DEVICE FOR SEQUENTIAL POSITIONING OF PARTICLES

Abstract

The invention relates to a device, which is preferably microfabricated, comprising a positioning device for the sequential positioning of particles, wherein the positioning device has a preferably rigid delimiting structure, wherein the delimiting structure forms a first receptacle (3) for positioning a particle and a second receptacle (4) for positioning a particle, wherein the first receptacle (3) and the second receptacle (4) are arranged in a row, wherein the positioning device comprises a device opening (5) through which fluid can flow into the positioning device, wherein the positioning device comprises a device channel extending from the device opening (5) into the positioning device, wherein the device channel comprises the first receptacle (5) and the second receptacle (5), wherein the device (1) comprises at least one bypass channel (6, 7), wherein the device (1) comprises a branching point (8), wherein the device channel and the bypass channel (6, 7) are branched via the branching point (8) in such a way that a flow particle located in the branching point (8) can flow into the bypass channel (6, 7) or via the device opening (5) into the device channel.

The device channel has a greater hydrodynamic resistance than the bypass channel (6, 7). Alternatively, the device channel has the same hydrodynamic resistance as the bypass channel (6, 7).

Claims

1. Device (1), which is preferably microfabricated, comprising a positioning device for the sequential positioning of particles, wherein the positioning device has a preferably rigid delimiting structure, wherein the delimiting structure forms a first receptacle (3) for positioning a particle and a second receptacle (4) for positioning a particle, wherein the first receptacle (3) and the second receptacle (4) are arranged in a row, wherein the positioning device comprises a device opening (5) through which fluid can flow into the positioning device, wherein the positioning device comprises a device channel extending from the device opening (5) into the positioning device, wherein the device channel comprises the first receptacle (5) and the second receptacle (5), wherein the device (1) comprises at least one bypass channel (6, 7), wherein the device (1) comprises a branching point (8), wherein the device channel and the bypass channel (6, 7) are branched via the branching point (8) in such a way that a flow particle located in the branching point (8) can flow into the bypass channel (6, 7) or via the device opening (5) into the device channel, characterized in that the device channel has a greater hydrodynamic resistance than the bypass channel (6, 7) or that the device channel has the same hydrodynamic resistance as the bypass channel (6, 7).

2. Device (1) according to the preceding claim, wherein the device (1) is designed in such a way that a particle that flows via the branching point (8) into the bypass channel (6, 7) and flows further in the bypass channel (6, 7) along the longitudinal axis of the bypass channel (6, 7) cannot pass into the device channel.

3. Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the bypass channel (6, 7) is shorter than, the same length as or at most twice as long as the device channel.

4. Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the delimiting structure has a first delimiting section (9), wherein the first delimiting section (9) forms a first opening (5) so that a particle can pass through the first opening (5) into the first receptacle (3), and/or the delimiting structure has a second delimiting section (10), wherein the second delimiting section (10) forms a second opening (11) so that a particle can pass through the second opening (11) into the second receptacle (3), wherein the first opening (5) is preferably the device opening (5), wherein the device (1) is preferably designed in such a way that a particle passes from the first receptacle directly into the second receptacle when the particle passes through the second opening (11) into the second receptacle (3).

5. Device (1) according to the preceding claim, wherein the first delimiting section (9) and the second delimiting section (10) form the first receptacle (3), wherein the positioning device has a third delimiting section (12), wherein the second delimiting section (10) and the third delimiting section (12) form the second receptacle (4).

6. Device (1) according to one of claim 4 or 5, wherein the first delimiting section (9) comprises two separate section parts, wherein the section parts define the first opening (5), and/or wherein the second delimiting section (10) comprises two separate section parts, wherein the section parts define the second opening (11).

7. Device (1) according to one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the delimiting sections are spaced apart along an axis, wherein the second delimiting section (10) is arranged between the first delimiting section (9) and the third delimiting section (12).

8. Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the positioning device is mirror-symmetrical to a plane, wherein the plane extends through the first opening (5) and the second opening (11) and preferably does not intersect the section parts of the first delimiting structure (9) and the section parts of the second delimiting structure (10), wherein the plane preferably intersects the third delimiting structure (12).

