A microfluidic device including a microwell array having microwells, and a cover member facing the microwell array with a gap between the cover member and the microwell array, and having a flow path formed in the gap. The cover member has a surface facing the microwell array, and the surface has an arithmetic average roughness Ra of 70 nm or less.

In accordance with embodiments herein a method for capturing cells of interest in a digital microfluidic system is provided, comprising utilizing a droplet actuator to transport a sample droplet to a microwell device. The microwell device includes a substrate having a plurality of microwells that open onto a droplet operations surface of the microwell device. The sample droplet includes cells of interest that enter the microwells. The method introduces capture beads to the microwells, and the capture elements are immobilized on the capture beads. The method utilizes the droplet actuator to transport a cell lysis reagent droplet to the microwell device. Portions of the cell lysis reagent droplet enter the microwells and, during an incubation period, cause the cells of interest to release analyte that is captured by the capture elements on the capture beads.

A microfluidic device for detecting a target gene according to the present invention comprises a plurality of capillary tubes which are partially immersed in a sample container containing sample solution and in which the sample solution flows by capillary phenomenon, and microbead packings arranged at one part in each capillary tube to be arranged on a flow path of the sample solution, wherein each of the microbead packings comprises: a packing tube arranged at the capillary tube so as to partially constitute the flow path of the sample solution, a plurality of microbeads contained in the packing tube and being in close contact with each other to form voids between the microbeads, and probe linkers formed on a surface of each microbead, wherein the probe linkers are configured to amplify a target gene in the sample solution by complementary bonding with the target gene, thereby detecting the target gene.

Methods for the detection of components from biological samples are provided. In certain aspects, the methods may be used to detect and/or quantify specific components in a biological sample, such as tumor cells (e.g., circulating tumor cells). Systems and devices for practicing the subject methods are also provided.

A fluid refining device comprises at least two obstructions adapted to be facing with a front in an upstream direction towards an incoming fluid and a base edge opposite of the front, and a fluid outlet arranged at the base edge.

A microfluidic device may include an inlet, an outlet, first and second channels arranged in parallel, a first sensor pair positioned along the first channel, and a second sensor pair positioned along the second channel. The first channel may include a first upstream zone, a first downstream zone, and a first constriction zone. The second channel may include a second upstream zone, a second downstream zone, and a second constriction zone. The first sensor pair may include a first entry sensor configured to detect a first cell flowing through the first upstream zone, and a first exit sensor configured to detect the first cell flowing through the first downstream zone. The second sensor pair may include a second entry sensor configured to detect a second cell flowing through the second upstream zone, and a second exit sensor configured to detect the second cell flowing through the second downstream zone.

Provided herein are microfluidic viscometer assemblies and methods using the same, that include a microfluidic cartridge having microfluidic circuits that have channels adapted for viscosity determination without the need of a control fluid or oil. The viscometer assemblies also include an image recording system and a pressure control unit. In some embodiments, a temperature control unit is included as well. During methods using the viscometers provided herein, microfluidic cartridges can be loaded and removed from a viscometer, and disposed of.

In this invention, chromatography is integrated on a centrifugal platform to enable low-cost automated purification. Differing from the traditional chromatography method, purification and separation of a centrifugal compound collecting platform disclosed in the present invention mainly uses a centrifugal force to drive the fluid to flow outward in the radial direction when the motor rotates. The compounds to be separated react with the column packing during the flow, and the compounds with different polarities in the sample are gradually separated. The flow of the fluid can be governed by the motor and the geometry of the fluidic design such that compounds with different characteristics can be separated and collected in different collecting chambers.

The invention provides a method, apparatus and system for separating blood and other types of cellular components, and can be combined with holographic optical trapping manipulation or other forms of optical tweezing. One of the exemplary methods includes providing a first flow having a plurality of blood components; providing a second flow; contacting the first flow with the second flow to provide a first separation region; and differentially sedimenting a first blood cellular component of the plurality of blood components into the second flow while concurrently maintaining a second blood cellular component of the plurality of blood components in the first flow. The second flow having the first blood cellular component is then differentially removed from the first flow having the second blood cellular component. Holographic optical traps may also be utilized in conjunction with the various flows to move selected components from one flow to another, as part of or in addition to a separation stage.

A microfluidic thermalization chip, a system using such a chip and a PCR method for detecting DNA sequences. The chip contains a block of material in which a cavity is configured to contain at least one fluid. The cavity includes at least one inlet orifice and at least one outlet orifice. The inlet orifice for the fluid is connected to at least one, preferably at least two, fluid-injecting channels. Further, the chip includes at least one microfluidic channel for bypassing the cavity. The channel is connected by a first end to at least one of the fluid-injecting channels. The junction between the bypassing channel and the fluid-injecting channel is located at a distance L from the inlet orifice of the fluid-injecting channel. The distance L is preferably smaller than 2 cm.