# US 11,998,913 B2 · Apparatus and method for sorting microfluidic particles

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- Number: US 11,998,913 B2
- Document ID: US11998913B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 18/120,537
- Filed: 2023-03-13
- Published: 2023-07-06
- Granted: 2024-06-04
- Earliest claimed: 2017-04-19
- Assignees: Cellular Highways Ltd.
- Applicants: Cellular Highways Ltd.
- Inventors: Mikhail Bashtanov; Richard Gold; Calum Hayes; Fred Hussain; Robyn Pritchard; Salman Samson Rogers; Nuno Varelas; Alexander Zhukov
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11998913B2

## CPC

- B01L 3/502753: {characterised by bulk separation arrangements on lab-on-a-chip devices, e.g. for filtration or centrifugation}
- B01L 3/502715: {characterised by interfacing components, e.g. fluidic, electrical, optical or mechanical interfaces}
- B01L 3/50273: {characterised by the means or forces applied to move the fluids}
- B01L 3/502738: {characterised by integrated valves (throttle valves in microfluidic sample containers B01L3/502746)}
- B01L 3/502746: {characterised by the means for controlling flow resistance, e.g. flow controllers, baffles or throttle valves}
- B01L 3/502761: {specially adapted for handling suspended solids or molecules independently from the bulk fluid flow, e.g. for trapping or sorting beads or physically stretching molecules}
- B01L 3/502776: {specially adapted for focusing or laminating flows}
- G01N 15/1434: Optical arrangements
- B01L 2200/0626: using levitated droplets
- B01L 2200/0631: Purification arrangements, e.g. solid phase extraction [SPE]
- B01L 2200/0636: Focussing flows, e.g. to laminate flows
- B01L 2200/0652: Sorting or classification of particles or molecules
- B01L 2200/0668: Trapping microscopic beads
- B01L 2200/0673: Handling of plugs of fluid surrounded by immiscible fluid
- B01L 2200/0678: Facilitating or initiating evaporation
- B01L 2300/023: Sending and receiving of information, e.g. using Bluetooth®
- B01L 2300/06: Auxiliary integrated devices, integrated components
- B01L 2300/0645: Electrodes
- B01L 2300/0654: Lenses; Optical fibres
- B01L 2300/0816: Cards, e.g. flat sample carriers usually with flow in two horizontal directions
- B01L 2300/0864: comprising only one inlet and multiple receiving wells, e.g. for separation, splitting
- B01L 2300/0883: Serpentine channels
- B01L 2300/089: Virtual walls for guiding liquids
- B01L 2300/16: Surface properties and coatings
- B01L 2300/1805: Conductive heating, heat from thermostatted solids is conducted to receptacles, e.g. heating plates, blocks
- B01L 2400/04: Moving fluids with specific forces or mechanical means
- B01L 2400/0442: thermal energy, e.g. vaporisation, bubble jet
- B01L 2400/0463: Hydrodynamic forces, venturi nozzles
- B01L 2400/0487: fluid pressure, pneumatics
- B01L 2400/06: Valves, specific forms thereof
- B01L 2400/0622: distribution valves, valves having multiple inlets and/or outlets, e.g. metering valves, multi-way valves
- B01L 2400/086: using baffles or other fixed flow obstructions
- G01N 15/149: specially adapted for sorting particles, e.g. by their size or optical properties
- G01N 2015/1028: {Sorting particles}
- G01N 2015/1413: {Hydrodynamic focussing}
- B01L: CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL LABORATORY APPARATUS FOR GENERAL USE
- G01N: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (measuring or testing apparatus or processes other than immunoassay, involving enzymes or microorganisms C12M, C12Q)

## Abstract

A single junction sorter for a microfluidic particle sorter, the single-junction sorter comprising: an input channel, configured to receive a fluid containing particles; an output sort channel and an output waste channel, each connected to the input channel for receiving the fluid therefrom; a bubble generator, operable to selectively displace the fluid around a particle to be sorted and thereby to create a transient flow of the fluid in the input channel; and a vortex element, configured to cause a vortex in the transient flow in order to direct the particle to be sorted into the output sort channel.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for sorting particles in a particle sorter, the method comprising:
receiving, at an input channel, an input particle suspension comprising a fluid and a plurality of particles;
aligning the plurality of particles in a plurality of streamlines of the fluid;
evaluating the plurality of particles at a predetermined location and assigning, each of the plurality of particles, to one of a plurality of sort designations or a reject designation;
responsive to assigning a particle to a sort designation of the plurality of sort designations, causing a creation of a transient flow in the fluid,
wherein the transient flow is created at a position downstream of the predetermined location;
responsive to causing the creation of the transient flow, causing formation of a sorting vortex in the fluid; and
directing particles having the sort designation, via the sorting vortex, to an output channel of a plurality of output channels based on the assigned sort designation.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of output channels comprises a first sort channel, a second sort channel, and a central reject channel located between the first sort channel and the second sort channel.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, wherein the central reject channel is fluidly connected to a reject manifold configured to receive the plurality of particles having the reject designation.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of output channels comprises a first pair of sort channels, a second pair of sort channels, and a central reject channel located between the first pair of sort channels and the second pair of sort channels.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein aligning the plurality of particles is performed using an inertial focuser comprising a plurality of circular arcs of alternating direction.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5, wherein each circular arc from the plurality of circular arcs has an approximate radius of 210 μm and an approximate arc angle of 90°.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of particles in the plurality of streamlines is aligned via at least one of inertial focusing, hydrodynamic focusing, acoustic focusing, or dielectrophoretic focusing.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein causing formation of the sorting vortex comprises repeatedly applying an actuation pulse at a predetermined time delay that is determined based on the position of the particle.