Systems and methods for conducting assays on tissue fragment samples including providing a suspension maintaining pump, and a plurality of fluid reservoirs, wherein the fluid reservoirs are configured to hold a volume of fluid. The fluid reservoirs are fluidically coupled to a microfluidic assay chip, wherein the microfluidic assay chip includes a plurality of parallel assay channels, a first inlet port for introduction of a tissue fragment sample into the microfluidic assay ship, and a second inlet port coupled to the fluid reservoir. Each channel of the microfluidic assay chip also includes a retention barrier configured to trap the tissue fragment sample such that the fluid perfuses through the tissue sample, as well as an outlet port fluidically coupled to a waste receptacle.

A microfluidic chip for culturing and real-time monitoring of multicellular tissues and use method thereof. The chip comprises a glass substrate layer, and a PDMS microchannel layer located on the glass substrate layer, wherein the glass substrate layer comprises a glass substrate, and a plurality of microelectrodes thereon; the PDMS microchannel comprises a plurality of independent microfluidic channels; the microelectrodes on the glass substrate are in one-to-one correspondence with the microfluidic channels in the PDMS microchannel layer; and the microelectrodes are electrically connected to an external circuit. The use method comprises: cell capture, cell or tissue culture, electrical impedance spectroscopy detection, and tissue release.

The present invention discloses a microstructured discrimination device for separating hydrophobic-hydrophilic fluidic composites comprising particulate and/or fluids in a fluid flow. The discrimination is the result of surface energy gradients obtained by physically varying a textured surface and/or by varying surface chemical properties, both of which are spatially graded. Such surfaces discriminate and spatially separate particulate and/or fluids without external energy input. The device of the present invention comprises a platform having bifurcating microchannels arranged radially. The lumenal surfaces of the microchannels may have a surface energy gradient created by varying the periodicity of hierarchically arranged microstructures along a dimension. The surface energy gradient is varied in two regions. In one pre-bifurcation region the surface energy gradient generates a fluid flow. In the other post-bifurcation region, there is a difference in surface energy proximal to the bifurcation such that different flow fractions are divided into separate channels in response to different surface energy gradients in each of the post-bifurcation channels. Accordingly, fluids of different hydrophobicity and/or particulate of different hydrophobicity are driven into separate channels by a global minimization of the fluid system energy.

We describe a microfluidic structure for spacing out droplets, the structure comprising: a main channel for guiding droplets in a spacing fluid; a first inlet for introducing droplets into the main channel; and a second inlet for introducing a spacing fluid into the main channel, wherein a cross-sectional area of the main channel decreases downstream from the first inlet. We also describe a method of spacing out droplets using a microfluidic structure.

A diagnostic device (1) for detecting a first member of a reporter-analyte pair. The diagnostic device comprises an inlet for receiving a liquid, biological sample and a porous membrane element (10) comprising a detection portion. The detection portion is in liquid communication with the inlet and a second member of the reporter-analyte pair is immobilised on the detection portion. One of the first or second member of the reporter-analyte pair comprises a biological antigen and the other of the first or second member of the reporter-analyte pair comprises an antibody specific for the biological antigen. The biological antigen comprises a spike protein, or a fragment thereof, of COVID-19. The device is for independent detection of the spike protein, or the fragment thereof, or of an antibody specific for the spike protein, or the fragment thereof, in the biological sample.

A system for assembling fields from a source substrate onto a second substrate. The source substrate includes fields. The system further includes a transfer chuck that is used to pick at least four of the fields from the source substrate in parallel to be transferred to the second substrate, where the relative positions of the at least four of the fields is predetermined.

A system and method for processing and detecting nucleic acids from a set of biological samples, comprising: a capture plate and a capture plate module configured to facilitate binding of nucleic acids within the set of biological samples to magnetic beads; a molecular diagnostic module configured to receive nucleic acids bound to magnetic beads, isolate nucleic acids, and analyze nucleic acids, comprising a cartridge receiving module, a heating/cooling subsystem and a magnet configured to facilitate isolation of nucleic acids, a valve actuation subsystem configured to control fluid flow through a microfluidic cartridge for processing nucleic acids, and an optical subsystem for analysis of nucleic acids; a fluid handling system configured to deliver samples and reagents to components of the system to facilitate molecular diagnostic protocols; and an assay strip configured to combine nucleic acid samples with molecular diagnostic reagents for analysis of nucleic acids.

A method for micro-molding a polymeric membrane and including pouring a predetermined volume of curable polymer unto a micro-fabricated mold having a post array with pillars, and overlaying the polymer with a support substrate. A spacer, such as a rubber spacer, is placed in contact with the support substrate and a force is applied to an exposed side of the spacer to compress the support substrate and the polymer together. While applying the force, the polymer is cured on the mold for a predetermined time period and at a predetermined temperature to form a polymeric membrane having a pore array with a plurality of pores corresponding to the plurality of pillars of the post array. The polymeric membrane is removed from the support substrate.

A fluidic chip includes at least one nanochannel array, the nanochannel array including a surface having a nanofluidic area formed in the material of the surface; a microfluidic area on said surface; a gradient interface area having a gradual elevation of height linking the microfluidic area and the nanofluidic area; and a sample reservoir capable of receiving a fluid in fluid communication with the microfluidic area. In another embodiment, a fluidic chip includes at least one nanochannel array, the nanochannel array includes a surface having a nanofluidic area formed in the material of the surface; a microfluidic area on said surface; and a gradient interface area linking the microfluidic area and the nanofluidic area, where the gradient interface area comprises a plurality of gradient structures, and the lateral spacing distance between said gradient structures decreases towards said nanofluidic area; and a sample reservoir capable of receiving a fluid in fluid communication with the microfluidic area.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a target capturing apparatus and a manufacturing method thereof, and a target detecting method. The target capturing apparatus includes a cavity structure, the cavity structure includes: an inlet portion, an outlet portion and a capture region positioned between the inlet portion and the outlet portion, and the capture region includes a capture component, and a combination specifically combined with a to-be-captured target is included in the capture component so as to capture the target in a sample entering the cavity structure.