Apparatus and method for isolating single particles from a particle suspension

A particle isolation apparatus, configured for isolating particles from a suspension sample, comprising:

• a droplet dispenser device having at least one droplet dispenser and a dispenser control device, said at least one droplet dispenser having an upper droplet dispenser junction and a droplet dispenser tip, said droplet dispenser device being configured for collecting the suspension sample from a carrier substrate through the droplet dispenser tip into the at least one droplet dispenser by an effect of a negative pressure and for dispensing droplets through the droplet dispenser tip out of the at least one droplet dispenser by an effect of a positive pressure onto a target substrate;
• a mechanical pump device being arranged to be coupled with the at least one droplet dispenser via the upper droplet dispenser junction thereof, wherein the mechanical pump device is capable of applying the positive pressure or the negative pressure to the at least one droplet dispenser;
• and
• a syphon pump device comprising a system liquid reservoir being arranged at a level lower than the carrier substrate and being arranged to be coupled via a continuous liquid connection with the at least one droplet dispenser via the upper droplet dispenser junction thereof,
• wherein:
• said dispenser control device is arranged for controlling operation of the at least one droplet dispenser and the mechanical pump device and for controlling coupling of the mechanical pump device and the syphon pump device with the at least one droplet dispenser, for executing the following steps:
• loading a dilution liquid with the mechanical pump device to the at least one droplet dispenser;
• loading the suspension sample to the at least one droplet dispenser, so that the suspension sample is diluted in the dilution liquid, including a first aspiration phase of aspirating a first portion of the suspension sample into the at least one droplet dispenser by action of the mechanical pump device and a second aspiration phase of aspirating a second portion of the suspension sample into the at least one droplet dispenser by action of the syphon pump device;
• and
• dispensing droplets with the mechanical pump device out of the at least one droplet dispenser onto the target substrate, wherein the droplets include less than one particle per droplet in a temporal average.