The present disclosure relates to a herringbone-type fluid guiding unit and an apparatus for concentrating fluid using same. The herring-bone type fluid guiding unit includes: a front member formed on a flow path and formed so that the width between the left side and the right side widens from a front end part toward the back, with respect to the flow direction of a fluid; and a rear member extending from the front member toward the back, wherein the rear member is provided with a recessed part that is recessed to a specific depth from the rear edge toward the front or with a protruding part that protrudes toward the back.

Described herein is a size-based asymmetric nanopore membrane (ANM) filtration technology for high-efficiency exosome isolation, concentration, and fractionation. The ANM design prevents exosome deformation, lysing, and fusion due to the strong external force and thus significant increases the yield (up to 92%) while preserving other advantages of size-based ultrafiltration. It also offers a unique feature of being able to flush the contaminating proteins from the exosomes. It offers higher throughput, yield, sample purity, concentration factor, and more precise size fractionation than current approaches.

A flow cell includes a flow cell body. The flow cell body includes a frame and a fluid chamber defined in the flow cell body. The fluid chamber includes a reaction region allowing a fluid flow. A liquid inlet, a liquid outlet, and two exhaust holes connected to the fluid chamber are in the frame. Fluid into the liquid inlet flows through the reaction region in the fluid chamber and flows out through the liquid outlet. The exhaust holes discharge gas generated in the fluid chamber during the fluid flow. A flow cell with integral sealing rings and a biochemical substance reaction device are also disclosed.

A selective liquid sliding surface includes: a base layer; multiple pillars protruding from the base layer; and a head protruding from an upper surface of each of the multiple pillars and having a larger cross-sectional diameter than the pillar, wherein the head includes a first head protruding from the pillar and a second head protruding from a periphery of the first head, and the base layer, the pillar, and the head are formed of the same material.

A single junction sorter for a microfluidic particle sorter, the single-junction sorter comprising: an input channel, configured to receive a fluid containing particles; an output sort channel and an output waste channel, each connected to the input channel for receiving the fluid therefrom; a bubble generator, operable to selectively displace the fluid around a particle to be sorted and thereby to create a transient flow of the fluid in the input channel; and a vortex element, configured to cause a vortex in the transient flow in order to direct the particle to be sorted into the output sort channel.

Among other things, the present invention is related to devices and methods of performing biological and chemical assays, such as but not limited to assay related to analysis of white blood cells.

Microfluidic pumps are provided that use electrowetting to manipulate the location of one or more droplets of a working fluid (e.g., water) in order to pump tears, blood, laboratory samples, carrier fluid, or some other payload fluid. The working fluid is separated from the payload fluid by one or more droplets of an isolating fluid that is immiscible with the working fluid. The working fluid is manipulated via electrowetting, by applying voltages to two or more electrodes, to repeatedly move back and forth. Forces, pressures, and/or fluid flows exerted by the working fluid are coupled to the payload fluid via the droplet(s) of isolation fluid and reed valves, diffuser nozzles, or other varieties of valve can act as flow-rectifying elements to convert the coupled forces into a net flow of the payload fluid through the pump.

A microfluidic device includes multiple microfluidic assay units arranged on a substrate, with each assay unit including multiple scaffold regions each containing a three-dimensional scaffold with associated cells, and a media channel surrounding a fluid-permeable boundary portion of at least a second scaffold region, wherein a fluid-permeable interface between the media channel and the second scaffold region comprises a curved shape spanning an arc of more than 90 degrees. A third scaffold region may be provided. Boundaries between different scaffold regions, and between a scaffold region and the media channel, may include microposts that may be spaced apart in a curved configuration. A method for performing an assay utilizing such a device is further provided.

The present invention relates to systems and methods for the arrangement of droplets in pre-determined locations. Many applications require the collection of time-resolved data. Examples include the screening of cells based on their growth characteristics or the observation of enzymatic reactions. The present invention provides a tool and related techniques which addresses this need, and which can be used in many other situations. The invention provides, in one aspect, a tool that allows for stable storage and indexing of individual droplets. The invention can interface not only with microfluidic/microscale equipment, but with macroscopic equipment to allow for the easy injection of liquids and extraction of sample droplets, etc.

Provided herein, among other aspects, are methods and apparatuses for analyzing particles in a sample. In some aspects, the particles can be analytes, cells, nucleic acids, or proteins and contacted with a tag, partitioned into aliquots, detected by a ranking device, and isolated. The methods and apparatuses provided herein may include a microfluidic chip. In some aspects, the methods and apparatuses may be used to quantify rare particles in a sample, such as cancer cells and other rare cells for disease diagnosis, prognosis, or treatment.