Various aspects of the present invention relate to the control and manipulation of fluidic species, for example, in microfluidic systems. In one set of embodiments, droplets may be sorted using surface acoustic waves. The droplets may contain cells or other species. In some cases, the surface acoustic waves may be created using a surface acoustic wave generator such as an interdigitated transducer, and/or a material such as a piezoelectric substrate. The piezoelectric substrate may be isolated from the microfluidic substrate except at or proximate the location where the droplets are sorted, e.g., into first or second microfluidic channels. At such locations, the microfluidic substrate may be coupled to the piezoelectric substrate (or other material) by one or more coupling regions. In some cases, relatively high sorting rates may be achieved, e.g., at rates of at least about 1,000 Hz, at least about 10,000 Hz, or at least about 100,000 Hz, and in some embodiments, with high cell viability after sorting.

A fluidic device incorporating a substrate, at least one bulk acoustic wave (BAW) resonator structure, and a fluidic channel bound at least in part by the at least one BAW resonator structure. The fluidic device further includes at least one fluidic via defined through at least a portion of the substrate, thereby permitting fluidic connections and electrical connections to be provided on opposing upper and lower surfaces of the fluidic device. The at least one BAW resonator structure may include a piezoelectric material comprising a c-axis having an orientation distribution that is predominantly non-parallel to normal of a face of the substrate, and may be overlaid with a functionalization material (e.g., a specific binding material overlying a self-assembled monolayer) to enable detection of a target species in a sample supplied to the fluidic device.

A magnetic device includes a holder; a plurality of conduits mounted on the holder; a plurality of magnetic assemblies, each magnetic assembly including a soft magnetic center pole having a bottom end and a tapered tip end; first and second soft magnetic side poles disposed on opposite sides of the soft magnetic center pole and respectively having first and second top ends that are bent towards the soft magnetic center pole; and a magnetic flux source generating a magnetic flux in the soft magnetic center pole and the first and second soft magnetic side poles, the magnetic flux being concentrated from the bottom end to the tapered tip end of the soft magnetic center pole and divided between the first and second top ends. Each conduit is disposed in a gap formed between the tapered tip end and the first and second top ends of a respective magnetic assembly.

Improved sub-assemblies and methods of control for use in a diagnostic assay system adapted to receive an assay cartridge are provided herein. Such sub-assemblies include: a brushless DC motor, a door opening/closing mechanism and cartridge loading mechanism, a syringe and valve drive mechanism assembly, a sonication horn, a thermal control device and optical detection/excitation device. Such systems can further include a communications unit configured to wirelessly communicate with a mobile device of a user so as to receive a user input relating to functionality of the system with respect to an assay cartridge received therein and relaying a diagnostic result relating to the assay cartridge to the mobile device.

Improved sub-assemblies and methods of control for use in a diagnostic assay system adapted to receive an assay cartridge are provided herein. Such sub-assemblies include: a brushless DC motor, a door opening/closing mechanism and cartridge loading mechanism, a syringe and valve drive mechanism assembly, a sonication horn, a thermal control device and optical detection/excitation device. Such systems can further include a communications unit configured to wirelessly communicate with a mobile device of a user so as to receive a user input relating to functionality of the system with respect to an assay cartridge received therein and relaying a diagnostic result relating to the assay cartridge to the mobile device.

Devices, systems, and their methods of use, for generating droplets are provided. One or more geometric parameters of a microfluidic channel can be selected to generate droplets of a desired and predictable droplet size.

A microfluidic device for sorting biological objects includes a microfluidic chip including a planar substrate having first and second planar surfaces, the planar substrate including first and second networks of channels recessed respectively from the first and second planar surfaces and fluidically connected by way of at least a through-hole in the planar substrate; a first lid attached to the first planar surface of the planar substrate and substantially covering the first network of channels; and a second lid attached to the second planar surface of the planar substrate and substantially covering the second network of channels; and one or more piezoelectric transducers attached to the first lid and/or the second lid and configured to generate first and second acoustic standing waves in a first linear channel of the first network of channels and a second linear channel of the second network of channels, respectively.

Improved sub-assemblies and methods of control for use in a diagnostic assay system adapted to receive an assay cartridge are provided herein. Such sub-assemblies include: a brushless DC motor, a door opening/closing mechanism and cartridge loading mechanism, a syringe and valve drive mechanism assembly, a sonication horn, a thermal control device and optical detection/excitation device. Such systems can further include a communications unit configured to wirelessly communicate with a mobile device of a user so as to receive a user input relating to functionality of the system with respect to an assay cartridge received therein and relaying a diagnostic result relating to the assay cartridge to the mobile device.

The present disclosure relates to compositions and methods for combinatorial assessment of nanoscale droplets, as specifically exemplified by massively parallel assessment of spatially-directed (while agnostic as to precise droplet content) combinations of droplets harboring distinct and independently identifiable microbial types and/or chemical compounds or mixtures. More particularly, the disclosure relates to a platform and methodologies for identifying advantageous (including synergistic, additive, etc.) microbial interactions and/or chemical compound or mixture interactions with microbes in a manner that allows for binary, trinary, etc. combinatorial assessments to be performed across a range of many discrete input types of microbes (e.g., 6-16 or more discrete input microbial types), to an extent capable of approaching comprehensive sampling and measurement of microbial community combinations from a selected panel of microbial inputs, optionally also in the presence of chemical compounds or mixtures (e.g., test compounds or mixtures for antimicrobial effect).

The present disclosure relates to compositions and methods for combinatorial assessment of nanoscale droplets, as specifically exemplified by massively parallel assessment of spatially-directed (while agnostic as to precise droplet content) combinations of droplets harboring distinct and independently identifiable microbial types and/or chemical compounds or mixtures. More particularly, the disclosure relates to a platform and methodologies for identifying advantageous (including synergistic, additive, etc.) microbial interactions and/or chemical compound or mixture interactions with microbes in a manner that allows for binary, trinary, etc. combinatorial assessments to be performed across a range of many discrete input types of microbes (e.g., 6-16 or more discrete input microbial types), to an extent capable of approaching comprehensive sampling and measurement of microbial community combinations from a selected panel of microbial inputs, optionally also in the presence of chemical compounds or mixtures (e.g., test compounds or mixtures for antimicrobial effect).