Analyte species separation system

An analyte species separation process for separating analyte species of different mobilities, comprising:

• providing a separation fluid flow field disposed between confining surfaces;
• directing a fluid medium to flow through the fluid flow field to provide a flow component in a first direction;
• injecting an analyte sample of different analyte species into the fluid flow field to provide a second flow component in a second direction transverse to the first direction;
• applying an electric field through a distributed resistor to produce a non-linear electric field intensity contour to cause the analyte species to move in the fluid flow field in a direction opposite to the first direction, wherein analyte species of different mobilities are separated spatially along the first direction while moving through the fluid flow field in the second direction;
• and
• collecting at least a portion of the separated analyte species, having a first mobility, from the fluid flow field at a location where the separated analyte species migrates to due to forces on the analyte species arising from the first and second flow components and the electric field.

An analyte species separation system configured to separate an analyte species of interest from other analyte species in an analyte sample containing a plurality of species, comprising:

• a separation flow field in a fluid medium disposed between a first confining surface and a second confining surface, said flow field having a first flow component flowing in a first direction and a second flow component flowing in a second direction, said second direction being transverse to said first direction;
• a distributed resistor coupled to at least one of the first confining surface and the second confining surface and configured to produce an electric field having a non-linear electric field intensity contour to cause analyte species to move in the separation flow field in a direction opposite to the first direction;
• an analyte separation target channel adjacent and in fluid communication with the flow field;
• an analyte injection channel in fluid communication with the flow field, said analyte injection channel being disposed so that an analyte sample injected into the flow field from the analyte injection channel traverses at least a portion of the flow field toward the target channel in a direction having a vector component parallel with the second direction, and said second flow component of the flow field flowing from the analyte injection channel toward at least the target channel;
• the system enabling analyte species to be moved in relationship to each other in directions parallel to the first direction by interaction of the first flow component and the electric field, the amount of movement being related to the mobility of the respective analyte species in the fluid medium under influence of the electric field, said analyte species being moved so as to be separated spatially in directions parallel to the first direction, and also move in the second direction through the flow field so that analyte species having mobilities outside a selected mobility range do not enter the target channel and an analyte species of interest having a mobility within a selected range is directed to, and enters, the target channel.

An analyte species separation system configured to separate an analyte species of interest from other analyte species in an analyte sample, comprising:

• a separation flow field in a fluid medium disposed between a first confining surface and a second confining surface, said flow field having a first flow component flowing in a first direction and a second flow component flowing in a second direction, said second direction being transverse to said first direction;
• a distributed resistor coupled to at least one of the first confining surface and the second confining surface and configured to produce an electric field having a non-linear electric field intensity contour to cause analyte species to move in the separation flow field in a direction opposite to the first direction;
• an analyte separation target channel adjacent and in fluid communication with the flow field;
• at least one analyte separation channel laterally adjacent and in fluid communication with the flow field and adjacent said target channel;
• an analyte injection channel in fluid communication with the flow field, said analyte injection channel being disposed so that an analyte sample injected into the flow field from the analyte injection channel traverses the flow field toward the target channel in a direction having a vector component parallel with the second direction, and said second flow component of the flow field flowing from the analyte injection channel toward at least the target channel;
• the system enabling analyte species to be moved in relationship to each other in directions parallel to the first direction by interaction of the first flow component and the electric field, the amount of movement being related to the mobility of the respective analyte species in the fluid medium under influence of the electric field, said analyte species being moved so as to be separated spatially in directions parallel to the first direction and also move in the second direction through the flow field so that at least one analyte species having a mobility outside a selected mobility range enters the rejection channel, and an analyte species of interest having a mobility with the selected mobility range is directed into the target channel.

An analyte species separation system configured to separate an analyte species of interest from other analyte species in an analyte sample, comprising:

• a separation flow field in a fluid medium disposed between a first confining surface and a second confining surface, said flow field having a first flow component flowing in a first direction and a second flow component flowing in a second direction, said second direction being transverse to said first direction;
• a distributed resistor coupled to at least one of the first confining surface and the second confining surface and configured to produce an electric field having a non-linear electric field intensity contour to cause analyte species to move in the separation flow field in a direction opposite to the first direction;
• an analyte separation target channel adjacent and in fluid communication with the flow field,
• a plurality of analyte separation rejection channels adjacent and in fluid communication with the flow field and adjacent said target channel, the target channel being disposed intermediate the rejection channels;
• an analyte injection channel in fluid communication with the flow field, said analyte injection channel being disposed so that an analyte sample injected into the flow field from the analyte injection channel traverses the flow field toward the target channel in a direction having a vector component parallel with the second direction, and said second flow component of the flow field flowing from the analyte injection channel toward at least the target channel;
• the system enabling analyte species to be moved in relationship to each other with a movement direction component parallel to the first direction by interaction of the first flow component and the electric field, the amount of movement of analyte species being related to the mobility of the respective analyte species in the fluid medium under influence of the electric field, said analyte species being moved so as to be separated spatially along the first direction while being moved in the second direction through the flow field so that at least two analyte species having mobilities outside a selected mobility range enter the rejection channels, and an analyte species of interest having a mobility within a selected range is directed into the target channel.

A method of separating an analyte species of interest from other analyte species in an analyte sample, comprising the steps of:

• providing a separation flow field in a fluid medium disposed between a first confining surface and a second confining surface, said flow field having a first flow component flowing in a first direction and a second flow component flowing in a second direction, said second direction being transverse to said first direction;
• applying an electric field through a distributed resistor to produce a non-linear electric field intensity contour to cause analyte species to move in the separation flow field in a direction opposite to the first direction;
• providing an analyte separation target channel adjacent and in fluid communication with the flow field;
• providing an analyte injection channel in fluid communication with the flow field, said analyte injection channel being disposed so that an analyte sample injected into the flow field from the analyte injection channel traverses the flow field toward the target channel in a direction having a vector component parallel with the second direction, and said second flow component of the flow field flowing from the analyte injection channel toward at least the target channel;
• enabling the analyte species to be moved in relationship to each other in directions parallel to the first direction by interaction of the first flow component and the electric field, the amount of movement being related to the mobility of the respective analyte species in the fluid medium under influence of the electric field, said analyte species being moved so as to be separated spatially in directions parallel to the first direction and also move in the second direction through the flow field so that at least one analyte species having a mobility outside a selected mobility range enters the rejection channel, and an analyte species of interest having a mobility with a selected range is directed into the target channel.