Described are various embodiments of methods, devices, systems and kits for magnetic levitation-based separation of mixtures or populations of particles that include various types of particles. Some embodiments of such methods, devices, systems and kits are useful for magnetic levitation-based separation of mixtures or populations of cells that include various cell types. Some other embodiments of the described methods, devices, systems and kits are useful for magnetic levitation-based separation of mixtures or population of cellular or mixtures or population of biological molecules.

A tubing-free, sample-to-droplet microfluidic system includes a tubing-free, sample-to-droplet microfluidic chip; a valve control system connected to the tubing-free, sample-to-droplet microfluidic chip; a vacuum system fluidly connected to the tubing-free, sample-to-droplet microfluidic chip; and a droplet formation pressure system fluidly connected to the tubing-free, sample-to-droplet microfluidic chip. A microfluidic chip for a tubing-free, sample-to-droplet microfluidic system includes a tubing-free, sample-to-droplet interface section; a droplet mixing section in fluid connection with the tubing-free, sample-to-droplet interface section to received droplets therefrom; an incubation section in fluid connection with the droplet mixing section to receive droplets therefrom; and a detection section in fluid connection with the incubation section to receive droplets therefrom.

Embodiments of the disclosure provide a nucleic acid extraction microfluidic chip, and a nucleic acid extraction device and method. The nucleic acid extraction microfluidic chip includes a channel plate including: a mixed lysis zone, an extraction zone adjacent to the mixed lysis zone, a gas-pressure driven port in communication with an exterior, a first type of channel communicating the mixed lysis zone with the extraction zone, and a second type of channel communicating the extraction zone with the gas-pressure driven port; a cover plate opposite to the channel plate, wherein the cover plate includes a sample inlet and a liquid inlet through hole in a location corresponding to the mixed lysis zone; and a solution accommodating cavity, on a side of the cover plate away from the channel plate, wherein the solution accommodating cavity communicates with the mixed lysis zone of the channel plate through the liquid inlet through hole.

A centrifugal microfluidic technique for heat treating emulsion-divided independent reaction volumes (IRVs) within a centrifugal microfluidic chip, and displacing the emulsion into a monolayer presentation chamber (pc) for imaging. A deep treatment chamber (tc) is provided for the heat treatment, a nozzle having a hydrodynamic radius for forming the IRVs is provided for injecting a sample for the IRVs into the tc filled with a dense immiscible medium. The tc is adjacent a heat controlled element for collectively heat treating the IRVs within the tc, where the IRVs form a 3d packing arrangement. The tc is coupled to a presentation chamber (pc) by an opening through which the IRVs can be selectively displaced without collapsing. The pc is adjacent a window transparent to a wavelength for inspecting the pc.

A reaction processing vessel includes a substrate and a groove-like channel formed on the upper surface of the substrate. The channel includes a high temperature serpiginous channel, a medium temperature serpiginous channel, and a high temperature braking channel and a medium temperature braking channel that are adjacent to the high temperature serpiginous channel and the medium temperature serpiginous channel, respectively. The respective cross-sectional areas of the high temperature braking channel and the medium temperature braking channel are larger than the respective cross-sectional areas of the high temperature serpiginous channel and the medium temperature serpiginous channel, respectively.

Disclosed are methods, systems, and articles of manufacture for performing a process on biological samples. An analysis of biological samples in multiple regions of interest in a microfluidic device and a timeline correlated with the analysis may be identified. One or more region-of-interest types for the multiple regions of interest may be determined; and multiple characteristics may be determined for the biological samples based at least in part upon the one or more region-of-interest types. Associated data that respectively correspond to the multiple regions of interest in a user interface for at least a portion of the biological samples in the user interface based at least in part upon the multiple identifiers and the timeline. A count of the biological samples in a region of interest may be determined based at least in part upon a class or type of data using a convolutional neural network (CNN).

The present invention relates to a microfluidic device and method for providing emulsion droplets. The device comprising: a microfluidic section comprising one or more microfluidic units; and a well section comprising one or more groups of wells comprising one group of wells for each microfluidic unit; the well section and the microfluidic section forming a fixedly connected unit such that each group of wells forms a fixedly connected unit with a respective corresponding microfluidic unit, each microfluidic unit comprising a fluid conduit network comprising: a plurality of supply conduits comprising a secondary supply conduit and a primary supply conduit comprising a capillary structure having a volume of at least 2 μL; a transfer conduit; and a first fluid junction providing fluid communication between the primary supply conduit, the secondary supply conduit, and the transfer conduit; each group of wells comprising a plurality of wells comprising a collection well and one or more supply wells comprising a primary supply well, the collection well being in fluid communication with the transfer conduit of the corresponding microfluidic unit, the primary supply well being in fluid communication with the primary supply conduit and the secondary supply conduit of the corresponding microfluidic unit.

A modular fluid chip according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a body including at least one first hole which allows fluid to flow therethrough; and a housing receiving the body therein, and including a second hole which corresponds to the at least one first hole and allows the fluid to flow therethrough, and a fluid connection part which is connectable to another modular fluid chip.

A variety of devices and methods are provided for separating or enriching circulating tumor cells in a biological sample such as whole blood. In some aspects, the devices are multi-stage devices including at least (i) a filtering stage, (ii) a sheath flow stage for ferrohydrodynamic separation of magnetically labelled white blood cells, and (iii) a focusing stage for marker-independent and size-independent focusing of magnetically labeled particles so as to separate or enrich unlabeled rare cells in the biological sample. The devices and methods are, in some aspects, capable of high throughput in excess of 6 milliliters per hour while achieving high separation (>95%) of the unlabeled rare cells.

A microfluidic preconcentrator is provided, designed to receive a gas sample containing gaseous pollutants such as volatile organic compounds, to concentrate the gaseous pollutants and to transfer them to an analysis device. An assembly comprising an enclosure, a microfluidic preconcentrator, connectors and a means for holding the microfluidic preconcentrator inside the enclosure, a heating device and a cooling device, are provided.