A microfluidic device may, in an example, include at least one microfluidic channel, a dielectrophoresis separator to separate a plurality of cells passing within the at least one microfluidic channel, and a thermal resistor to eject at least one cell from the microfluidic device. A cassette may, in an example, include a die coupled to a substrate of the cassette, the die including at least one microfluidic channel, a dielectrophoresis separator along the microfluidic channel to separate a plurality of cells passing within the microfluidic channel, and an ejection device to eject at least one of the plurality of cells into an assay well.

The present invention provides novel microfluidic substrates and methods that are useful for performing biological, chemical and diagnostic assays. The substrates can include a plurality of electrically addressable, channel bearing fluidic modules integrally arranged such that a continuous channel is provided for flow of immiscible fluids.

Active matrix backplanes including an array of hexagonal electrodes or an array of triangular electrodes. Because the backplane designs route the gate lines along the periphery of the electrodes there is less cross talk with the surface of the electrode. The disclosed designs simplify construction and control of the electrodes and improve the regularity of the electric field above the electrode. Such backplane electrode designs may be particularly useful in electrowetting on dielectric (EWoD) devices and electrophoretic displays (EPD).

Provided are methods and systems useful for screening large libraries of effector molecules. Such methods and systems are particularly useful in microfluidic systems and devices. The methods and systems provided herein utilize encoded effectors to screen large libraries of effectors.

In biosciences and related fields, it can be useful to study cells in isolation so that cells having unique and desirable properties can be identified within a heterogenous mixture of cells. Processes and methods disclosed herein provide for encapsulating cells within a microfluidic device and assaying the encapsulated cells. Encapsulation can, among other benefits, facilitate analyses of cells that generate secretions of interest which would otherwise rapidly diffuse away or mix with the secretions of other cells.

The present disclosure relates to a method of colony picking. The method includes the steps of mixing a bacterial suspension with an oil-based carrier liquid for generating a plurality of droplets comprising bacteria contained in the bacterial suspension and incubating the plurality of droplets for a predetermined period of time to allow growth of bacteria within the plurality of droplets. The method further includes the steps of screening each of the plurality of droplets that flows through one or more microfluidic channels of a microfluidic device to determine an opacity degree of each of the plurality of droplets, wherein the opacity degree is indicative of colony formation in the plurality of droplets, and sorting the plurality of droplets based on the opacity degree of each of the plurality of droplets.

The present invention relates to droplet-based surface modification and washing. According to one embodiment, a method of splitting a droplet is provided, the method including providing a droplet microactuator including a droplet including one or more beads and immobilizing at least one of the one or more beads. The method further includes conducting one or more droplet operations to divide the droplet to yield a set of droplets including a droplet including the one or more immobilized beads and a droplet substantially lacking the one or more immobilized beads.

Systems and methods are provided herein for rapid detection, separation, purification, and quantification of viral particles in a sample. According to some embodiments, a microfluidic device is provided for receiving the sample which may contain viral particles. An electrode of the microfluidic device may be used to generate dielectrophoretic (DEP) and/or electroosmotic (EO) forces acting on the sample. The applied DEP and/or EO forces may immobilize components of the sample on the surface of the electrode, may aggregate viral particles of the sample in one region of the microfluidic device, and may separate other components of the sample from the viral particles. The techniques may be performed rapidly, for example, in eight hours or less, and may not affect infectivity of the viral particles. In some embodiments, the sample may be labeled to enhance a response of one or more of the sample components to the DEP and/or EO forces.

Provided are a cell sorting chip, device, and method based on dielectrophoresis induced deterministic lateral displacement, the chip including a microfluidic channel (4), the microfluidic channel comprising a sample inlet (4.1), a straight channel, and two sample outlets; three groups of electrode array pairs are integrated at a bottom of the straight channel, the three electrode array pairs respectively being a focusing electrode group (1), a sorting electrode group (2), and a separating electrode group (3); the focusing electrode group is used for cell focusing and signal detection; the sorting electrode group is used for single cell sorting; and the separating electrode group is used for single cell separation. High-speed, precise, and lossless target cell sorting can thus be implemented.

Microfluidic methods for barcoding nucleic acid target molecules to be analyzed, e.g., via nucleic acid sequencing techniques, are provided. Also provided are microfluidic, droplet-based methods of preparing nucleic acid barcodes for use in various barcoding applications. The methods described herein facilitate high-throughput sequencing of nucleic acid target molecules as well as single cell and single virus genomic, transcriptomic, and/or proteomic analysis/profiling. Systems and devices for practicing the subject methods are also provided.