9. Device (1) according to one of claims 5 to 8, wherein the delimiting structure is designed in such a way that a rigid spherical object, which is preferably located completely in the first receptacle (3), is prevented from moving in the direction of the first opening (5) and from moving in the direction of the second opening (11) when the object has such a large diameter that it can pass neither through the first opening (5) nor through the second opening (11), and contacts the first delimiting section and the second delimiting section, and/or wherein the delimiting structure is designed in such a way that a rigid spherical object, which is preferably located completely in the second receptacle (4), is prevented from moving in the direction of the second opening (11) and from moving in the opposite direction when the object has such a large diameter that it can pass neither through the first opening (3) nor through the second opening (11), and contacts the second delimiting section and the third delimiting section.

10. Device (1) according to one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the device (1) comprises a first particle (200) and a second particle (201), wherein the first particle (200) is positioned in the first receptacle (3), wherein the second particle (201) is positioned in the second receptacle (4), wherein the particles preferably touch, wherein the first and second particles preferably comprise a hydrogel, wherein preferably, the first particle includes one or more types of binding molecules, such as antibodies or aptamers, and the second particle includes one or more biological cells, viruses or cellular components.

11. System (100) comprising a first device (1) according to one of the preceding claims and a second device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the first device (1) and the second device (1) are connected via a connecting channel in such a way that a particle that flows at the branching point (8) of the first device into the bypass channel (6, 7) can pass via the connecting channel (101) into the branching point (8) of the second device (1).

12. System (100) according to the preceding claim, wherein the connecting channel (101) comprises an inlet section (102), wherein the inlet section (102) is connected to the branching point (8) of the second device (1).

13. System (100) according to one of the preceding system claims, wherein the connecting channel (101) comprises a preferably serpentiform extension section.

14. Method for the sequential positioning of particles in a device (1) according to one of claims 1 to 10, the method comprising the following steps: moving a first particle into the first receptacle (3) so that the first particle is positioned in the first receptacle (3), wherein the first particle passes through the first opening (5); moving the first particle into the second receptacle (10) so that the first particle is positioned in the second receptacle (4), wherein the first particle passes through the second opening (11); moving a second particle into the first receptacle (3) so that the second particle is positioned in the first receptacle (3), wherein the second particle passes through the first opening (5).

15. Method according to the preceding claim, the method furthermore comprising the following step: moving the second particle through the first opening (5) so that the second particle leaves the first receptacle (3).

16. Method according to the preceding claim, the method furthermore comprising the following steps: moving the first particle into the first receptacle (3) so that the first particle is positioned in the first receptacle (3), wherein the first particle passes through the second opening (11); moving the first particle through the first opening (5) so that the first particle leaves the first receptacle (3).

17. Method according to one of the preceding method claims, wherein the movement of the first or the second particle into the first receptacle (3), wherein the first or the second particle passes through the first opening (5), takes place by increasing the momentum of the particle when the particle is at the branching point (8), wherein the momentum is increased in such a way that the momentum reaches a threshold value, wherein the particle flows into the bypass channel (6, 7) when the threshold value is not reached.

18. Method according to one of the preceding method claims, wherein the first particle is elastic and is larger than the first opening (5) and than the second opening (11) and/or the second particle is elastic and is larger than the first opening and than the second opening.

19. Method according to one of the preceding method claims, wherein the movement of a particle is caused by the flow of a fluid in which the particle is located, wherein the particle velocity is adjusted by adjusting the flow rate so that the particle is given a momentum in order to pass through the relevant opening, wherein the flow rate is preferably the only manipulated variable.

20. Method for the sequential positioning of particles in a system (100) according to one of the previous system claims, the method comprising the following steps: moving a first particle into the first receptacle (3) of the first device so that the first particle is positioned in the first receptacle (3), wherein the first particle passes through the first opening (5) of the first device; moving a second particle into the first receptacle (3) of the second device so that the second particle is positioned in the first receptacle (3), wherein the second particle passes through the first opening (5) of the second device.

21. Method according to the preceding claim, the method furthermore comprising the following steps: moving the first particle into the second receptacle (4) of the first device so that the first particle is positioned in the second receptacle (4), wherein the first particle passes through the second opening (11); moving the second particle into the second receptacle (4) of the second device so that the second particle is positioned in the second receptacle (4), wherein the second particle passes through the second opening (11).

22. Method according to one of the two preceding claims, the method furthermore comprising the following steps: rinsing the positioning device of the first device and the positioning device of the second device with a fluid that contains a bead population of a first type.

