An apparatus includes a fluid reservoir and a laminate fluidic circuit positioned above the fluid reservoir. The laminate fluidic circuit includes two or more layers laminated together to define a substantially planar substrate and one or more channels defined within the substrate. The laminate fluidic circuit includes a flexible conduit defined by a portion of the substrate encompassing an extent of at least one of the channels that is partially separated or separable from the remainder of the substrate. The flexible conduit is deflectable with respect to the planar substrate toward the fluid reservoir such that the flexible conduit fluidly connects the at least one channel to the fluid reservoir.

An apparatus, system, and method for filtering and assaying a fluid sample are described. In an embodiment, the apparatus includes a filtration unit comprising: a filter bracket shaped to removably couple with a fluid sample cup and a vacuum container; and a filter housing cooperatively couplable to the filter bracket and comprising a filter configured to filter fluid passing through the filter bracket; and an assay device shaped to cooperatively couple with the filter housing and comprising a porous matrix positioned to be in fluidic communication with the filter when the filter housing is cooperatively coupled with the assay device.

There is provided a microfluidic chip for sensing an analyte in a sample by colorimetry. The microfluidic chip comprises: an inlet adapted to receive the sample; an incubation chamber having an incubation chamber inlet fluidly connected to the inlet downstream thereof, to incubate the analyte in the sample; a filter barrier fluidly connected to the incubation chamber, downstream of the incubation chamber inlet; a sensing chamber fluidly connected to the incubation chamber, downstream of the filter barrier, the sensing chamber having a plasmonic nanosurface, the plasmonic nanosurface including nanostructures protruding from the plasmonic nanosurface, the nanostructures having a size that is smaller than that of the diffraction limit of light, the nanostructures having a metallic layer that is plasmon-supported on top of a back reflector layer; and an outlet fluidly connected to the sensing chamber downstream thereof.

The embodiments disclose a test cartridge assembly system including a test cartridge assembly for loading of a test sample moving the fluid through the internal fluidic channels processing and presenting the sample to one or more electrochemical sensors for measuring analytes in the test sample, at least one fluidic channel formed directly in a rigid portion of an upper test cartridge assembly housing to form a fluidic path, a port coupled to the at least one fluidic channel for receiving a spring loaded vacuum source, a port coupled to the upper test cartridge assembly housing to communicate the vacuum through the upper cartridge housing into the fluidic path, and a functional layer coupled to the test cartridge assembly configured to provide electrical functionalities and interconnections to various fluidic components.

A solid reagent containment unit is formed by a support; a frame body fixed to the support and delimiting internally, together with the support, an analysis volume; a reagent-adhesion structure within the analysis volume; and at least one reagent cavity, which extends within the reagent-adhesion structure. The reagent-adhesion structure is of an adhesion material embossable at temperatures lower by 6-8° C. than its own melting point and has a melting point such as not to interfere with the analysis. The reagent cavity forms a retention wall, laterally surrounding the reagent cavity, and houses dried reagents. The adhesion material is chosen among wax, such as paraffin, a polymer, such as polycaprolactone, a solid fat, such as cocoa butter, and a gel, such as hydrogel or organogel.

A device for extracting a nucleic acid from a sample liquid includes a heating element configured to be connected to an extraction nucleic acid. The extraction nucleic acid is at least partly complementary to the nucleic acid to be extracted from the sample liquid. The heating element is heatable to a temperature that is equal to or higher than a denaturing temperature of the nucleic acid bound to the extraction nucleic acid.

In an example implementation, a reagent storage system for a microfluidic device includes a microfluidic chamber formed in a microfluidic device. A blister pack to store a reagent includes an electrically conductive membrane barrier adjacent to the chamber. A thinned region is formed in the membrane barrier, and a conductive trace is to supply electric current to heat and melt the thinned region. Melting the thinned region is to cause the membrane barrier to open and release the reagent into the chamber.

The present invention relates to systems and methods for the arrangement of droplets in pre-determined locations. Many applications require the collection of time-resolved data. Examples include the screening of cells based on their growth characteristics or the observation of enzymatic reactions. The present invention provides a tool and related techniques which addresses this need, and which can be used in many other situations. The invention provides, in one aspect, a tool that allows for stable storage and indexing of individual droplets. The invention can interface not only with microfluidic/microscale equipment, but with macroscopic equipment to allow for the easy injection of liquids and extraction of sample droplets, etc.

Methods of pre-heating a test vessel prior to transfer of the test vessel to an incubator may shorten an incubation cycle, ensure proper temperature of a test specimen in the test vessel, and/or improve testing accuracy and/or throughput in a bio-liquid specimen testing apparatus. The methods include providing a test vessel pre-heating apparatus having a receptacle sized to receive a test vessel therein and having at least one heating unit configured to heat by direct conduction at least one side of the test vessel. The methods also include heating at least one side of the test vessel via direct contact using the at least one heating unit. Specimen testing apparatus and test vessel pre-heating apparatus configured to carry out the method are described, as are other aspects.

An apparatus includes a fluid reservoir and a laminate fluidic circuit positioned above the fluid reservoir. The laminate fluidic circuit includes two or more layers laminated together to define a substantially planar substrate and one or more channels defined within the substrate. The laminate fluidic circuit includes a flexible conduit defined by a portion of the substrate encompassing an extent of at least one of the channels that is partially separated or separable from the remainder of the substrate. The flexible conduit is deflectable with respect to the planar substrate toward the fluid reservoir such that the flexible conduit fluidly connects the at least one channel to the fluid reservoir.