A device includes an input chamber, an attractant chamber, a migration channel arranged in fluid communication between an outlet of the input chamber and inlet of the attractant chamber, a baffle arranged in fluid communication between the outlet of the input chamber and the migration channel or within the migration channel, and an exit channel in fluid communication with the migration channel at a point beyond the baffle and before the migration channel enters the inlet of the attractant chamber. The baffle is configured to inhibit movement of a first type of cell through the baffle to a greater extent than the baffle inhibits movement of a second type of cell through the baffle.

The present invention relates to ellagic acid formulations for performing coagulation assays that are highly stable for long term storage and reduce assay time. Particularly, aspects of the present invention are directed to a composition and method of preparing ellagic acid in a highly soluble format for use in a coagulation assay. For example, the ellagic acid may be solubilized in one or more of sodium hydroxide, methanol, a polyether compound, particularly polyethylene glycol, polyethylene oxide, or polyoxyethylene, and a cyclodextrin guest-host complex.

The invention relates to an integrated tubular reaction device, which comprises a reaction vessel, a reaction vessel including at least two tubular chambers, a channel connecting at least two tubular chambers and an opening; a cover body, which can be worked with the opening, and a cover body including a through hole; a seal, which includes a sealing plug which can be worked with the through hole. The integrated tubular reaction device solves the problem of contamination of reaction products in the process of multiple or multi-step biological enzyme reaction, and can realize multiple or multi-step biological enzyme reactions in the same device.

Sampling systems that include an absorbent material a preservative, such as an analyte preservative, as well as related materials and methods, are disclosed.

A device includes an input chamber, an attractant chamber, a migration channel arranged in fluid communication between an outlet of the input chamber and inlet of the attractant chamber, a baffle arranged in fluid communication between the outlet of the input chamber and the migration channel or within the migration channel, and an exit channel in fluid communication with the migration channel at a point beyond the baffle and before the migration channel enters the inlet of the attractant chamber. The baffle is configured to inhibit movement of a first type of cell through the baffle to a greater extent than the baffle inhibits movement of a second type of cell through the baffle.

Nanofluidic devices and methods of the invention are capable of autonomously isolating individual microbial cells using constrictive channels and growing monocultures of the cells for automated characterization of their biochemical properties and interactions with mammalian cells. Single microbial cells, such as bacterial cells, are isolated directly from environmental sources and cultured using chemical factors from their native environment.

A method is provided for measuring the viscosity of a fluid sample. The method comprising the steps of: (ii) providing a flow of the fluid sample; (iii) providing a component flow, wherein the component flow is a flow of the fluid sample further comprising a tracer component; (iv) generating a laminar flow of the flow (ii) with the flow (iii) in a diffusion channel, such as a microfluidic diffusion channel (2); (iv) measuring the lateral diffusion of the tracer component across the flows; and (v) determining the viscosity of the fluid from the measured diffusion profile, wherein the size of the tracer component is known or is determined.

Sampling systems that include an absorbent material a preservative, such as an analyte preservative, as well as related materials and methods, are disclosed.

Methods are provided for the automated detection of assay-positive assay areas in a microfluidic device. When assays are performed in a microfluidic device, the configuration of the microfluidic circuit and its constituent circuit elements can determine where the reagents/analytes used in the assay can be located within the microfluidic circuit. Methods are provided for automatic identification of the size and shape of the assay areas based on a number of parameters which may include type of assay involved, shape and dimensions of microfluidic circuit elements, velocity and physical characteristics of the fluidic medium within the microfluidic circuit, physical/chemical properties of the analytes/reagents, and/or the number of cells being assayed.

A microreactor chip includes a substrate and a hydrophobic layer that is a layer provided on the substrate and made of a hydrophobic substance and is formed so that openings of a plurality of chambers are arranged regularly on a main surface of the layer. Each chamber is provided with a first lipid bilayer membrane and a second lipid bilayer membrane that are disposed with a gap therebetween in a depth direction so as to fractionate the chamber in the depth direction.