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US 6,632,655 B1Granted
Manipulation of microparticles in microfluidic systems
AssigneeCaliper Technologies Corp.
InventorsTammy Burd Mehta, Anne R. Kopf-Sill, J. Wallace Parce, Andrea W. Chow, Luc J. Bousse, Michael R. Knapp, Theo T. Nikiforov, Steve Gallagher
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Arrays of flowable or fixed particle sets are used in microfluidic systems for performing assays and modifying hydrodynamic flow. Also provided are assays utilizing flowable or fixed particle sets within a microfluidic system, as well as kits, apparatus and integrated systems comprising arrays and array members.
Claims71
A microfluidic device, comprising:
- a body structure having a microscale cavity disposed therein;
- and
- an ordered array of a plurality of sets of particles disposed within the microscale cavity, wherein said sets of particles are flowable, and wherein at least one of the sets of particles is retained in position within the microscale cavity, wherein the plurality of particles sets comprises a first particle set which is retained in position abutting a second particle set, which is retained in position by contacting the first particle set.
A system for optimizing and performing a desired chemical reaction, comprising:
- a microfluidic device which includes a microscale cavity having a particle array disposed therein, the particle array comprising a plurality of particle sets, wherein at least one of the particle sets is retained in position within the microscale device wherein the plurality of particles sets comprises a first particle set which is retained in position abutting a second particle set, which is retained in position by contacting the first particle set;
- an electrokinetic, centrifugal, or pressure based fluid direction system for transporting a selected volume of a first reactant to the array, or for reconfiguring the position of the array or for reconfiguring the arrangement of array members;
- a control system which instructs the fluid direction system to move members of the array into proximity with the first reactant, wherein mixing of the first reactant and at least one member of the array produces a first chemical reaction product;
- and,
- a detection system for detecting the first chemical reaction product.
2 more elements
A microfluidic device, comprising:
- a body structure having a microscale cavity disposed therein;
- and
- a set of particles disposed within the microscale cavity, wherein said sets of particles is flowable, and wherein the microscale cavity comprises a first microchannel comprising at least one reagent flow region and at least one particle capture region, wherein the at least one particle capture region has an increased depth relative to the at least one reagent flow region.
A microfluidic device, comprising:
- a body structure having a mcroscale cavity disposed therein;
- and
- at least one set of particles disposed within the microscale cavity, wherein said at least one set of particles is flowable, and wherein the microscale cavity comprises a plurality of microchannels, the cavity further comprising a fluid movement region transverse to at least one of the plurality of microchannels, at least one of the plurality of microchannels comprising a deep channel region within the fluid movement region, which deep channel region has an increased depth dimension relative to the fluid movement region, thereby providing a site for collecting said at least one of particles set within the deep channel region.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.