Apparatus and method for dispensing cells or particles confined in a free flying droplet
AssigneeAlbert-Ludwigs-Universitaet Freiburg
InventorsPeter Koltay, Azmi Yusof
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus for dispensing one or more cells or particles confined in a free flying droplet has a droplet generating device configured to eject out of an orifice a free flying droplet of a suspension of cells or particles. The droplet generating device has a branch-less one-way channel having the orifice at one end thereof. A device for detecting information on cells or particles located in an observation volume of the suspension within the branch-less one-way channel is provided. An ejected droplet is directed to a first position or a second position depending on the detected information.
Claims21
An apparatus for dispensing one or more cells or particles confined in a free flying droplet, comprising:
- a piezo driven on-demand droplet generating device configured to eject out of an orifice a free flying droplet of a suspension of cells or particles, said droplet generating device comprising a branch-less one-way channel comprising the orifice opening at one end thereof;
- a device for detecting information on cells or particles located in an observation volume of the suspension within the branch-less one-way channel;
- and
- director for directing an ejected droplet to a first position or a second position depending on the detected information.
A method for dispensing one or more cells or particles confined in a free flying droplet, comprising:
- filling a piezo driven on-demand droplet generating device with a suspension comprising cells or particles, the droplet generating device comprising a branch-less one-way channel comprising an orifice at one end thereof;
- detecting information on cells or particles located in an observation volume of the suspension within the branch-less one-way channel;
- and
- ejecting a droplet out of the orifice to a first or second position depending on the detected information.
A program product comprising program code executable on a computing device, wherein the program code is effective to derive the information on the cells or particles from an output of a sensor device and to control an apparatus for dispensing one or more cells or particles confined in a free flying droplet, to direct an ejected droplet to the first position or the second position depending on the detected information, the apparatus comprising:
- a piezo driven on-demand droplet generating device configured to eject out of an orifice a free flying droplet of a suspension of cells or particles, said droplet generating device comprising a branch-less one-way channel comprising the orifice opening at one end thereof;
- a device for detecting information on cells or particles located in an observation volume of the suspension within the branch-less one-way channel;
- and
- director for directing an ejected droplet to a first position or a second position depending on the detected information.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.