Methods of detecting the presence of toxins in a sample using electrophoretic separations and of performing electrophoretic separation of complex samples are provided. The method of detecting the presence of toxins includes reacting a sample and a substrate with a signaling enzyme which converts the substrate to the product in a reaction medium, introducing a run buffer into a separation channel having an inlet end, selectively introducing at least one of the substrate and the product of the reaction medium into the inlet end of the separation channel, electrophoretically separating the substrate and the product, and determining the rate of conversion of the substrate to the product, wherein a change in the rate of conversion is indicative of the presence of toxins. The method of performing electrophoretic separations of complex samples having charged particulates and oppositely charged analytes comprising introducing a run buffer into a separation channel having an inlet end, selectively introducing the oppositely charged analytes in the complex sample into the separation channel, and electrophoretically separating the charged particulates and the oppositely charged analytes. Additionally, a device for varying with respect to time the bulk flow of a fluid in a separation channel of an electrophoretic device having a buffer reservoir in fluid contact with the separation channel is provided. The device includes a pressure sensor in fluid contact with a buffer reservoir, a high pressure reservoir in selective fluidic communication with the buffer reservoir, a low pressure reservoir in selective fluidic communication with the buffer reservoir and in fluidic communication with the high pressure reservoir, and a pumping device for pumping a gas from the low pressure reservoir to the high pressure reservoir.

A microfluidic device for analysing nucleic acids includes a pump unit with a pumping volume, a filter unit for receiving a lysate, and a reaction chamber. The pump unit, the filter unit and the reaction chamber are arranged in the stated order in a pump direction of the pump unit. The microfluidic device is configured to pump an elution medium via the pump unit into the filter unit for elution and subsequently into the reaction chamber for further treatment.

A semiconductor sensor-based near-patient diagnostic system and related methods.

A blood pack donation system configured for use with a lab-on-a-chip device for biomarker collection during whole blood donation including a blood collection container, a biomarker collection container, a first flow path connected to an opening in the blood collection container and to a first outlet opening of a lab-on-a-chip device, a second flow path connected to an opening in the biomarker collection container and to a second outlet opening of the lab-on-a-chip device, and a third flow path connected to a needle and to an inlet opening of the lab-on-a-chip device. The system may be used in a single pass collection procedure. A second version includes a fourth flow path connected to the first flow path and to the third flow path, with a plurality of flow control components that selectively control flow to provide a single pass collection procedure or a multiple pass collection procedure.

A device for detecting nucleic acids in a biological sample has a sample port, a lysis station and a sample conduit configured to mix a sample and lysis agent to form a sample-lysis mixture, pass the sample-lysis mixture across a solid-state membrane to capture nucleic acids in the biological sample therein, and receive the remainder of the sample-lysis mixture in a waste chamber. The wash station is configured to introduce the wash solution following the sample-lysis mixture, pass the wash solution across the solid-state membrane to purify nucleic acids captured therein, and receive the wash solution from the solid-state membrane in the waste chamber. The elution station is configured to pass the eluent across the solid-state membrane, elute captured nucleic acids from the solid-state membrane, and pass the captured nucleic acids into one or more reaction chambers for amplifying and detecting the captured nucleic acids.

Described are multi-functional beads and methods to capture rare cells directly from low-volume biological samples and perform both functional and genomic assays from those cells. This is accomplished using a multifunctional capture bead that allows co-localization of both the single cell capture element and the molecular assay components. When combined with a digital microfluidic platform this enables encoding and/or barcoding of specific single cells.

The present invention relates to, inter alia, a microfluidic device for capturing target cells and analyzing genomic DNA isolated from the target cells while under flow conditions. The microfluidic device includes a cell microchannel and a nucleic acid microchannel that intersect in an orthogonal manner, thereby forming a cell capture intersection region. The microfluidic device also includes a cell capture array and a nucleic acid entanglement array. The cell capture array includes a plurality of cell capturing micropillars and is located in the cell capture intersection region. The nucleic acid entanglement array includes a plurality of nucleic acid entanglement micropillars that function to physically entangle and maintain thereon genomic DNA isolated from the one or more target cell, and is located in a portion of the nucleic acid microchannel that is adjacent to and downstream of the cell capture intersection region. Methods of using the microfluidic device are also disclosed.

The present disclosure relates to devices and systems for separating motile pathogenic bacterial cells from samples. The disclosure also provides for methods of determining whether a sample is contaminated by pathogenic bacteria. The devices and systems disclosed herein are useful for screening water sources, environmental testing sites, food sources, and bodily fluids for the presence, absence, or quantity of bacterial cells in a sample representative of the screened sources.

Devices and methods for performing pre-analysis sample processing of biological and chemical samples using robotic liquid handlers are disclosed. Methods for solid phase extraction, protein precipitation and filtration of biological and chemical samples using automation and the devices in a rapid and convenient way are described.

Systems and methods for cleansing blood are disclosed herein. The methods include acoustically separating target particles from elements of whole blood. The whole blood and capture particles are flowed through a microfluidic separation channel formed in a thermoplastic. At least one bulk acoustic transducer is attached to the microfluidic separation channel. A standing acoustic wave, imparted on the channel and its contents by the bulk acoustic transducer, drives the formed elements of the blood and target particles to specific aggregation axes.