A concentration sensor for at least one biological species in the blood includes a support, at least one waveguide, and an optomechanical resonator suspended from the support. The optomechanical resonator is optically coupled to the waveguide, and the optomechanical resonator is configured to vibrate in volume mode and includes at least one face extending in the plane of the sensor and configured to receive molecules of the given species. At least the face includes a functionalisation layer specific to the species, the optomechanical resonator having a smaller dimension in a direction normal to the plane of the sensor compared with the dimensions of the said face.

Disclosed in one aspect is a method for performing a complete blood count (CBC) on a sample of whole blood by metering a predetermined amount of the whole blood and mixing it with a predetermined amount of diluent and stain and transferring a portion thereof to an imaging chamber of fixed dimensions and utilizing an automated microscope with digital camera and cell counting and recognition software to count every white blood cell and red blood corpuscle and platelet in the sample diluent/stain mixture to determine the number of red cells, white cells, and platelets per unit volume, and analyzing the white cells with cell recognition software to classify them.

An apparatus and method to detect disease-specific antigens assists in disease diagnosis. Point-of-care (POC) micro biochip incorporates at least one hydrophilic microchannel for controlled and self-driven flow of body fluid. Metallic nano-interdigitated electrodes disposed within the channels give enhanced sensitivity detection. Microchannel controls flow and amplifies a capillary effect. Electrodes are fabricated on microchannel surface to detect biomolecular interactions. When a sample flows through microchannel, disease-specific antigens from the sample form antigen-antibody complex with antibodies immobilized on electrodes. Antigen-antibody interaction is detected via an electrical change in the biochip's nano circuit. Each electrode may include a different antibody to detect different antigens. Capacitance during antigen-antibody interaction without microfluidic flow is higher than with microfluidic flow due to immobilized antibodies instability on sensing surface caused by shear stress. POC biochip provides nano level detection of many disease-specific antigens of any type based on micro volume or single drop sized sample.

The present invention relates to the field of micro fluidics. Specifically, the present invention relates to a novel flow cell for the selective enrichment of target particles or cells from a fluid. The flow cell exhibits a novel design which greatly improves the target particle or cell yield. The invention also provides a micro fluidic device, comprising the flow cell according to the invention. In another aspect, the invention relates to the use of a flow cell or a micro fluidic device of the invention for the isolation of target particles or cells from a fluid sample. Finally, the invention relates to a method for the selective enrichment of target particles or cells from a fluid using the flow cell of the invention.

The present invention is directed to a recirculation system for use in microfluidic centrifugal disc platforms for reusing and mixing an entire sample. The present invention features a system comprising a reservoir, an input channel, a detection array, a pressure chamber, and a recirculation channel connecting the pressure chamber to the reservoir. The recirculation channel may have a resistance lower than the channel upstream resistance. When the CD platform spins at a high RPM, the liquid may be directed from the reservoir into the pressure chamber. When the RPM of the CD platform decreases rapidly, the liquid may be from the pressure chamber through the channel and through the recirculation channel to the reservoir, such that the liquid travels through the recirculation channel faster than the liquid travels through the channel.

A microfluidic device comprising a plurality of microreactors is provided. Each microreactor includes at least a first inlet and a second inlet for supplying a first fluid and a second fluid, respectively, to said microreactor and at least one waste channel for draining fluid from said microreactor. The device further comprises a shared first microfluidic supply system for supplying a first fluid to the first inlets of the plurality of microreactors, a shared second microfluidic supply system for supplying a second fluid to the second inlets of the plurality of microreactors. At least one of said inlets to each microreactor comprises at least one valve-less fluidic resistance element having a fluidic resistance that is substantially larger than the fluidic resistance of the corresponding shared microfluidic supply system. A chemical reaction sequencer apparatus including the microfluidic device and a method for supplying reagents to a plurality of microreactors are also provided.

A microfluidics device has one or more bubble diversion regions. Problems associated with the generation of air bubbles are avoided in a microfluidics device such as a cartridge, for use with a point of care (POC) diagnostics device, the cartridge being able to carry out downstream processing such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and/or nucleic acid capture. The bubble diversion region has a lower flow resistance than the flow resistance of an area of interest.

The invention provides systems for handling biofluids including the transport, capture, collection, storage, sensing, and/or evaluation of biofluids released by tissue. Systems of some aspects provide a versatile platform for characterization of a broad range of physical and/or chemical biofluid attributes in real time and over clinically relevant timeframes. Systems of some aspects provide for collection and/or analysis of biofluids from conformal, watertight tissue interfaces over time intervals allowing for quantitative temporal and/or volumetric characterization of biofluid release, such as release rates and release volumes.

The invention relates to a device for synthesising oligonucleotides, comprising: a reagent container receptacle (1) for holding a reagent container support (17) comprising multiple reagent containers (18); an exchangeable microfluid chip (10) comprising a synthesis chamber, fluid connectors and microfluid valves; a control device (5); fluid connecting means (2); wherein the device can be loaded with the microfluid chip (10) and the reagent container support (17) when in a loading position; a chip receptacle (3). To allow cost-effective and prompt synthesis even of small amounts of oligonucleotides, the invention provides for an actuator device (6) to be provided, with which the reagent container receptacle (1), the microfluid chip (10) and the fluid connecting means (2) can be brought from the loading position to an operating position, in which operating position the reagent container receptacle (1), the chip receptacle (3) and the fluid connecting means (2) are positioned relative to each other such that reagents can be conveyed out of the reagent containers (18) towards the synthesis chamber (14) depending on the valve position of the microfluid valves.

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.