A microfluidic system includes a fluidic platform having a surface, a first liquid disposed onto the fluidic platform, and a droplet disposed onto the first liquid. The first liquid has a first temperature. The droplet has a second temperature higher than the first temperature so that the droplet is levitated above the first liquid by a cushion of vapor of the first liquid. In an embodiment, a device is configured to provide a magnetic field that has variable strength across the surface. A location of a magnetic droplet relative to the surface area is affected by the magnetic field. A method includes providing a fluidic platform, providing a magnetic field, introducing a first liquid onto the fluidic platform, introducing a first magnetic droplet onto the first liquid, and locally varying the magnetic field.

A system and method for automated single cell capture and processing is described, where the system includes a deck supporting and positioning a set of sample processing elements; a gantry for actuating tools for interactions with the set of sample processing elements supported by the deck; and a base supporting various processing subsystems and a control subsystems in communication with the processing subsystems. The system can automatically execute workflows associated with single cell processing, including mRNA capture, cDNA synthesis, protein-associated assays, and library preparation, for next generation sequencing.

A system (100) for loading a sample into and/or manipulating a sample in a sample transfer device (180) at cryogenic temperatures, comprising the sample transfer device (180) being configured to receive a sample through a receiving opening (182) of the sample transfer device (180) and configured to transfer the sample to a processing or analysing unit, and a dry box (110) having an interface opening (112) and being configured to be coupled to the sample transfer device (180) such that the interface opening (112) of the dry box (110) is located opposite the receiving opening (182) of the sample transfer device (180).

Chemical delivery systems, device and methods are provided. A chemical delivery system may include a vessel and a chip. The vessel may include a groove configured to hold a solution. The groove includes an open surface, the open surface having a first surface area. The solution includes a target material. The chip includes a first side, a second side opposing the first side, and a bottom side. The chip includes one or more chambers configured to hold one or more chemicals, the one or more chambers including a bottom surface having a second surface area. The second surface area is greater than the first surface area. When one of the one or more chambers is positioned over the groove, the respective chemical in the chamber moves into the solution in the groove. The system increases the ease, stability, and reliability of a chemical delivery process.

A sealed pharmaceutical container includes a shoulder, a neck extending from the shoulder, and a flange extending from the neck. The flange includes an inclined sealing surface defining an opening in the sealed pharmaceutical container. The sealed pharmaceutical container also includes a sealing assembly including a stopper extending over the sealing surface of the flange and a cap securing the stopper to the flange. The stopper has a glass transition temperature (T.sub.g) that is greater than or equal to −70° C. and less than or equal to −45° C. The sealing assembly maintains a helium leakage rate of the sealed pharmaceutical container of less than or equal to 1.4×10.sup.−6 cm.sup.3/s as the sealed pharmaceutical container is cooled to a temperature of less than or equal to −45° C.

A sample carrier is used in a rotation-based method for reproducing or detecting DNA. The sample carrier has a disc-like main part and a plurality of cavities formed in the main part, in which cavities, a sample fluid at least potentially containing DNA is received. A disc side of the main part forms a heat entry side and the flat side facing away therefrom forms a heat discharge side. The cavity or one of a plurality of cavities, as applicable, is formed by an annular channel having a first and a second channel portion, which are fluidically connected at both longitudinal ends by a connection portion in each case. The first channel portion is arranged offset relative to the second channel portion in the thickness direction of the main part.

Apparatus and methods for measuring the concentrations of organic and inorganic carbon, or of other materials in aqueous samples are described, having a reactor that is resistively heated by passing an electric current through the reactor.

A laboratory storage cabinet, including a cabinet housing, which delimits a storage space inside the cabinet housing from an outer surrounding area of the storage cabinet, wherein the cabinet housing has an air lock, which allows the transport of material between an inner transfer position, situated in the storage space, and an outer transfer position, situated in the outer surrounding area, wherein the storage space contains a storage device for receiving material at defined storage positions, and wherein the storage space contains a material-handling device for transporting material between the inner transfer position and the storage device, wherein, in a wall of the cabinet housing, the air lock has an air-lock opening, which passes through the wall, the air lock having a rotary element, which is mounted rotatably about an axis of rotation in relation to the cabinet housing and has at least one loading formation, which is fitted in the air-lock opening in such a way that the loading formation can be moved between the inner transfer position and the outer transfer position by rotation of the rotary element about the axis of rotation.

A reaction vessel comprises a lower chamber with a first volume, and an upper chamber with a second volume greater than the first volume. A thermocycling system for heating the reaction vessel includes a lower heating zone to heat the lower chamber, an upper heating zone to heat the upper chamber, and a lid heater to heat an opening of the upper chamber. A method comprises loading a sample into a lower chamber of a reaction vessel, thermocycling the lower chamber using a lower heating zone of the thermo cycler, combining an additive into the sample to produce a combination filling the lower chamber and at least partially filling an upper chamber of the reaction vessel, and incubating the upper and lower chambers using the lower heating zone and an upper heating zone. The lower and upper chambers can have different wall thicknesses to facilitate heat transfer.

Digital microfluidic (DMF) apparatuses and methods for optically-induced heating and manipulating droplets are described herein. DMF apparatuses employing photonic heating as described herein provide radical simplification of routing droplets/reagents in complex, multistep protocols and/or highly plexed workflows.