plurality of reaction compartments, into which the sample and a displacement fluid are introduced through an inlet port scalable by means of a sealing agent having a melting point above room temperature.

Biological activity in holding pens in a micro-fluidic device can be assayed by placing in the holding pens capture objects that bind a particular material of interest produced by the biological activity. The biological material of interest that binds to each capture object can then be assessed, either in the micro-fluidic device or after exporting the capture object from the micro-fluidic device. The assessment can be utilized to characterize the biological activity in each holding pen. The biological activity can be production of the biological material of interest. Thus, the biological activity can correspond to or arise from one or more biological cells. Biological cells within a holding pen can be clonal cell colonies. The biological activity of each clonal cell colony can be assayed while maintaining the clonal status of each colony.

A microfluidic AM-EWOD device and a method of filling such a device are provided. The device comprises a chamber having one or more inlet ports. The device is configured, when the chamber contains a metered volume of a filler fluid that partially fills the chamber, preferentially maintain the metered volume of the filler fluid in a part of the chamber. The device is configured to allow displacement of some of the filler fluid from the part of the chamber when a volume of an assay fluid introduced into one of the one or more inlet ports enters the part of the chamber, thereby causing a volume of a venting fluid to vent from the chamber.

A single junction sorter for a microfluidic particle sorter, the single-junction sorter comprising: an input channel, configured to receive a fluid containing particles; an output sort channel and an output waste channel, each connected to the input channel for receiving the fluid therefrom; a bubble generator, operable to selectively displace the fluid around a particle to be sorted and thereby to create a transient flow of the fluid in the input channel; and a vortex element, configured to cause a vortex in the transient flow in order to direct the particle to be sorted into the output sort channel.

An apparatus includes a fluidic circuit, a bypass fluidic circuit, a first set of fluid wells, a second set of fluid wells, a first valve, and a second valve. The first valve operatively associated with the first set of fluid wells such that the first selectively fluidly connects any one of the first set of fluid wells to a first valve outlet. The second valve operatively associated with the fluidic circuit, the bypass fluidic circuit, the first valve outlet, and the second set of fluid wells such that the second valve selectively fluidly connects any one of the second set of fluid wells and the first valve outlet to the fluidic circuit or the first valve outlet to the bypass fluidic circuit.

Disclosed is an assay device comprising a high density of wells aligned thereon.

Methods and systems for measuring the concentration of LAL-reactive substances in fluid samples is provided. They include contacting an aqueous sample with a detection reagent to form a prepared sample. A physical property of the prepared sample may be measured to obtain at least one sample measurement characteristic of the prepared sample. Curve fitting may then be used to forecast a concentration of the LAL-reactive substance the aqueous sample will have at a specified time in the future based on the sample measurement and a correlation developed between at least one standard measurement of a physical quality of a solution with a known concentration of a LAL-reactive substance therein. The quality of the sample measurement may be validated using historical data and/or the standard measurement.