A method for aliquoting a sample liquid using a sealing liquid in a microfluidic device includes combining the sample liquid and the sealing liquid, which have different wetting behaviors, to form a two-phase system separated by a boundary surface. The microfluidic device includes a chamber with at least one inlet channel for introducing the liquids and a plurality of cavities configured to be filled via the inlet channel. The inlet channel and the cavities have a geometry that is defined in dependence on the respective wetting behaviors of the sample liquid and the sealing liquid. The method first includes introducing the sample liquid to form a first meniscus configured by the defined geometry, e.g. concave, to fill the cavities. The method further includes introducing the sealing liquid to form a second meniscus configured by the existing, greater contact angle and the defined geometry, e.g. convex, to cover the filled cavities.

A device and/or methodology are described that include a mechanism for separating erythrocytes from other constituents of blood and for purifying leukocytes from blood. The separation and purification aspects may be provided in separate components or within the same component. The separation aspect assists in separating erythrocytes (red blood cells) from other cells in blood, such as by aggregation of the red blood cells. A suitable aggregation device or device component uses chambers with at least one small dimension (e.g., a microfluidic chip) to control the interaction of the blood with a solution containing a high molecular weight polymer (e.g., dextran) to achieve separation.

Methods and apparatus for manufacturing a microfluidic arrangement are disclosed. In one arrangement, a continuous body of a first liquid is provided in direct contact with a first substrate. A second liquid covers the first liquid. A separation fluid, immiscible with the first liquid, is propelled through at least the first liquid and into contact with the first substrate along all of a selected path on the surface of the first substrate. First liquid that was initially in contact with all of the selected path is displaced away from the selected path. The first liquid is divided to form sub-bodies of first liquid that are separated from each other. For each of one or more of the sub-bodies, a sub-body footprint represents an area of contact between the sub-body and the first substrate, and all of a boundary of the sub-body footprint is in contact with a closed loop of the selected path surrounding the sub-body footprint.

An in-vitro platelet evaluation method, including creating a platelet suspension sample and flowing the platelet suspension sample through an evaluation system to determine a platelet aggregation area and a platelet rolling velocity.

The present disclosure is notably directed to a microfluidic probe head (202), or MFP head, comprising a processing surface (204) having liquid injection and liquid aspiration apertures, as well as projections (205) extending from the processing surface (204). The arrangement of injection and aspiration apertures provides for a hydrodynamic flow confinement within a processing region that is formed between the processing surface (204) and a substrate (104) or sample surface (for example, the bottom of a microtiter plate sample well (102)), typically located beneath the processing surface (204). The disclosure is further directed to related microfluidic probe devices, and methods of operation of such an MFP head, notably to deposit cells on a surface.

Systems and methods for transfection using a microfluidic device are disclosed. Microdroplets encapsulate cells, transfection molecules, and cationic lipid transfection reagent. Droplet chaotic advection in a rendering channel of the system results in a uniform lipid-DNA complex (lipoplex) formation, which can improve gene delivery efficacy. The shear stress exerted on cell membranes during the chaotic mixing increases membrane permeability, which when combined with the co-confinement of cell and lipoplex, improves transfection efficiency of the cell. The systems and methods can be used for a variety of applications such as gene therapy, in vitro fertilization, regenerative medicine, cancer treatment, and vaccines.

Reservoir-based management of volumetric flow rates in fluidic systems is generally described. Inventive systems and methods for liquid-liquid separations and/or liquid-gas separations are also described.

Emulsion breaking and phase separation is achieved by droplet adhesion. An emulsion breaking device includes a channel having distinct adjacent zones with distinctly different surface wettability characteristics, namely, solvophilic and solvophobic surfaces. The device is positioned such that the upstream portion of the device is configured to be wetted by the continuous phase of the emulsion, and the downstream portion of the device is configured to be wetted by the dispersed phase of the emulsion. As the emulsion flows from the upstream zone to the downstream zone, the change in surface wettability characteristics promotes adhesion of the dispersed phase as the dispersed phase wets the surface of the downstream portion of the channel, which results in breaking of the emulsion. Subsequent collection of the broken emulsion in a collection vessel results in separation of the disparate phases to facilitate their recapture and recycling.

A microfluidic apparatus includes a substrate defining a microchannel having inlet and an outlet defining a length of the microchannel. The microchannel has a main channel extending from the inlet to the outlet, and a plurality of side cavities extending from the main channel. The cavities are in fluid communication with the main channel. A method includes introducing a sample into the microchannel through the inlet to fill the entire microchannel, and then introducing a solvent into the microchannel through the inlet at a controlled flow rate and inlet pressure. A developed solvent front then moves along the main channel from the inlet to the outlet while displacing the sample in the main channel. Images of the microchannel are acquired as the front moves, and a miscibility condition is determined based on the images.

A device for stirring at least one liquid includes a fluidics module rotatable about an axis of rotation, a liquid chamber for the liquid within the fluidics module, an introducer for introducing mutually separate phase volumes of a phase different from the liquid, said phase volumes having a different density than the liquid, into the liquid within the liquid chamber, and a driving device for subjecting the fluidics module to such a rotation that the phase volumes are moved radially inward or outward in relation to the axis of rotation through the liquid due to the different density of the phase volumes and of the liquid and due to the centrifugal forces caused by the rotation.