Process for manufacturing a microfluidic device, wherein a sacrificial layer is formed on a semiconductor substrate; a carrying layer is formed on the sacrificial layer; the carrying layer is selectively removed to form at least one release opening extending through the carrying layer; a permeable layer of a permeable semiconductor material is formed in the at least one release opening; the sacrificial layer is selectively removed through the permeable layer to form a fluidic chamber; the at least one release opening is filled with non-permeable semiconductor filling material, forming a monolithic body having a membrane region; an actuator element is formed on the membrane region and a cap element is attached to the monolithic body and surrounds the actuator element.

A centrifugal microfluidic technique for heat treating emulsion-divided independent reaction volumes (IRVs) within a centrifugal microfluidic chip, and displacing the emulsion into a monolayer presentation chamber (pc) for imaging. A deep treatment chamber (tc) is provided for the heat treatment, a nozzle having a hydrodynamic radius for forming the IRVs is provided for injecting a sample for the IRVs into the tc filled with a dense immiscible medium. The tc is adjacent a heat controlled element for collectively heat treating the IRVs within the tc, where the IRVs form a 3d packing arrangement. The tc is coupled to a presentation chamber (pc) by an opening through which the IRVs can be selectively displaced without collapsing. The pc is adjacent a window transparent to a wavelength for inspecting the pc.

(Object) To improve the accuracy of the placement of liquid droplets. (Means of Achieving the object) A liquid droplet discharging method is performed by a liquid droplet discharging apparatus configured to discharge a liquid droplet from a nozzle hole formed in a film-like member, the liquid droplet discharging method including positioning the nozzle hole inside a recessed portion provided in a container; and discharging the liquid droplet from the nozzle hole positioned inside the recessed portion.

A microfluidic system can include a substrate comprising an elastic material and defining a microfluidic channel. The substrate can have a first set of dimensions defining a thickness of a wall of the microfluidic channel and a second set of dimensions defining a width of the microfluidic channel. A transducer can be mechanically coupled with the substrate. The transducer can be operated at a predetermined frequency different from a primary thickness resonant frequency of the transducer. A thickness and a width of the transducer can be selected based on the first set of dimensions defining the thickness of the wall of the microfluidic channel and the second set of dimensions defining the width of the microfluidic channel.

The present disclosure provides a microfluidic device, a driving method thereof and a microfluidic system. The microfluidic device includes a first substrate and a second substrate disposed opposite to each other, and a microcavity provided between the first and second substrates for accommodating droplets. The microfluidic device further includes at least one ultrasonic layer provided between the first and second substrates. The at least one ultrasonic layer includes a plurality of ultrasonic sensors configured to perform at least one of detection operation and driving operation to the droplets accommodated in the microcavity.

The invention concerns a method, an assembly and a system for determining a characteristic property of a molecular interaction. The method includes providing a liquid sample including a particle capable of being in a state of equilibrium and in a state of non-equilibrium. The particle includes a marker in at least one of its state of equilibrium and state of non-equilibrium. The method further includes bringing the particle in a state of non-equilibrium by subjecting the sample to a condition jump comprising a jump in temperature and/or pressure; reading out the marker as a function of time during at least a portion of a relaxation time for said particle, and determining said characteristic property of said molecular interaction.

The present disclosure is drawn to inertial pumps. An inertial pump can include a microfluidic channel, a fluid actuator located in the microfluidic channel, and a check valve located in the microfluidic channel. The check valve can include a moveable valve element, a narrowed channel segment located upstream of the moveable valve element, and a blocking element formed in the microfluidic channel downstream of the moveable valve element. The narrowed channel segment can have a width less than a width of the moveable valve element so that the moveable valve element can block fluid flow through the check valve when the moveable valve element is positioned in the narrowed channel segment. The blocking element can be configured such that the blocking element constrains the moveable valve element within the check valve while also allowing fluid flow when the moveable valve element is positioned against the blocking element.

The present invention is directed to a method for sorting biological objects including the steps of providing a magnetic device that includes a conduit or channel having upstream and downstream sections and a magnetic means for generating first and second magnetic fields in the upstream and downstream sections, respectively; flowing a sample fluid that includes magnetically labeled biological objects and unlabeled biological objects through the upstream section to magnetically saturate the magnetically labeled biological objects by the first magnetic field; and flowing the sample fluid from the upstream section continuously to the downstream section to collect the magnetically labeled biological objects on a wall of the downstream section by the second magnetic field, wherein the first magnetic field in the upstream section has a higher average field strength than the second magnetic field in the downstream section.

An apparatus, vortex generator assembly and method for automated cell lysis and nucleic acid purification and processing. The vortex generator assembly includes sample holder having a lysis well, at least one wash well, and an elution well. The vortex generator assembly also includes a sample holder cover having a plurality of vibration rods for creating a vortex in the wells of the sample holder. The apparatus includes motor operating a rotating cam to cause the vibration rods to vibrate and create the vortex in a well holding fluid and magnetic beads, wherein the vortexing speed is sufficient to overcome the magnetic attraction between the beads and disperse the beads in solution, to collect nucleic acids such as DNA.

An apparatus for processing biological material includes a supporting structure, provided with a seat and with a rotation device supplied with constraining means, and a container for biological material, provided with a shaped body, with a base, shaped to match the seat of the supporting structure, with at least one valve (24a) for extracting the biological material, and with movable cutting means equipped with coupling means for coupling to the constraining means of the rotation device, in such a way as to acquire a relative motion relative to the container.