Systems and methods for particle focusing in microchannels
AssigneeThe General Hospital Corporation
InventorsMehmet Toner, Dino DiCarlo, Jon F. Edd, Daniel Irimia
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Abstract
Various systems, methods, and devices are provided for focusing particles suspended within a moving fluid into one or more localized stream lines. The system can include a substrate and at least one channel provided on the substrate having an inlet and an outlet. The system can further include a fluid moving along the channel in a laminar flow having suspended particles and a pumping element driving the laminar flow of the fluid. The fluid, the channel, and the pumping element can be configured to cause inertial forces to act on the particles and to focus the particles into one or more stream lines.
Claims25
1-196. (canceled)
A system for focusing particles suspended within a fluid, the system comprising:
- a substrate;
- and
- at least one channel provided on the substrate, the at least one channel having an inlet, an outlet, and a plurality of sides defining an aspect ratio and a channel hydraulic diameter (Dh),
- wherein the at least one channel is dimensioned and configured to allow a fluid having a kinematic viscosity (v) that includes suspended particles, each having a particle diameter (a), to flow therethrough such that when the fluid is flowed therethrough at a maximum channel velocity (Um) resulting in laminar fluid flow and a particle Reynolds Number (Rp) of greater than or equal to 0.2, wherein the particle Reynolds number is defined as
- R
- p
- =
- U
- m
-
- a
- 2
- vD
- h
-
- ,
- one or more localized stream lines are formed in the fluid.
A system for focusing particles suspended within a fluid, the system comprising:
- a substrate;
- and
- at least one channel provided on the substrate, wherein the at least one channel spans a length from an inlet to an outlet and has a channel hydraulic diameter (Dh), and comprises a plurality of curves, and
- wherein the at least one channel is dimensioned and configured to allow a fluid having a kinematic viscosity (v) that includes suspended particles, each having a particle hydraulic diameter (a), to flow therethrough such that when the fluid is flowed therethrough at a maximum channel velocity (Um) resulting in laminar fluid flow and a particle Reynolds Number (Rp) of greater than or equal to 0.2, wherein the particle Reynolds number is defined as
- R
- p
- =
- U
- m
-
- a
- 2
- vD
- h
-
- ,
- the particles suspended in the fluid are focused to flow along one or more localized stream lines that form in the fluid at the outlet of the at least one channel.
A system for focusing particles suspended within a fluid, the system comprising:
- a substrate;
- and
- at least one channel provided on the substrate, the at least one channel having an inlet, an outlet, and a plurality of sides defining an aspect ratio and a channel hydraulic diameter (Dh),
- wherein the at least one channel is dimensioned and configured to allow a fluid having a kinematic viscosity (v) that includes suspended particles, each having a particle diameter (a), to flow therethrough such that, when the fluid is flowed therethrough at a maximum channel velocity (Um) resulting in laminar fluid flow and a channel Reynolds number (Rc) greater than or equal to about 1 and less than or equal to about 250, wherein the channel Reynolds number is defined as
- R
- c
- =
- U
- m
-
- D
- h
- v
- ,
- inertial forces act on the particles and focus the particles into one or more localized stream lines within the fluid in the at least one channel.
A method of focusing particles suspended in a fluid, the method comprising:
- adding tags to the particles suspended in a fluid to change a size of the particles;
- and
- flowing the tagged particles through a system comprising:
- a substrate;
- and
- at least one channel provided on the substrate, the at least one channel having an inlet, an outlet, and a plurality of sides defining an aspect ratio and a channel hydraulic diameter (Dh),
- wherein the at least one channel is dimensioned and configured to allow a fluid having a kinematic viscosity (v) that includes suspended particles, each having a particle diameter (a), to flow therethrough such that, when the fluid is flowed therethrough at a maximum channel velocity (Um) resulting in laminar fluid flow and a particle Reynolds Number (Rp) of greater than or equal to 0.2, wherein the particle Reynolds number is defined as
- R
- p
- =
- U
- m
-
- a
- 2
- vD
- h
-
- ,
- the tagged particles suspended in the fluid are focused to flow along one or more localized stream lines that form in the fluid of the at least one channel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.