In vitro diagnostic device with integrated plasma separator
AssigneeFenwal, Inc.
InventorJames Madsen
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A lab-on-a-chip cartridge includes a housing defining four separate chambers. A fluid (such as whole blood) flows through one of the chambers and into another one of the chambers, which includes a filter membrane. The filter membrane is rotated to separate a first fluid component (such as plasma) from a second fluid component (such as red blood cells), with the first fluid component passing through the filter membrane and the second fluid component not passing through the filter membrane. The separated first and second fluid components each flow into a different one of the remaining chambers, with the first fluid component contacting a lab-on-a-chip device for analyzing the first fluid component.
Claims20
A lab-on-a-chip cartridge comprising:
- a) a housing comprising a plurality of side wall members defining first, second, third and fourth separate chambers on the interior of the cartridge;
- b) each of the first, second and third chambers having a pump interface associated therewith;
- c) at least the first chamber having a port through which a fluid may be introduced into the first chamber;
- d) a filter membrane rotatably mounted in the fourth chamber so as to define a gap between an outer surface of the filter membrane and an inner surface of the side wall member defining the fourth chamber;
- e) a first passageway extending between the first chamber and the gap in the fourth chamber;
- f) a first flow path extending between the fourth chamber and the second chamber to permit fluid flow between an inner surface of the filter membrane and the second chamber, with a lab-on-a-chip device comprising an integrated circuit positioned within the first flow path and configured to contact fluid flowing into the second chamber;
- g) a second flow path extending between the fourth chamber and the third chamber to permit fluid flow between the gap in the fourth chamber and the third chamber;
- and
- h) an interface in an exterior surface of the fourth chamber configured to couple a drive device with the filter membrane for rotating the filter membrane.
A method of extracting plasma from whole blood and analyzing it with a lab-on-a-chip cartridge comprising:
- a. withdrawing whole blood from a blood source and introducing the whole blood into a first chamber of the lab-on-a-chip cartridge through an injection port;
- b. pumping the whole blood into a separation chamber of the lab-on-a-chip cartridge with a filter membrane;
- c. rotating the filter membrane and filtering the whole blood so that plasma passes through the filter membrane and flows out of the separation chamber and into a plasma flow path of the lab-on-a-chip cartridge where the plasma contacts a lab-on-a-chip device of the lab-on-a-chip cartridge, and red blood cells flow out of the separation chamber and into a red blood cell fluid flow path of the lab-on-a-chip cartridge;
- and
- d. analyzing the plasma with the lab-on-a-chip device, wherein the lab-on-a-chip device comprises an integrated circuit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.