Provided is a method of transferring a material into cells, comprising the steps of: forming droplets consisting of a material to be transferred and cells; and a step of subjecting the formed droplets to deformation, thereby transferring the material to be transferred, into the cells.

An optoelectronic tweezer device includes a transparent substrate, a semiconductor layer, a first electrode and a dielectric layer. The semiconductor layer is located above the transparent substrate and includes a first doping region, a second doping region and a transition region, wherein the transition region is located between the first doping region and the second doping region. The first electrode is located on the first doping region and is electrically connected to the first doping region. The dielectric layer is located above the semiconductor layer and has a first through hole overlapping the first electrode.

A single device for testing each of total cholesterol, HDL, and triglyceride concentrations of a whole blood sample is disclosed. The device includes an inlet (10) for blood plasma and a transfer element (200) in fluid communication with the inlet (10), the transfer element (200) including a plurality of channels (210, 220, 230), each channel allowing capillary flow of blood plasma from the inlet (10) to a respective testing region (1, 2, 3). A channel (230) has a multiplicity of corners (235) which define a zigzag profile.

In example implementations, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes a channel, an opening in the channel, and a heating element aligned with the opening on opposite sides of the channel. The channel contains a droplet of a first liquid containing a particle, wherein the droplet is carried within a second liquid in the channel. The heating element is to heat the first liquid to generate a vapor in the first liquid to eject the droplet of the first liquid through the opening.

A tunable inertial sheathing (TIS) system and methods for particle-size-insensitive high-throughput single-stream focusing of particles suspended in a particle-carrying fluid are provided. The TIS conditions particles to distribute locally within one of compartments of inertial force field, followed by an inertial focusing to migrate it to a single foci. For the particle localization, the TIS system introduces an arbitrary form of peripheral sheathing by generating and accumulating sheath fluid from particle-carrying fluid through a combination of inertial focusing, channel bifurcation and channel confluence. Multiple forms of the TIS system are also provided, each including one main channel and at least one bypass channel. The main channel includes and cascades at least three segments, at least one bifurcating junction and at least one confluence junction.

The single-use disposable spectrophotometer described herein can measure one or more blood chemistry analytes from a drop of whole blood. A passive filtration system takes whole blood and delivers plasma along with a dissolved reporter molecule to one or more spectrophotometers which can operate with narrow band optical spectrum centered on an optical detection frequency. The spectrophotometer detects the changes in absorption of the plasma as a result of a chemistry reaction to determine the concentration or activity of one or more analytes.

The invention is directed to apparatus and methods for delivering multiple reagents to, and monitoring, a plurality of analytical reactions carried out on a large-scale array of electronic sensors under minimal noise conditions. In one aspect, the invention provides method of improving signal-to-noise ratios of output signals from the electronic sensors sensing analytes or reaction byproducts by subtracting an average of output signals measured from neighboring sensors where analyte or reaction byproducts are absent. In other aspects, the invention provides an array of electronic sensors integrated with a microwell array for confining analytes and/or particles for analytical reactions and a method for identifying microwells containing analytes and/or particles by passing a sensor-active reagent over the array and correlating sensor response times to the presence or absence of analytes or particles. Such detection of analyte- or particle-containing microwells may be used as a step in additional noise reduction methods.

A microfluidic device can comprise at least one swept region that is fluidically connected to unswept regions. The fluidic connections between the swept region and the unswept regions can enable diffusion but substantially no flow of media between the swept region and the unswept regions. The capability of biological micro-objects to produce an analyte of interest can be assayed in such a microfluidic device. Biological micro-objects in sample material loaded into a microfluidic device can be selected for particular characteristics and disposed into unswept regions. The sample material can then be flowed out of the swept region and an assay material flowed into the swept region. Flows of medium in the swept region do not substantially affect the biological micro-objects in the unswept regions, but any analyte of interest produced by a biological micro-object can diffuse from an unswept region into the swept region, where the analyte can react with the assay material to produce a localized detectable reaction. Any such detected reactions can be analyzed to determine which, if any, of the biological micro-objects are producers of the analyte of interest.

Systems and methods generating physiologic models that can produce functional biological substances are provided. In some aspects, a system includes a substrate and a first and second channel formed therein. The channels extend longitudinally and are substantially parallel to each other. A series of apertures extend between the first channel and second channel to create a fluid communication path passing through columns separating the channels that extends further along the longitudinal dimension than other dimensions. The system also includes a first source configured to selectively introduce into the first channel a first biological composition at a first channel flow rate and a second source configured to selectively introduce into the second channel a second biological composition at a second channel flow rate, wherein the first channel flow rate and the second channel flow rate create a differential configured to generate physiological shear rates within a predetermined range in the channels.

The present disclosure describes a microfluidic chip for culturing and in vitro testing of 3D organotypic cultures. The tests may be performed directly on the organotypic culture in the microfluidic chip. The microfluidic chip includes at least one microfluidic unit which includes two fluidic compartments, such as upper and lower, separated by a permeable supporting structure, one or more access opening for the fluidic compartments, and a set of lids interchangeable with a set of insets. The permeable support structure serves as a support for the organotypic culture. The upper and lower compartments may include inlets and outlets which allow fluids to be perfused into the lower compartment and fluids to be perfused into the upper compartment. The access opening may be closed with a lid or accommodate an inset.