An apparatus for separating an analyte from a test sample, such as bacteria from blood components, based on their dielectric properties, localizing or condensing the analyte, flushing substantially all remaining waste products from the test sample, and detecting low concentrations of the analyte. The module array includes a plurality of microfluidic channels with connecting microfluidic waste channels for directing undesired material away from the analyte. A detection method for separating and analyzing a contaminant using the apparatus allows for transporting a test sample having an analyte and a waste product through at least one microfluidic channel; generating dielectrophoretic forces on the test sample as the test sample is transported through the at least one microfluidic channel; trapping the test sample to separate the waste product from the analyte; separating the waste product from the analyte; and sensing, with a sensor, the analyte

A collection device for collecting a sample dissected or ablated from an object includes a collection container configured to collect the dissected or ablated sample. An electrode pair is arranged on a side of a base of the collection container facing away from the object or on or in the base itself. The electrodes of the electrode pair are arranged concentrically. A voltage supply is configured to apply a voltage to the electrodes of the electrode pair such that a divergent electric field is generated at least in a region of the collection container.

Optically-actuated microfluidic devices permit the use of spatially-modulated light to manipulate micro-objects such as biological cells. Systems and methods are described for providing sequences of light patterns to move and direct a plurality of micro-objects within the environment of a microfluidic device. The sequenced light patterns provide improved efficiency in directing the transport of the plurality of micro-objects. Other embodiments are described.

Integrated devices that include a sample preparation component integrated with a detection component are disclosed. The sample preparation component may be a digital microfluidics module or a surface acoustic wave module which modules are used for combing a sample droplet with a reagent droplet and for performing additional sample preparation step leading to a droplet that contains beads/particles/labels that indicate presence or absence of an analyte of interest in the sample. The beads/particles/labels may be detected by moving the droplet to the detection component of the device, which detection component includes an array of wells. Additional analyte detection devices configured to operate an analyte detection chip to prepare a test sample and to detect an analyte related signal from the prepared test sample in the analyte detection chip are disclosed. The analyte detection chip may include a digital microfluidics (DMF) region and an analyte detection region which may overlap or may be spatially separated. The analyte detection device may be configured for detection of analyte by an optical or electrochemical means operably connected with an analyte detection chip inserted into the device.

Systems and method for sorting droplets includes a microfluidic chip or substrate having a droplet sorting channel coupled at an upstream location to a droplet inlet channel, the droplet sorting channel coupled at a downstream location to a waste channel and a collection channel. The device includes an optical interrogation device configured to illuminate the droplets passing through the sorting channel with excitation light from an excitation light source and capturing emitted fluorescent light and generating an output signal correlated to the fluorescence of the droplets. An actuator (electrode) is disposed in the microfluidic chip or substrate and coupled to a signal driver (e.g., a high voltage amplifier). The device or system uses a programmable controller configured to receive the output signals from the optical interrogation device and trigger the signal driver to actuate the actuator to direct the droplets into the collection channel.

Methods for selectively combining discrete entities including, e.g. cells, reagents, drugs, hydrogels, extracellular matrices beads, particles, biological materials, media, or a combination thereof, are provided. In certain aspects, the methods include sorting a plurality of discrete entities and trapping two or more discrete entities for a time sufficient for the two or more discrete entities to combine to form a combined discrete entity. In certain aspects, the methods include making the plurality of discrete entities. In certain aspects, the methods include detecting or analyzing the discrete entities, e.g. via optical detection. In certain aspects, the methods include manipulating or analyzing the combined discrete entity or a component therein, e.g. imaging, sequencing, culturing, e.g., three-dimensional culturing, and measuring cell-cell interactions. Systems and devices for practicing the subject methods are also provided.

An example digital microfluidics device includes a device body having a primary substrate defining a planar primary substrate surface; a plurality of droplet processing components having respective component substrates overmolded in the primary substrate in a coplanar arrangement with the primary substrate surface; and an electrical interface carried on the primary substrate surface, the electrical interface defining a planar droplet manipulation surface and carrying a set of droplet manipulation electrodes adjacent to the droplet manipulation surface; the electrical interface configured to interconnect the droplet manipulation electrodes and at least a portion of the droplet processing components.

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.

A fluid entrained particle separation system may include a particle separator, a main fluid passage extending along an axis to guide translational fluid flow along the axis to the particle separator and a side fluid inlet connected to the main fluid passage to generate a vortex about the axis. The vortex concentrates less dense material in the fluid flow towards the axis.

This invention relates to compositions of matter, methods, modules and instruments for automated mammalian cell growth and mammalian cell transduction followed by nucleic acid-guided nuclease editing in live mammalian cells. The present compositions and methods entail viral delivery of an editing cassette to live mammalian cells such that the editing cassettes edit the cells and the edited cells continue to grow, preferably using a fully-automated end-to-end instrument to process the cells without human intervention to enhance cell processing uniformity and to maintain the integrity of the cell culture.