23. Method according to one of the two preceding claims, the method furthermore comprising the following steps: moving a third particle into the first receptacle (3) of the first device so that the third particle is positioned in the first receptacle (3), wherein the third particle passes through the first opening (5) of the first device; moving a fourth particle into the first receptacle (3) of the second device so that the fourth particle is positioned in the first receptacle (3), wherein the fourth particle passes through the first opening (5) of the second device; rinsing the positioning device of the first device and the positioning device of the second device with a fluid that contains a bead population of a second type.

24. Use of the device according to one of the preceding claims 1 to 10 for carrying out the method according to one of claims 14 to 19 or use of the system according to one of the system claims for carrying out the method according to one of claims 20 to 23.

Description

[0046] Exemplary embodiments are described with reference to the figures below. Shown are:

[0047] FIG. 1 an embodiment of a device according to the invention,

[0048] FIG. 2 an embodiment of a system according to the invention,

[0049] FIG. 3 a possible sequence for the positioning of particles.

[0050] FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a device 1 according to the invention with a positioning device 2 for the sequential positioning of particles. The positioning device 2 has a rigid delimiting structure. The delimiting structure forms a first receptacle 3 for positioning a particle and a second receptacle 4 for positioning a particle. The first receptacle 3 and the second receptacle 4 are arranged in a row. The positioning device comprises a device opening 5 through which fluid can flow into the positioning device 2. The positioning device 2 comprises a device channel extending from the device opening 5 into the positioning device 2, the device channel comprising the first receptacle 3 and the second receptacle 4. The device 1 comprises a first bypass channel 6 and a second bypass channel 7. The device comprises a branching point 8, wherein the device channel, the first bypass channel 6 and the second bypass channel 7 are branched via the branching point 8 in such a way that a flow particle that is located in the branching point 8 can flow into the first bypass channel 6, into the second bypass channel 7 or via the device opening 5 into the device channel. The device channel has a greater hydrodynamic resistance than the first bypass channel 6 and than the second bypass channel 7.

[0051] The delimiting structure comprises a first delimiting section 9, wherein the first delimiting section forms a first opening 5 so that a particle can pass through the first opening 5 into the first receptacle 3. Additionally, the delimiting structure comprises a second delimiting section 10, wherein the second delimiting section 10 forms a second opening 11 so that a particle can pass through the second opening 11 into the second receptacle 4. In the present case, the first opening 5 is identical to the device opening 5.

[0052] The first delimiting section 9 and the second delimiting section 10 form the first receptacle 3, wherein the positioning device has a third delimiting section 12. The second delimiting section 10 and the third delimiting section 12 form the second receptacle 4.

[0053] The first delimiting section 9 comprises two separate section parts, wherein the section parts define the first opening 5. Additionally, the second delimiting section 10 comprises two separate section parts, wherein the section parts define the second opening 11. The third delimiting section 12 is in one piece.

[0054] FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of a system 100 according to the invention comprising a first device 1 according to the invention and a second device 1 according to the invention. In this case, the first device 1 and the second device 1 are connected via a connecting channel 101 in such a way that a particle that flows at the branching point 8 of the first device into one of the two bypass channels 6 or 7 can pass via the connecting channel into the branching point 8 of the second device 1.

[0055] The connecting channel 101 has an inlet section 102, wherein the inlet section 102 is connected to the branching point 8 of the second device 1. The straight inlet section 102 and the device channel of the second device are coaxial. The connecting channel 101 has a serpentiform extension section.

[0056] FIG. 3 shows a possible sequence for the positioning of particles in a device according to the invention. The left partial figure shows the device with a first particle 200 positioned in the first receptacle 3. The particle 200 is elastic and is spherical in the non-deformed state. It is larger than the first opening 5. By means of the flow, the particle 200 was given a sufficiently large momentum so that it could pass through the first opening 5. The middle partial figure shows the first particle 200 in the second receptacle 4. In this case, the momentum of the particle 200 was increased by means of the flow so that it could pass through the second opening 11. The right partial figure shows a second particle 201 positioned in the first receptacle 3. The second particle 201 is elastic and is spherical in the non-deformed state. It is larger than the first opening 5. By means of the flow, the momentum of the second particle 201 was increased so that it could pass through the first opening 5.