A liquid handling system and method, e.g., for testing blood samples. The system comprises a cartridge, and a transfer device couplable to a liquid reservoir. The cartridge comprises compartments with an inlet, closed by a seal, and an outlet, closed by a gas-permeable liquid-tight filter. Keying portions define a relative position and orientation of the cartridge and the transfer device. Penetrating elements of the transfer device penetrate the seal of each compartment, the penetrating elements having lumina for fluidly connecting the reservoir and each compartment cavity of the cartridge.

A particle separating and measuring device of the present disclosure includes: a first flow path device including a post-separation flow outlet through which a first fluid containing specific particles to be separated flows out; and a second flow path device on which the first flow path device is placed and including a first flow inlet through which the first fluid flows in, the first flow path device in which the post-separation flow outlet is arranged in a lower surface is placed on the second flow path device in which the first flow inlet is arranged in an upper surface of a first region, the post-separation flow outlet and the first flow inlet are connected so as to face each other, and a size of an opening of the first flow inlet is larger than a size of an opening of the post-separation flow outlet.

The present invention relates to droplet-based surface modification and washing. According to one embodiment, a method of splitting a droplet is provided, the method including providing a droplet microactuator including a droplet including one or more beads and immobilizing at least one of the one or more beads. The method further includes conducting one or more droplet operations to divide the droplet to yield a set of droplets including a droplet including the one or more immobilized beads and a droplet substantially lacking the one or more immobilized beads.

The present invention provides an automated system and method to isolate nucleated blood cells from whole blood or bone marrow. A disc mounted to a centrifuge system with spinning rotor is used to manipulate cells by channeling fluids while subjected to high gravitational field. The disc embodies at least two axisymmetric processing stations connected by a circular channel. Each station contains multiple chambers connected by fluidic channels to controllably transfer fluids. First stage separation allows for the isolation of the buffy coat layer while the second stage separation utilizes gradient density fluids to isolate the targeted nucleated cells from the buffy coat layer in the spinning disc.

A system and method sorts particles suspended in a fluid. The system includes a transverse flow filter and a microfluidic sorter. The transverse flow filter concentrates the particles in a retained portion of the fluid. The microfluidic sorter sorts the particles and includes a delivery channel and at least one sorting stage. The delivery channel is dimensioned to permit passage of all the particles in the retained fluid from the transverse flow filter. The delivery channel delivers the particles in the retained fluid to a respective input for each sorting stage and exhausts a remainder of both the particles and the retained fluid at a drain output. Each sorting stage has a labyrinth of interconnected passageways dimensioned to permit passage from the respective input to a respective output for the sorting stage of those of the particles smaller than a respective size for the sorting stage.

Described herein are devices and methods for high throughput purification of particles. In some cases, methods and devices described herein can be used to remove erythrocytes and purify leukocytes and raise the quality of umbilical cord blood and other transplant grafts, thereby significantly improving patient outcomes.

The present invention relates to the field of assay devices and methods for performing assays, such as immunoassays. The system comprises a means to receive the target sample collected from a subject; a means to measure the target analyte possibly present in said target sample; and a process of measuring the target analytes in real time manner. The target analyte includes but is not limited to any biological analyte, microbial entity like those of viral or bacterial sources such as SARS-CoV-2. The invention thus primarily relates to measuring analytes of interest to detect and treat related indications, such as COVID-19.

Microfluidic chips containing electrochemical biosensors are described. The electrochemical biosensors include a flow layer intersected by valves of a control layer, which control the fluid flow. The flow layer includes two zones, an analyte capture zone for mixing a sample with an analyte capture element, and a detection zone for detecting the analyte. Both zones include a rotary mixer for mixing, and where needed, trapping, washing, and flowing the captured analyte. The captured analyte is detected by the sensing region of the detection zone. The microfluidic chips may be integrated into devices for automated, fast, point-of-care determination of analyte concentration.

Provided are a cell sorting chip, device, and method based on dielectrophoresis induced deterministic lateral displacement, the chip including a microfluidic channel (4), the microfluidic channel comprising a sample inlet (4.1), a straight channel, and two sample outlets; three groups of electrode array pairs are integrated at a bottom of the straight channel, the three electrode array pairs respectively being a focusing electrode group (1), a sorting electrode group (2), and a separating electrode group (3); the focusing electrode group is used for cell focusing and signal detection; the sorting electrode group is used for single cell sorting; and the separating electrode group is used for single cell separation. High-speed, precise, and lossless target cell sorting can thus be implemented.

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.