A microchip is provided, which includes a substrate including a fluid channel structure. The fluid channel structure includes a first fluid introduction channel and a second fluid introduction channel configured to meet so as to allow merging of a first fluid introduced from the first fluid introduction channel and a second fluid introduced from the second fluid introduction channel. A tapered portion is configured to be positioned after merging the first fluid and the second fluid so as to suppress a spiral flow field generated after the merging.

A system and/or method for determining an immune activation state of a subject can include: deforming leukocytes within a microfluidic channel, acquiring a plurality of images of the leukocytes, determining biophysical parameters of the leukocyte, adjusting the biophysical parameters, and determining the immune activation state of the subject based on the biophysical parameters.

There is provided a microchip comprising: a main flow path through which a liquid containing microparticles flows; and a branch flow path that branches from the main flow path. A cross-sectional area of a portion of the main flow path is substantially constant up to a branch start position or decreases toward the branch start position, and a radius of curvature R of a side wall that connects a side wall of the main flow path and a side wall of the branch flow path is 0.5 mm or less and more than 0 mm.

The present disclosure provides a method of separating cellular particles from a tissue sample and then sorting the cellular particles into two or more cellular particle populations.

A microchip is provided, which includes a substrate including a fluid channel structure. The fluid channel structure includes a first fluid introduction channel and a second fluid introduction channel configured to meet so as to allow merging of a first fluid introduced from the first fluid introduction channel and a second fluid introduced from the second fluid introduction channel. A tapered portion is configured to be positioned after merging the first fluid and the second fluid so as to suppress a spiral flow field generated after the merging.

Various aspects of the present invention relate to the control and manipulation of fluidic species, for example, in microfluidic systems. In one set of embodiments, droplets may be sorted using surface acoustic waves. The droplets may contain cells or other species. In some cases, the surface acoustic waves may be created using a surface acoustic wave generator such as an interdigitated transducer, and/or a material such as a piezoelectric substrate. The piezoelectric substrate may be isolated from the microfluidic substrate except at or proximate the location where the droplets are sorted, e.g., into first or second microfluidic channels. At such locations, the microfluidic substrate may be coupled to the piezoelectric substrate (or other material) by one or more coupling regions. In some cases, relatively high sorting rates may be achieved, e.g., at rates of at least about 1,000 Hz, at least about 10,000 Hz, or at least about 100,000 Hz, and in some embodiments, with high cell viability after sorting.

Microfluidic channels networks and systems are provided. One network includes a first fluid channel having a first depth dimension; at least a second channel intersecting the first channel at a first intersection; at least a third channel in fluid communication with the first intersection, at least one of the first intersection and the third channel having a depth dimension that is greater than the first depth dimension. Also provided is a flow control system for directing fluids in the network. Systems are additionally provided for flowing disrupted particles into a droplet formation junction, whereby a portion of the disrupted particles or the contents thereof are encapsulated into one or more droplets. Further provided is a method for controlling filling of a microfluidic network by controlling passive valving microfluidic channel network features.

An example of an apparatus includes a focusing region to focus a sheath fluid and a particle flow. The apparatus also includes a particle inlet to inject the particle flow into the focusing region. In addition, the apparatus includes a sheath inlet to inject the sheath fluid into the focusing region. Also, the apparatus includes a cut-out disposed on a wall of the sheath inlet to distribute the sheath fluid about the particle flow to focus the particle flow into a linear stream. The apparatus further includes a separation region to apply a force to the particle flow. The force is dependent on a characteristic of a particle in the particle flow.

A flow apparatus for detecting a component on a surface is provided. The flow apparatus, comprising an inlet for receiving a solution of the components to be detected; a detection chamber in fluid connection with and downstream from the inlet, and in fluid connection with a downstream outlet, wherein the internal surface of the detection chamber comprises a plurality of detection zones and the detection zones are configured to adhere to the component to be detected such that the component is immobilised in the detection zones; a detector for detecting components immobilised on each of the detection zones; and a director for directing the flow of the solution of the components to each of the detection zones in sequence, wherein the director is provided by flow rates.

A microchip is provided that includes a flow path through which a liquid containing a micro particle flows, an orifice through which the liquid flowing through the flow path is discharged into a space outside the microchip, and a light-irradiated portion provided at a predetermined location of the flow path and configured to be irradiated with light. A width of the flow path and a depth of the flow path at the orifice are set to be smaller than a width of the flow path and a depth of the flow path at the light-irradiated portion, and the flow path is configured to gradually decrease from upstream of the orifice in a cross-section area perpendicular to a liquid-delivering direction between the light-irradiated portion and the orifice. A cartridge including the microchip is also provided.