System and method for screening a library of samples

A microfluidic system, comprising:

• a microfluidic device defining a microfluidic channel;
• a droplet generator configured to output a sequential stream of droplets in a sequential order to form a line of single droplets separated by a carrier fluid inside the microfluidic channel;
• a droplet treatment system arranged in fluid connection with the droplet generator to receive the sequential stream of droplets in the sequential order and configured to provide a stream of treated droplets in the sequential order, the droplet treatment system comprising at least a reagent adding section, the reagent adding section comprising a first reagent channel capable of carrying a first reagent and a second reagent channel capable of carrying a second reagent, the first reagent being different from the second reagent;
• a detection system arranged to obtain detection signals from the stream of treated droplets in the sequential order;
• a control system configured to communicate with the droplet generator and the droplet treatment system;
• and
• a data processing system configured to communicate with the control system and the detection system,
• wherein at least one of the data processing system and the control system includes a non-transient memory programmed with instructions that, when executed, causes the control system to control the droplet generator and the droplet treatment system to:
• control the droplet generator to form the line of single droplets and output the line of single droplets as the stream of single droplets in the sequential order,
• control the droplet treatment system to receive the output sequential stream of droplets and to selectively add the first reagent to a selected first droplet in the line of single droplets and add the second reagent to a selected second droplet in the line of single droplets when the selected first and second droplets are within the reagent adding section to provide a stream of treated droplets in the sequential order corresponding to the line of single droplets,
• provide information from the control system to the data processing and storage system that identifies each droplet of the output stream of droplets,
• provide information to the data processing and storage system that identifies the first reagent added to the selected first droplet and the second reagent added to the selected second droplet of the output stream of droplets, and
• receive the detection signals from the detection system and calculate a property of each treated droplet and identify a substance of the first selected droplet and a substance of the second selected droplet and the first reagent added to the first selected droplet and the second reagent added to the second selected droplet based on the sequential order.

A method of analyzing a plurality of samples, comprising:

• generating a sequential stream of droplets using a selectively controllable microfluidic system;
• selectively adding a first reagent from a plurality of reagents to a selected first droplet of the sequential stream of droplets and adding a second reagent from the plurality of reagents, the second reagent being different from the first reagent, to a selected second droplet of the sequential stream of droplets in sequential order using the selectively controllable microfluidic system when the selected first droplet and the selected second droplet are, respectively, within a reagent adding section of the selectively controllable microfluidic system to provide at least a first treated droplet and a second treated droplet in the sequential order;
• measuring at least one property of the first treated droplet and at least one property of the second treated droplet in the sequential order;
• and
• identifying the first droplet and the second droplet based on the sequential order during the measuring and based on an identity of the first reagent added to the first droplet and an identity of the second reagent added to the second droplet.