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US 2022/0291097 A1Published application
Methods and Compositions for Sample Filtration
AssigneeDropworks, Inc.
InventorsKristopher Holub, Matthew Ryan Dunn, Andrew Carl Larsen
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Methods and compositions for creating a de novo filtration structure for filtering, e.g., chemical, biological, or other samples prior to further manipulation of the samples are disclosed.
Claims23
A method for providing a first filter element comprising
- (i) providing a first suspension of a plurality of first microparticles in a first liquid, wherein the first microparticles have a first hydrodynamic diameter of between 1 um and 1000 um;
- (ii) applying the first suspension to at least one non-circular opening with a short dimension and a long dimension, wherein the short dimension is less than the hydrodynamic diameter of the first microparticles, and the long dimension is at least 2× the hydrodynamic diameter of the first particles, so that the first microparticles accumulate and form a first filter element comprising the first microparticles at the opening.
An apparatus comprising:
- (i) a plurality sample containers each of which comprises microparticles and a liquid in which the microparticles are suspended, wherein the microparticles have a hydrodynamic diameter of between 1 and 1000 um;
- (ii) a conduit having at least one non-circular opening with a short dimension and a long dimension, wherein the short dimension is less than the hydrodynamic diameter of the microparticles, and the long dimension is at least 2× the hydrodynamic diameter of the microparticles
- (iii) a system configured to sequentially immerse the opening or openings of the conduit in the plurality of samples;
- (iv) a system configured to flow the liquid through the opening or openings into the conduit, so that the microparticles accumulate and form a filter element comprising the microparticles at the opening;
- and
- (v) a system configured to flow a second liquid through the opening or openings out of the conduit to disperse the microparticles at the opening.
3 more elements
A method of loading polymerase chain reaction (PCR) samples into a digital PCR analytical instrument comprising:
- (i) providing a plurality of samples comprising nucleic acid in aqueous solution, wherein each sample further comprises a plurality of microparticles, and wherein the microparticles have a hydrodynamic diameter;
- (ii) placing a sample conduit into a first sample of the plurality of samples, wherein the conduit has an opening and wherein the opening has a critical dimension that is smaller than the hydrodynamic diameter of the microparticles in the first sample, and wherein the conduit is configured to be fluidly connected to the PCR analytical instrument;
- (iii) flowing the nucleic acid in aqueous solution of the first sample into the opening in the conduit and into the conduit, wherein the microparticles in the first sample cannot flow into the conduit and instead form a first filter element comprising one or microparticles at the opening of the conduit;
- (iv) after step (iii), flowing a liquid through the conduit and out of the opening of the conduit to remove the one or more microparticles from the first sample from the opening of the conduit and remove the first filter element;
- (v) placing the sample conduit into a second sample of the plurality of samples, wherein the second sample is different from the first sample, and flowing nucleic acid in aqueous solution of the second sample into the opening in the conduit and into the conduit wherein the microparticles in the second sample cannot flow into the conduit and instead form a second filter element, different from the first filter element, comprising one or microparticles at the opening of the conduit.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.