To enable taking in a biological sample at a position a predetermined distance away from an EWOD electrode, a biochemical cartridge, including a droplet passage on which a plurality of EWOD electrodes is arranged along a direction in which a sample droplet that is a droplet including a biological sample is transported, the plurality of EWOD electrodes configured to transport the sample droplet, and a sample take-in unit having a predetermined distance from an EWOD electrode at a tail end of the droplet passage, the sample take-in unit being provided at a position at which the biological sample in the sample droplet is taken in. When the biological sample is taken in, the sample take-in unit is located at a position lower than the droplet passage having the EWOD electrode at the tail end, and an area between the droplet passage and the sample take-in unit is smoothly connected.

A microfluidic treatment apparatus has a microfluidic channel system having a filtering branch, a pumping branch connected in parallel with the filtering branch, and a filter chamber arranged in the filtering branch and configured to accommodate a filter element. The filtering branch is coupled to a channel inlet via a first channel-crossover element and to a channel outlet via a second channel-crossover element, and the filter chamber can be isolated from the rest of the channel system by at least two filter valves. A pumping device is arranged in the pumping branch, is configured to produce fluid flow in the channel system, and includes at least one pumping valve and at least one pumping chamber. The pumping branch is coupled to the channel inlet via a connection of the first channel-crossover element and to the channel outlet via a connection of the second channel-crossover element

An apparatus for microfiltration and a scalable method for manufacture of an inertial microfluidic device for such microfiltration apparatus are provided. The apparatus for microfiltration includes one or more inertial microfluidic devices, each including a plurality of spirals of a microfluidic channel. At least one of the inertial microfluidic devices is configured to utilize outer wall focusing for high volume fraction microfiltration of particles. The scalable method for manufacture of the inertial microfluidic device includes micromachining on a polycarbonate-based substrate a rectangular spiral microchannel having one or more input channels and a plurality of output channels configured to utilize high volume fraction outer wall focusing for microfiltration of particles.

Described herein is an assay device, comprising a substrate comprising microfluidic geometry, and a reagent layer disposed adjacent to the substrate.

The disclosed apparatus, systems and methods relate to the collection of bodily fluids through the use of gravity and microfluidic properties by way of a collector. The collector can make use of microfluidic networks connected to collection sites on the skin of a subject to gather and shuttle blood into a reservoir by a combination of capillary action and gravitational forces. The collected fluid is moved through the microfluidic networks and into the reservoir by a variety of approaches.

A multilayer microfluidic device comprising: an inlet section comprising an inlet port and configured to transport and access the sample to a flat, laterally extending filtration membrane; a metering section, comprising an extraction chamber configured to receive an extracted body fluid from the filtration membrane and arranged in fluid communication with a metering channel; and an outlet section comprising a capillary means for collection of the metered volume of body fluid, wherein a roof of the extraction chamber is defined by a flat lower surface of the filtration membrane, and a floor of the extraction chamber is continuous with a floor of the metering channel and extends at an acute angle from the lower surface of the filtration membrane, and wherein the floor of the extraction chamber is inclined with respect to the floor of the metering channel to create a slope.

A microfluidic device configured to sample, meter and collect a metered volume of body fluid for analysis by means of capillary transport, wherein the device comprises: an inlet section for receiving a sample of body fluid, the inlet section comprising an inlet port and a channel system; a filtration membrane configured to separate plasma from blood, wherein the inlet section and the channel system are configured to transport the sample of body fluid to, and to distribute it across the filtration membrane with a stepwise or gradually increasing capillarity from the inlet section to the filtration membrane; a metering function, configured to meter a predefined volume of the received body fluid; and at least one porous medium for receiving the transported sample of body fluid.

A method of manufacturing an outlet section of a microfluidic device configured to sample, meter and collect a metered volume of body fluid for analysis by means of capillary transport; the method comprising: providing a microfluidic device having an outlet section in fluid communication with a metering section comprising a metering channel configured to receive body fluid from an inlet section with an inlet port, wherein the outlet section comprises a cavity between an outlet part of the metering channel and an outlet orifice of the device; providing a hydrophilic porous bridge element arranged to conform to the shape of the cavity; inserting the bridge element into the cavity, such that the bridge element substantially fills the cavity and the outlet orifice; and attaching a capillary means to the outlet section, thereby establishing contact between the capillary means and the bridge element.

A microfluidic device configured to sample, meter and collect a metered volume of body fluid for analysis by means of capillary transport, comprises: an inlet section, for receiving a sample of body fluid, the inlet section comprising an inlet port; a metering section configured to receive body fluid from the inlet section and comprising a metering channel, wherein the metering section is arranged to separate a metered volume of body fluid filled in the metering channel; and an outlet section configured to receive and transport the separated metered volume of body fluid for collection in a capillary means having a predetermined surface geometry. The metering channel has an outlet part with a dimensional change configured to cause a fluid front meniscus of the separated metered volume of body fluid, when transported to the outlet section, to assume a shape which substantially conforms to the surface geometry of the capillary means.

A flow cell including inlet and outlet ports in fluid communication with each other through a flow channel that extends therebetween. The flow channel includes a diffuser region and a field region that is located downstream from the diffuser region. The field region of the flow channel directs fluid along reaction sites where desired reactions occur. The fluid flows through the diffuser region in a first flow direction and through the field region in a second flow direction. The first and second flow directions being substantially perpendicular.