The present disclosure provides apparatuses, systems, and methods involving a spotter for depositing a substance on a submerged surface. The spotter comprises an outlet cavity defined at least in part by a spotting orifice, a first opening, and a second opening. The spotter also comprises a first conduit fluidly coupled to the first opening and a second conduit fluidly coupled to the second opening. The spotter is adapted so that fluid flowing through the first conduit and the second conduit is communicated among the first opening, the second opening, and a submerged deposition surface when the sealing orifice is sealed against the submerged deposition surface to form a deposition spot on the submerged deposition surface. The submerged deposition surface is within a liquid such that the liquid covers the deposition spot upon removal of the orifice from the deposition surface.

A compact desktop continuous stirred tank reactor easily used on a magnetic stirrer is provided. A desktop continuous stirred tank reactor used on a magnetic stirrer includes a plurality of containers, each of the plurality of containers having a bottom and a shape capable of containing a stir bar, the plurality of containers being configured as a single unit member. The plurality of containers is arranged on the circumference of a circle of rotation of a pair of magnets of the magnetic stirrer or inside the circumference, and adjacent containers communicate through communication holes.

The array induced electric field fluid reaction system comprises a reaction unit array with a plurality of reaction units interactively connected as a network configuration, a power supply and a sample container, wherein each reaction unit has a closed iron core, a primary coil and a secondary coil. The primary coil and secondary coil are, respectively, wound around two sides of the closed iron core, and the secondary coil comprises an insulation pipe for circulating the reaction medium. When the array induced electric field fluid reaction system operates, no charged needle-type electrodes or electrode plates are inserted into the reaction medium. Electrochemical reaction and metal contamination may be avoided. The reaction units can form an array network connection and series/parallel connection, and when the induced electric field in each reaction unit is acted on the reaction medium, specific reaction effects may be achieved.

The invention generally relates to methods for quantifying an amount of enzyme molecules. Systems and methods of the invention are provided for measuring an amount of target by forming a plurality of fluid partitions, a subset of which include the target, performing an enzyme-catalyzed reaction in the subset, and detecting the number of partitions in the subset. The amount of target can be determined based on the detected number.

A microsphere-based analytic chemistry system and method for making the same is disclosed in which microspheres or particles carrying bioactive agents may be combined randomly or in ordered fashion and dispersed on a substrate to form an array while maintaining the ability to identify the location of bioactive agents and particles within the array using an optically interrogatable, optical signature encoding scheme. A wide variety of modified substrates may be employed which provide either discrete or non-discrete sites for accommodating the microspheres in either random or patterned distributions. The substrates may be constructed from a variety of materials to form either two-dimensional or three-dimensional configurations. In a preferred embodiment, a modified fiber optic bundle or array is employed as a substrate to produce a high density array. The disclosed system and method have utility for detecting target analytes and screening large libraries of bioactive agents.

The invention generally relates to methods for quantifying an amount of enzyme molecules. Systems and methods of the invention are provided for measuring an amount of target by forming a plurality of fluid partitions, a subset of which include the target, performing an enzyme-catalyzed reaction in the subset, and detecting the number of partitions in the subset. The amount of target can be determined based on the detected number.

Disclosed herein are apparatuses and methods for conducting multiple simultaneous micro-volume chemical and biochemical reactions in an array format. In one embodiment, the format comprises an array of microholes in a substrate. Besides serving as an ordered array of sample chambers allowing the performance of multiple parallel reactions, the arrays can be used for reagent storage and transfer, library display, reagent synthesis, assembly of multiple identical reactions, dilution and desalting. Use of the arrays facilitates optical analysis of reactions, and allows optical analysis to be conducted in real time. Included within the invention are kits comprising a microhole apparatus and a reaction component of the method(s) to be carried out in the apparatus.

Screening assays and methods of performing such assays are provided. In certain examples, the assays and methods may be designed to determine whether or not two or more species can associate with each other. In some examples, the assays and methods may be used to determine if a known antigen binds to an unknown monoclonal antibody.

A method for determining a presence or absence of one or more target analytes in a sample includes contacting the sample with an array of particles comprising at least first and second particle subsets disposed therein with a known particle number ratio with respect to each other. The first particle subset has at least one binding site configured to bind with a first target analyte and the second particle subset has at least one binding site configured to bind with a second, different target analyte. Changes are detected in a detectable signal emitted by the particles after contacting the sample with the array. A number of the particles that emit the change in the detectable signal are counted and this number is compared to the known particle number ratio of the subsets so as to determine the presence or absence of the one or more of the target analytes.

Arrays and substrates comprising a material, in particular capture agents and/or detectable targets, attached to the substrates along substantially parallel lines forming a barcoded pattern and related methods and systems.