Microfluidic device comprising at least one cell culture unit for forming, culturing, growing and/or maintaining a 3D tissue structure such as a 3D strip of cardiac tissue, wherein the at least one cell culture unit comprises: a respective culture chamber for culturing cells having a chamber outlet opening; and a cell supply channel arranged to guide a microfluidic flow of liquid holding cells between a channel inlet and a channel outlet, wherein the cell supply channel is provided with a flow inhibitor which is operable to selectively provide a flow inhibiting state or a flow permitting state depending on a fluid pressure at the flow inhibitor, wherein, in the flow inhibiting state, the flow inhibitor is configured to substantially inhibit liquid flow between the cell supply channel and the culture chamber, wherein, in the flow permitting state, the flow inhibitor is configured to permit such liquid flow such that the cell supply channel is in liquid communication with the culture chamber to supply the culture chamber with cells, wherein the culture chamber is provided with at least two mutually spaced apart elastic support structures which extend in the culture chamber and which are configured for elastically supporting a tissue formed in the culture chamber, in particular a cultured 3D tissue formed from the cells, wherein the elastic support structures are elastically deformable, in particular flexible, in particular to vary a mutual distance of said support structures under influence of a varying contraction force between said support structures.

This document provides digital microfluidics devices. For example, point-of-care digital microfluidics devices for removing white blood cells from a blood sample and preparing bacterial DNA in the sample for detection and/or identification are provided.

Described herein are systems relating to a continuous-flow instrument that includes all necessary components for digital droplet quantification without the need to introduce key reagents or collect and transfer droplets between stages of instrument operation. Digital quantification can proceed without any additional fluid or consumable handling and without exposing fluids to risk of external contamination.

The present invention provides self-contained systems, apparatus and methods for determining a chemical state, the system includes a stationary cartridge for performing the assay therein, the cartridge adapted to house at least one reagent adapted to react with a sample; and at least one reporter functionality adapted to report a reaction of the at least one reagent with the sample to report a result of the assay, a mechanical controller including a first urging means adapted to apply a force externally onto the cartridge to release the at least one reagent; and at least one second urging means adapted to apply a removable force to induce fluidic movement in a first direction in the cartridge and upon removal of the force causing fluidic movement in an opposite direction to the first direction, an optical reader adapted to detect the reaction and a processor adapted to receive data from the optical reader and to process the data to determine said chemical state.

A fluidic device includes: a circulation flow path; and a capture part arranged on the circulation flow path and configured to capture a sample substance in a solution and/or a detection part arranged on the circulation flow path and configured to detect a sample substance in a solution. A method of capturing a sample substance that is bound to a carrier particle, using a fluidic device which includes a circulation flow path and a capture part arranged on the circulation flow path and configured to capture the carrier particle and in which the circulation flow path has two or more circulation flow path valves, includes: an introduction step of, in a state where the circulation flow path valve is closed, introducing a solution that includes a sample substance to at least one of partitions partitioned by the circulation flow path valve and introducing a solution that includes a carrier particle which is bound to the sample substance to at least another of the partitions; a mix step of opening all of the circulation flow path valves and circulating and mixing a solution in the circulation flow path; and a capture step of capturing the carrier particle by the capture part.

The present invention relates to a microfluidic device (100) for mixing liquids, wherein the microfluidic device (100) comprises a plurality of device inlets (110), each device inlet (110) for receiving a liquid; a chamber assembly (120) comprising a set of chamber inlets (122) in fluid communication with the device inlets (110); a mixing chamber (124) for receiving the liquids through the chamber inlets (122); and a plurality of chamber outlets (126) for communicating the liquids away from the mixing chamber (124); and a set of device outlets (130) in fluid communication with the chamber outlets (126), wherein the chamber outlets (126) are spaced around the mixing chamber (124) such that the mixing chamber (124) facilitates uniform mixing of the liquids communicating from the chamber inlets (122) to the chamber outlets (126). The invention also relates to a method of additive manufacturing a product comprising the microfluidic device as well as a liquid control system for controlling liquids in a microfluidic device.

Disclosed are devices and methods useful for confined-channel digital microfluidics that combine high-throughput droplet generators with digital microfluidic for droplet manipulation. The present disclosure also provides an off-chip sensing system for droplet tracking.

A microfluidic device including a serum separator, a quantum dot and antibody inlet connected to the serum separator, a quantum dot linked immunosorbent assay (QLISA) chamber connected to the serum separator, and an outlet connected to the QLISA chamber. The microfluidic device is configured to determine an amount of drug in a serum.

In some examples, an instrument for measuring a volume of a liquid is provided. A gas flow rate sensor may measure a rate of flow of a pressurized gas to a reservoir storing a liquid. A controller may be coupled to the gas flow rate sensor and may calculate a volume of the liquid that the flow of pressurized gas displaces from the reservoir. In some examples, a method of measuring a volume of a liquid is provided. Using a gas flow rate sensor, a flow of pressurized gas may be measured. The flow of the pressurized gas may be delivered to a reservoir storing a liquid. A volume of the liquid in the reservoir may be displaced using the flow of pressurized gas. The measurement of the flow of the pressurized gas may be used to calculate the volume of the liquid that is displaced.

The invention describes a method for the synthesis of compounds comprising the steps of: (a) compartmentalising two or more sets of primary compounds into microcapsules; such that a proportion of the microcapsules contains two or more compounds; and (b) forming secondary compounds in the microcapsules by chemical reactions between primary compounds from different sets; wherein one or both of steps (a) and (b) is performed under microfluidic control; preferably electronic microfluidic control, The invention further allows for the identification of compounds which bind to a target component of a biochemical system or modulate the activity of the target, and which is co-compartmentalised into the microcapsules.