The invention relates to a piezoelectric micropipette, which comprises a capillary tube forming the pipette, and an expansion chamber connected to the capillary tube, the expansion chamber having a flexible element and being connected to a piezoelectric actuator. According to the invention the flexible element of the micropipette is arranged in the expansion chamber, and the flexible element is connected to a rigid displacing element, and a piezoelectric actuator is connected to the rigid displacing element.

Beads with functionalized material applied to them are exposed to an acoustic field to trap, retain or pass the beads. The beads may include or be free of ferro magnetic material. The beads may be biocompatible or biodegradable for a host. The size of the beads may vary over a range, and/or be heterogenous or homogenous. The composition of the beads may include high, neutral or low acoustic contrast material. The chemistry of the functionalized material may be compatible with existing processes. The acoustic field may be generated, for example, in an acoustic angled wave device or in an acoustic fluidized bed.

A method of encapsulating a solid sample in a droplet, the method including flowing a continuous phase through a first fluid channel at a first flow rate; flowing a dispersed phase through a second fluid channel at a second flow rate, the dispersed phase including a plurality of particles, cells or beads; trapping the plurality of particles, cells or beads in a mixing region that receives the dispersed phase and the continuous phase; and reducing the first flow rate to encapsulate the trapped particles, cells or beads in droplets of the dispersed phase generated when the dispersed phase and the continuous phase exit the mixing region through an orifice.

This relates to acoustic microfluidic systems that can generate emulsions/droplets or encapsulate particles of interest (including mammalian cells, bacteria cells, or other cells) into droplets upon detection of the particles of interest flowing in a stream of particles. The systems operate on the detect/decide/deflect principle wherein the deflection step, in a single operation, not only deflects particles of interest from a stream of particles but also encapsulates the particles of interest in an emulsion droplet. The microfluidic systems have an abrupt transition in the channel geometry from a shorter channel to a taller channel (i.e., in the shape of a ‘step’) to break the stream of the dispersed phase into a droplet upon acoustic actuation. When there is no acoustic wave present, no droplets/emulsions are generated and the stream of particles proceeds uninterrupted. The rapid actuation and post-actuation recovery employed by the microfluidic systems taught herein ensure that the vast majority of selected particles are properly deflected, that few or no empty droplets are produced, and that total throughput remains high.

Disclosed are a microfluidic system and method for isolating target cells or vesicles in a fluid. The system of the present invention comprises a fluid passageway having an inlet and an outlet; one or more ultra-high frequency acoustic resonator capable of generating bulk acoustic waves in the fluid passageway at a frequency of about 0.5-50 GHz; a power regulator which adjusts the power of the bulk acoustic waves generated by the ultra-high frequency resonator; and a flow rate regulating device that regulates the velocity of the solution flowing through the bulk acoustic wave region. Adjusting the power of the generated bulk acoustic waves by means of the power regulator and/or adjusting the velocity of the solution flowing through the bulk acoustic wave region by means of the flow rate regulating device allow cells or vesicles to stay in a bulk acoustic wave-affected region. The system and method of the present invention can capture and release cells or vesicles in a solution, and further process and analyze the obtained cells or vesicles.

A method is provided to measure viscosity of an analyte using a microfluidic piezoelectric sensor including a channel on an active area of a piezoelectric resonator substrate. The microfluidic piezoelectric sensor is driven so that the active area of the piezoelectric resonator substrate generates shear motion in a direction of shear motion displacement that is parallel with respect to a first surface of the piezoelectric resonator substrate. A high shear-rate viscosity of the analyte is determined based on a shift in resonance of the microfluidic piezoelectric sensor while driving the microfluidic piezoelectric sensor with the analyte in the channel. A low shear-rate viscosity of the analyte is determined by detecting flow of the analyte through the channel based on tracking shifts in resonance of the microfluidic piezoelectric sensor. Related sensors are also discussed.

A microfluidic valve may include a first portion of a liquid conduit to contain a gas, a second portion of a liquid conduit to contain a liquid, and a constriction between the first portion and the second portion and across which a capillary meniscus is to form between the gas and the liquid. The microfluidic valve may further include a drop jetting device within the second portion to open the valve by breaking the capillary meniscus across the constriction.

Cell-separation systems and methods utilizing cell-specific microbubble tags and ultrasound-based separation are described. The methods are useful for simplification of time-consuming and costly cell purification procedures and real time apoptosis detection.

The invention provides devices for generating pre-templated instant partitions. The devices may include a shearing mechanism, such as a vortexer, a holder for holding a vessel containing a liquid onto the vortexer, and a temperature control unit for modulating a temperature of the vessel by convection. The invention also provides methods of using such devices to process analyte inside the pre-templated instant partitions.

Systems and methods taught herein enable simultaneous forward and side detection of light originating within a microfluidic channel disposed in a substrate. At least a portion of the microfluidic channel is located in the substrate relative to a first side surface of the substrate to enable simultaneous detection paths with respect to extinction (i.e., 0°) and side detection (i.e., 90°). The location of the microfluidic channel as taught herein enables a maximal half-angle for a ray of light passing from a center of the portion of the microfluidic channel through the first side surface to be in a range from 25 to 90 degrees in some embodiments. By placing at least the portion of the microfluidic channel proximate to the side surface of the substrate, a significantly greater proportion of light emitted or scattered from a particle within the microfluidic channel can be collected and imaged on a detector as compared to conventional particle processing chips.