Methods for fabricating a biochip for detecting or sequencing biomolecules are shown. Such a biochip may for instance include: a base member; a dielectric layer deposited on the base member and having at least two rows of discrete recesses formed thereon; and two or more electrodes sandwiched between the base member and the dielectric layer and running under respective row of discrete recesses, the two or more electrodes separated from each other along lengths thereof by a portion of the dielectric layer; wherein the dielectric layer defines a continuous operation surface above the electrodes and on which the discrete recesses are deposited for detecting or sequencing of biomolecules, when an electric field is applied through the electrodes, a field gradient is created to draw a biomolecule towards a preferred part of the operation surface.

A microfluidic apparatus, and its drive circuit and drive method are provided in the present disclosure. The drive circuit includes at least one switch unit, where the switch unit includes a first signal input terminal, a signal output terminal, first and second control signal terminals, a signal terminal, a first module, a second module, and a third module. The first module is electrically connected to the first signal input terminal, the signal output terminal and the second module; and the second module is electrically connected to the first control signal terminal. The first control signal terminal is configured to control the first module and the second module to be in conduction or disconnection, and the second control signal terminal is configured to control the third module to in conduction or disconnection, thereby controlling the signal output terminal to output a first or second signal.

The present invention provides novel microfluidic substrates and methods that are useful for performing biological, chemical and diagnostic assays. The substrates can include a plurality of electrically addressable, channel bearing fluidic modules integrally arranged such that a continuous channel is provided for flow of immiscible fluids.

Disclosed herein are devices, systems, and methods for sorting a particle based on a characteristic of a particle.

A flow cell incorporates a first substrate with a metal layer on one surface. A tape layer having flow channels is adhered to the first substrate. A second substrate having a second metal layer on one surface is adhered to the tape layer opposite the first substrate. At least one of the first and second metal layers includes mating cutouts to at least partially expose the flow channels.

The present invention relates to droplet-based surface modification and washing. According to one embodiment, a method of splitting a droplet is provided, the method including providing a droplet microactuator including a droplet including one or more beads and immobilizing at least one of the one or more beads. The method further includes conducting one or more droplet operations to divide the droplet to yield a set of droplets including a droplet including the one or more immobilized beads and a droplet substantially lacking the one or more immobilized beads.

Various aspects of the present invention relate to the control and manipulation of fluidic species, for example, in microfluidic systems. In one aspect, the invention relates to systems and methods for making droplets of fluid surrounded by a liquid, using, for example, electric fields, mechanical alterations, the addition of an intervening fluid, etc. In another aspect, the invention relates to systems and methods for dividing a fluidic droplet into two droplets, for example, through charge and/or dipole interactions with an electric field. The invention also relates to systems and methods for fusing droplets, according to another aspect of the invention, for example, through charge and/or dipole interactions. Another aspect of the invention provides the ability to determine droplets, or a component thereof, for example, using fluorescence and/or other optical techniques (e.g., microscopy), or electric sensing techniques such as dielectric sensing.

The invention provides for sequencing a nucleic acid molecule based on the detection of base incorporation by the release of pyrophosphate (PPi) using a new enzyme system comprising adenosine diphosphate (ADP)-glucose pyrophosphorylase (AGPase) and its substrate ADP-glucose.

Devices, systems, and methods for charging fluids are disclosed. The charging of fluids improves the mixing of fluids in microfluidic systems. The charging is performed by producing an ion field between an ionizing electrode and an opposed ground electrode. A fluid-containing vessel is positioned between the opposed electrodes and the ion field charges the fluid in the vessel.

A non-contact system for sorting monodisperse water-in-oil emulsion droplets in a microfluidic device based on the droplet's contents and their interaction with an applied electromagnetic field or by identification and sorting.