The present invention relates to functionalized solid supports and methods of making functionalized solid supports. Methods for preparing a population of high quality functionalized solid supports for use in various nucleic acid analysis methods are provided. The invention also provides methods for validation and quality control of the functionalization steps.

Provided herein are biomolecular hybridization devices comprising a substrate with a permanently and covalently attached surface of functional groups and an adsorbed monolayer of unmodified, single-stranded oligonucleotides all of which are 10 to about 24 bases in length as a saturated film of constrained oligonucleotides on the surface via direct non-covalent phosphate-surface adsorptive contact of substantially all phosphate groups of each oligonucleotide. The constrained oligonucleotides are effective to dissociably hybridize to a complementary single-stranded nucleic acid with asymmetric, non-helical base pairing and without oligonucleotide dissociation from the surface of the device. Also, provided are methods for hybridizing solution-state target nucleic acids to probe nucleic acids and for identifying a nucleotide sequence to which a nucleotide-binding protein binds using the biomolecular hybridization devices.

A microarray assembly for detection of a target molecule is disclosed. The microarray assemblies comprise an array chamber having a microarray located therein and features that facilitate liquid movement within the array chamber. Also disclosed are methods for making the microarray assembly using rollable films and methods for detecting microarray spots using an internal control fluorophore in the array spot.

A method includes flowing an incorporation reagent through a reagent management system and a flow cell of an instrument. The flow cell having a first polynucleotide positioned therein. The incorporation reagent adding a first base onto a sequence of bases. The sequence of bases includes a second polynucleotide complementary to the first polynucleotide. An image of an identification signal emanating from the first base is captured after the first base has been added onto the second polynucleotide. A cleavage reagent is flowed through the reagent management system and flow cell to remove a first terminator from the first base in order to enable a subsequent base in the sequence of bases to be added to the second polynucleotide. A buffer reagent is flowed through the reagent management system and flow cell in a plurality of cycles of consecutive forward and reverse flow directions.

Protein arrays and their use to assay, in a parallel fashion, the protein products of highly homologous or related DNA coding sequences and described. By highly homologous or related it is meant those DNA coding sequences which share a common sequence and which differ only by one or more naturally occurring mutations such as single nucleotide polymorphisms, deletions or insertions, or those sequences which are considered to be haplotypes. Such highly homologous or related DNA coding sequences are generally naturally occurring variants of the same gene. Arrays according to the invention have two or more individual proteins deposited in a spatially defined pattern on a surface in a form whereby a property such as an activity or function of the proteins can be investigated or assayed in parallel by interrogation of the array.

Disclosed herein are methods for performing assays, including general functional assays, on a biological cell. The methods can include contacting a biological cell with a test agent for a period of time; lysing the biological cell while the biological cell is disposed within a sequestration pen located within an enclosure of a microfluidic device; and allowing RNA molecules released from the lysed biological cell to be captured by capture oligonucleotides linked to a capture object disposed within the sequestration pen of the microfluidic device. Each capture oligonucleotide can include a priming sequence that binds a primer, and a capture sequence. Each cDNA transcribed from a captured RNA can have an oligonucleotide sequence complementary to the captured RNA molecule, with the complementary oligonucleotide sequence being covalently linked to one of the capture oligonucleotides of the capture object.

The present invention provides microfabricated substrates and methods of conducting reactions within these substrates. The reactions occur in plugs transported in the flow of a carrier-fluid.

Methods and compositions for high-throughput, single cell analyses are provided. The methods and compositions can be used for analysis of genomes and transcriptomes, as well as antibody discovery, HLA typing, haplotyping and drug discovery.

The invention describes a method for the identification of compounds which bind to a target component of a biochemical system or modulate the activity of the target, comprising the steps of: a) compartmentalising the compounds into microcapsules together with the target, such that only a subset of the repertoire is represented in multiple copies in any one microcapsule; and b) identifying the compound which binds to or modulates the activity of the target; wherein at least one step is performed under microfluidic control. The invention enables the screening of large repertoires of molecules which can serve as leads for drug development.

The disclosure pertains to a microfluidic cartridge comprising at least one microchannel and at least a set of functionalized microcarriers, the microcarriers being localized within the microchannel, wherein the functionalized microcarriers are coated with at least a lyoprotectant. The disclosure further pertains to a process of manufacture of a microfluidic cartridge according to the invention, said process comprising: providing a microfluidic cartridge comprising at least one microchannel and at least a set of functionalized microcarriers, preferably in suspension in a buffer solution, the microcarriers being localized within the microchannel; flowing a stabilizing buffer into the at least one microchannel and incubating the functionalized microcarriers with said stabilizing buffer for at least 10 minutes, wherein the stabilizing buffer is a composition comprising a lyoprotectant, preferably wherein the lyoprotectant is chosen from the list consisting of sugars and sugar alcohols and mixtures thereof; and drying the at least one microchannel.