Well array device, system and methods of use thereof
AssigneeHidaca Limited
InventorsJie Chen, Lukas Menze, Pedro A. Duarte
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Abstract
The microfluidic chip and the microfluidic system of the present invention provides a unique integration of a microfluidic chip and a label-free quantification process. The microfluidic chip uses well arrays and dielectrophoresis (DEP) to capture a polarizable agent in a well. Once the polarizable agents have been captured, non-faradaic electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (nF-EIS) measurements can be performed to quantify the polarizable agent.
Claims18
A microfluidic chip for selecting and detecting a polarizable agent in a sample containing a mixture of such agents, comprising:
- a substrate,
- at least three individually addressable electrodes on the substrate with a gap between adjacent electrodes, forming a plurality of gaps,
- a well array on the substrate having a plurality of wells positioned on the plurality of gaps, each well located on a single gap,
- a top layer on the well array, and
- a microfluidic channel, between the top layer and the well array,
- wherein the microfluidic chip comprises at least 2 sectors,
- the at least three individually addressable electrodes include two electrodes in each sector, with different sectors optionally sharing one of the two electrodes, and
- each sector comprises different multiple wells of the plurality of wells.
A microfluidic system for analyzing a liquid sample containing a mixture of polarizable agents, comprising:
- (a) a microfluidic chip, including:
- (i) a substrate,
- (ii) at least three individually addressable electrodes on the substrate with a gap between adjacent electrodes, forming a plurality of gaps,
- (iii) a well array on the substrate having a plurality of wells positioned on the plurality of gaps, each well located on a single gap,
- (iv) a top layer on the well array,
- (v) a microfluidic channel, between the top layer and the well array,
- (vi) an input lumen and (vii) an output lumen fluidly connected to the microfluidic channel,
- wherein the microfluidic chip comprises 2 to 20 sectors, each sector comprising different multiple wells of the plurality of the wells, and
- the at least three individually addressable electrodes include two electrodes in each sector, with different sectors optionally sharing one of the two electrodes,
- (b) an input fluid tube, fluidly connected to the input lumen of the microfluidic chip,
- (c) an output fluid tube, fluidly connected to the output lumen of the microfluidic chip,
- (d) a controller, and
- (e) connectors, electrically connecting the at least three individually addressable electrodes of the microfluidic chip to the controller,
- wherein the controller is configured to, with the two electrodes in each sector:
- (i) generate a different dielectrophoresis (DEP) force in each sector, and
- (ii) measure an impedance in each sector.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.