Novel methods and apparatus for sorting and enriching target cells of interest from a mixture.

Microfluidic devices, systems and methods are described herein. The devices, systems and methods provide for trapping particles, including cells. Methods of generating a droplet in a microfluidic device and collecting droplets from microfluidic devices are also disclosed herein.

A method of synthesizing an oligonucleotide using a nanofluidic device including a plurality of nanopore channels, a plurality of electrodes, and an electrolyte solution, includes coupling a primer to an inner wall of a nanopore channel of the plurality of nanopore channels, the primer having a protecting group. The method also includes applying a voltage to an electrode of the plurality of electrodes that corresponds to the nanopore channel to produce an acid from the electrolyte solution at the electrode. The electrode includes an anode and a cathode disposed at opposite sides of the nanopore channel. The method further includes the acid removing the protecting group from the primer. Moreover, the method includes coupling a nucleotide to the primer with the protecting group removed to form an intermediate product. In addition, the method includes repeating the steps on the intermediate product until the oligonucleotide is synthesized.

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.

Methods of selectively positioning a micro-object in a microfluidic device are described in this application. The microfluidic device can comprise an enclosure having an inlet, an outlet, and a flow region connecting the inlet and outlet, and an electrode activation substrate having a photoconductive layer. The methods of selectively positioning can comprising: projecting a first light beam on an electrode activation substrate of the microfluidic device, wherein the first position is proximal to the first micro-object, and wherein the first light beam activates a positive dielectrophoresis (DEP) force within the enclosure sufficient to capture the first micro-object; and projecting a second light beam upon a second position on the electrode activation substrate, wherein the second position is adjacent to or at least partially surrounding the first position, without overlapping the first position, the second light beam activating a positive DEP force within the enclosure sufficient to capture second micro-objects other than the first micro-object. The methods of selectively positioning can further comprise moving the first light beam towards a third position on the electrode activation substrate, wherein the DEP force activated by the first light beam is sufficient to move the first micro-object to the third position. Optionally, the methods can include moving the second light beam in relation to the first light beam to prevent micro-objects other than the first micro-object from being captured by the first light beam. Other embodiments are described.

A microfluidic system includes a hydrophobic fluidic platform and a heater. The platform includes a plurality of electrode cells operably connected to a voltage source and a controller. The heater is configured to fuse first and second vesicles. The first and second vesicles encapsulate first and second DNA precursors, respectively. The fusing combines the first and second DNA precursors. In another embodiment, a microfluidic system includes a fluidic platform including a plurality of electrode cells, a vesicle mover, and a reaction facilitator. The vesicle mover is configured to move first and second vesicles to a selected cell of the plurality of electrode cells. The reaction facilitator is operably connected to the selected cell. A method includes providing a fluidic platform comprising a plurality of cells; moving first and second vesicles encapsulating first and second reagents, respectively, to a first cell; and fusing the first and second vesicles.

Methods are provided for separating magnetically responsive beads from a droplet in a droplet actuator. Droplet operations electrodes and a magnet are arranged in a droplet actuator to manipulate a bead-containing droplet and position it relative to a magnetic field region that attracts the magnetically responsive beads. The droplet operations electrodes are operated to control the droplet shape and transport it away from the magnetic field region to form a concentration of beads in the droplet. The continued transport of the droplet away from the magnetic field causes the concentration of beads to break away from the droplet to yield a small, concentrated bead-containing droplet immobilized by the magnet.

A microfluidic device can include a base an outer surface of which forms one or more enclosures for containing a fluidic medium. The base can include an array of individually controllable transistor structures each of which can comprise both a lateral transistor and a vertical transistor. The transistor structures can be light activated, and the lateral and vertical transistors can thus be photo transistors. Each transistor structure can be activated to create a temporary electrical connection from a region of the outer surface of the base (and thus fluidic medium in the enclosure) to a common electrical conductor. The temporary electrical connection can induce a localized electrokinetic force generally at the region, which can be sufficiently strong to move a nearby micro-object in the enclosure.

A microfluidic chip for culturing and real-time monitoring of multicellular tissues and use method thereof. The chip comprises a glass substrate layer, and a PDMS microchannel layer located on the glass substrate layer, wherein the glass substrate layer comprises a glass substrate, and a plurality of microelectrodes thereon; the PDMS microchannel comprises a plurality of independent microfluidic channels; the microelectrodes on the glass substrate are in one-to-one correspondence with the microfluidic channels in the PDMS microchannel layer; and the microelectrodes are electrically connected to an external circuit. The use method comprises: cell capture, cell or tissue culture, electrical impedance spectroscopy detection, and tissue release.

A method for aligning sequences of droplets in streams of an emulsion comprising target droplets and tag droplets, a tag droplet comprising first and second tags. A target droplet is split into first and second target droplets and a tag droplet is split into first and second tag droplets. Each of the first and second tag droplets comprise the first and second tags. The first target droplet and first tag droplet are in a first stream of droplets, and the second target droplet and second tag droplet are in a second stream of droplets. The method detects the first tag droplets and first target droplets in the first stream and the second tag droplets and second target droplets in the second stream, determines a first sequence of droplets in the first stream and a second sequence of droplets in the second stream, and compares these to align the sequences.