Acoustic ejection into small openings
AssigneePicoliter Inc.
InventorsRichard N. Ellson, Mitchell W. Mutz
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Provided is a method of transporting fluid which involves acoustic ejection into a small opening. The opening may be, for example, the inlet opening of a sample vessel. Alternatively, it may be an opening in a microfluidic device. The ejection is typically, but not necessarily carried out through the application of focused acoustic energy. The fluid being transported typically comprises a moiety of interest for analysis or further processing, which may be a biomolecule. The volumes of transported fluid may be in the nanoliter or picoliter range. Ejection may occur from very small volumes and the ejected droplet may carry away a significant fraction of the volume from which ejection occurs.
Claims84
A device for transport of a fluid sample, comprising:
- (a) a reservoir holding a fluid sample, the fluid sample having a surface that allows a droplet to ejected therefrom;
- (b) an ejector comprising an acoustic radiation generator for generating acoustic radiation and a focusing means for focusing the acoustic radiation at a focal point near the surface of the fluid sample;
- and
- (c) a means for positioning the ejector in controlled and repeatable acoustic coupling relationship to the reservoir to eject a droplet of the fluid sample from the reservoir into an opening having a limiting dimension of no more than about 300 μm, and
- (d) an acoustic system for determining the orientation of the fluid surface.
A method for introducing a sample molecule into a sample vessel of a device which comprises an opening of limiting dimension no more than about 300 μm for processing and/or analyzing a sample moiety, comprising:
- (a) providing a reservoir holding a fluid sample comprising the sample moiety;
- (b) determining by acoustic means the orientation of a surface of the fluid sample;
- and
- (c) directing focused acoustic radiation at a point near the surface of the fluid sample to eject a droplet of the fluid sample from the surface of the fluid sample along a predetermined trajectory into the opening of limiting dimension no more than about 300 μm.
A method for the transport of a droplet of a fluid sample into a sample vessel, comprising:
- (a) providing a reservoir holding a fluid sample having a volume of no more than about 5 μL;
- (b) determining by acoustic means the orientation of a surface of the fluid sample;
- and
- (c) ejecting at least 25% of the fluid sample through an inlet opening of the sample vessel, wherein the inlet opening has a limiting dimension of no more than about 300 μm.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.