The present invention relates to, inter alia, a microfluidic device for performing single cell genomic DNA isolation and amplification under flow. The microfluidic device comprises a solid substrate having one or more microfluidic channel system formed therein. Each microfluidic channel system of the microfluidic device comprises: (a) an intake region comprising a single microchannel; (b) a plurality of cell segregation microchannels; (c) a cell capture site located downstream of each cell segregation microchannel; and (d) a DNA capture array positioned downstream of the cell capture site and comprising a plurality of micropillars. Also disclosed is a whole genome amplification system that includes the microfluidic device of the present disclosure, as well as a method for conducting single cell DNA analysis via on-chip whole genome amplification while under flow, and a method for multiple displacement amplification (MDA) reactions of one or more nucleic acid sequence isolated single cells.

The present invention provides a method for generating a droplet array on a microfluidic chip, comprising the following steps: assembling an upper chip and a lower chip to an initial position, a fluid channel of the upper chip partially or completely covering a microporous array of the lower chip; injecting a solution into a chip, the solution being partially or fully filled in the microporous array of the lower chip; and relatively moving the upper chip and the lower chip to a liquid dividing position, the fluid channel of the upper chip and the microporous array of the lower chip being overlapped no longer, and the solution being dispersed into the microporous array to form a droplet array. A contact surface between the upper chip and the lower chip is hydrophobic, and the microporous array sufficiently separates the generated droplets physically, thereby avoiding cross-contamination. The present invention can effectively control the size and shape of the generated droplet.

Disclosed herein are methods and devices for antigen-specific T cell identification or neoantigen identification. Also disclosed herein are devices for separating and isolating antigen-specific T cells or other particles of a certain size from a population of particles of different sizes. Also describe herein are methods and devices for the separation and isolation of barcoded T cells from other nanoparticles containing barcodes for subsequent analysis and further processing of a viable T cell.

Disclosed are high-throughput vessel receiving systems and methods of receiving sample vessels, such as samples stored in test tubes. A system for receiving a plurality of individual vessels that each contains a sample, and systems and apparatus for guiding, reorienting, collecting, and transporting a plurality of articles, including vessels, are disclosed.

A detection chip and a detection system are provided. The detection chip includes a sample adding opening and at least one detection branch structure, each of the at least one detection branch structure includes a detection portion, the detection portion includes a detection groove and a reaction reagent, the detection groove is in connection with the sample adding opening, the reaction reagent is contained in the detection groove, and the detection portion is configured to allow optical detection to be performed on the reaction reagent in the detection groove.

A microfluidic chip capable of being used for capturing target particles, the chip comprising a convergence and shunt unit, the convergence and shunt unit being capable of converging target particles in a liquid sample to the centre of a liquid flow, and simultaneously splitting off a certain proportion of the liquid flow that does not contain target particles, thereby effectively reducing the flow and speed of the liquid flow inputted to the chip; when used for capturing target particles, the chip also comprises a capturing unit, and implements capture of the target particles by means of the capturing unit.

Systems and method for sorting droplets includes a microfluidic chip or substrate having a droplet sorting channel coupled at an upstream location to a droplet inlet channel, the droplet sorting channel coupled at a downstream location to a waste channel and a collection channel. The device includes an optical interrogation device configured to illuminate the droplets passing through the sorting channel with excitation light from an excitation light source and capturing emitted fluorescent light and generating an output signal correlated to the fluorescence of the droplets. An actuator (electrode) is disposed in the microfluidic chip or substrate and coupled to a signal driver (e.g., a high voltage amplifier). The device or system uses a programmable controller configured to receive the output signals from the optical interrogation device and trigger the signal driver to actuate the actuator to direct the droplets into the collection channel.

Methods for selectively combining discrete entities including, e.g. cells, reagents, drugs, hydrogels, extracellular matrices beads, particles, biological materials, media, or a combination thereof, are provided. In certain aspects, the methods include sorting a plurality of discrete entities and trapping two or more discrete entities for a time sufficient for the two or more discrete entities to combine to form a combined discrete entity. In certain aspects, the methods include making the plurality of discrete entities. In certain aspects, the methods include detecting or analyzing the discrete entities, e.g. via optical detection. In certain aspects, the methods include manipulating or analyzing the combined discrete entity or a component therein, e.g. imaging, sequencing, culturing, e.g., three-dimensional culturing, and measuring cell-cell interactions. Systems and devices for practicing the subject methods are also provided.

A centrifugal microfluidic chip is provided that allows an on-chip chamber to provide humidification control, or more generally, gas composition control, to another chamber of the chip. This allows for microfluidic incubation using low-cost and efficient centrifugal devices such as multi-port pneumatic chip controllers, single or multi-port pneumatic slip rings, and articulated centrifugal blades with a pneumatic slip ring. The device may be used for cell culturing, microorganism testing, or production of chemical species from biological samples with a controlled microenvironment.

Systems and methods for sorting T cells are disclosed. Autofluorescence data is acquired from individual cells. An activation value is computed using one or more autofluorescence endpoints as an input. The one or more autofluorescence endpoints includes NAD(P)H shortest fluorescence lifetime amplitude component (α.sub.1).