Provided herein, among other aspects, are methods and apparatuses for analyzing particles in a sample. In some aspects, the particles can be analytes, cells, nucleic acids, or proteins and contacted with a tag, partitioned into aliquots, detected by a ranking device, and isolated. The methods and apparatuses provided herein may include a microfluidic chip. In some aspects, the methods and apparatuses may be used to quantify rare particles in a sample, such as cancer cells and other rare cells for disease diagnosis, prognosis, or treatment.

The invention relates to a device (1) for analyzing biological samples (S) comprising a substrate (2) for receiving a biological sample (S), wherein the substrate (2) comprises or consists of a fibrous material (F) configured to form a stationary phase which retains molecules in a biological sample (S) dissolved in a liquid mobile phase depending on molecular weight and/or polarity of the molecules, a first electrode (41) and a second electrode (42), which are arranged along a first axis (A1) and configured to generate an electric field acting along the first axis (A1) when an electric potential difference is provided between the first electrode (41) and the second electrode (42), so that charged molecules contained in the biological sample (S) are movable through the substrate (2) along the first axis (A1) and/or separable by their molecular weight, their polarity and/or their charge, wherein the substrate (2) comprises a chemical lysing agent (L) capable of lysing the biological sample (S). Furthermore, a method for analyzing biological samples (S) using the device (1) is provided.

There is provided a system and method for angstrom confinement of trapped ions. The method including: receiving water molecules and ionic compounds in a first reservoir, an angstrom confinement assembly is positioned between the first reservoir and a second reservoir, the angstrom confinement assembly defining angstrom conduits; and repeatedly applying an electric field across a first electrode and a second electrode, the first electrode on a same side of the angstrom confinement assembly as the first reservoir and the second electrode on a same side of the angstrom confinement assembly as the second reservoir, the electric field applied such that, when the electric field is applied, positive ions of the ionic compounds are induced to flow through the angstrom conduits, and wherein, when the electric field is not applied, water molecules flow into the angstrom conduits due to capillary forces to confine the positive ions in the angstrom conduits.

Constricted nanochannel devices suitable for use in analysis of macromolecular structure, including DNA sequencing, are disclosed. Also disclosed are methods for fabricating such devices and for analyzing macromolecules using such devices.

Methods are provided for separating magnetically responsive beads from a droplet in a droplet actuator. Droplet operations electrodes and a magnet are arranged in a droplet actuator to manipulate a bead-containing droplet and position it relative to a magnetic field region that attracts the magnetically responsive beads. The droplet operations electrodes are operated to control the droplet shape and transport it away from the magnetic field region to form a concentration of beads in the droplet. The continued transport of the droplet away from the magnetic field causes the concentration of beads to break away from the droplet to yield a small, concentrated bead-containing droplet immobilized by the magnet.

Tissue and cellular samples can be electrically dissociated into single cells and/or smaller groups of cells. The tissue samples can be housed in a device (which may also include a fluid) with one or more electrodes residing within the device. The device can be used to process one or more tissue samples. An electric field can be established through the device and the tissue samples can be dissociated into single cells and/or smaller groups of cells under the electric field.

The present invention generally relates to droplet libraries and to systems and methods for the formation of libraries of droplets. The present invention also relates to methods utilizing these droplet libraries in various biological, chemical, or diagnostic assays.

A microfluidic device can include a base an outer surface of which forms one or more enclosures for containing a fluidic medium. The base can include an array of individually controllable transistor structures each of which can comprise both a lateral transistor and a vertical transistor. The transistor structures can be light activated, and the lateral and vertical transistors can thus be photo transistors. Each transistor structure can be activated to create a temporary electrical connection from a region of the outer surface of the base (and thus fluidic medium in the enclosure) to a common electrical conductor. The temporary electrical connection can induce a localized electrokinetic force generally at the region, which can be sufficiently strong to move a nearby micro-object in the enclosure.

The invention provides devices that improve tests for detecting specific cellular, viral, and molecular targets in clinical, industrial, or environmental samples. The invention permits efficient detection of individual microscopic targets at low magnification for highly sensitive testing. The invention does not require washing steps and thus allows sensitive and specific detection while simplifying manual operation and lowering costs and complexity in automated operation. In short, the invention provides devices that can deliver rapid, accurate, and quantitative, easy-to-use, and cost-effective tests.

A MEMS-based particle manipulation system which uses a particle manipulation stage and a plurality of laser interrogation regions. The laser interrogation regions may be used to assess the effectiveness or accuracy of the particle manipulation stage. In one exemplary embodiment, the particle manipulation stage is a microfabricated, flap-type fluid valve, which sorts a target particle from non-target particles in a fluid stream. The laser interrogation stages are disposed in the microfabricated fluid channels at the input and output of the flap-type sorting valve. The laser interrogation regions may be used to assess the effectiveness or accuracy of the sorting, and to control or adjust sort parameters during the sorting process. One or more feedback loops may be used to improve the particle manipulation process, based on data acquired during the first interrogation and/or during a downstream confirmation. Artificial intelligence techniques may be used to good effect.