Scodaphoresis and methods and apparatus for moving and concentrating particles
AssigneeThe University of British Columbia
InventorsAndrea Marziali, Lorne Whitehead
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Methods and apparatus for moving and concentrating particles apply an alternating driving field and an alternating field that alters mobility of the particles. The driving field and mobility-varying field are correlated with one another. The methods and apparatus may be used to concentrate DNA or RNA in a medium, for example. Methods and apparatus for extracting particles from one medium into another involve applying an alternating driving field that causes net drift of the particles from the first medium into the second medium but no net drift of the particles in the second medium.
Claims47
A method for concentrating target particles, the method comprising:
- introducing the target particles into a thin layer of a medium with which the target particles can reversibly bind;
- applying a sequence of electrical driving fields to the medium, at least some of the electrical driving fields varying spatially such that, on a line passing through a focus location, a magnitude of the electrical driving field in a first area on one side of the focus location is greater than a magnitude of the electrical driving field in a second area symmetrical to the first area on an opposing side of the focus location, the sequence of electrical driving fields causing the target particles in the medium to move in a corresponding sequence of non-parallel vector directions with a net drift of the target particles toward the focus location.
A method for concentrating a target particles, the method comprising:
- introducing target particles into a thin layer of a medium with which the target particles can bind with a strength of interaction that is temperature-dependent;
- applying a time-varying sequence of electrical driving fields to the medium, the electrical driving fields having directions and magnitudes that vary with position in the medium;
- and,
- varying a temperature distribution of the medium in time with application of the time-varying sequence of electrical driving fields, the target particles in the medium having a mobility in response to the electric field that is temperature-dependent;
- by the combination of the electrical driving fields and the varying temperature distribution causing the target particles to move in a sequence of non-aligned vector directions to provide a net drift of the target particles toward a focus location.
A method for concentrating a target particles, the method comprising:
- introducing target particles into a thin layer of a medium with which the target particles can releasably bind with a strength of interaction that is temperature-dependent;
- applying a time-varying sequence of electrical driving fields to the medium and varying temperatures within the medium in time with the application of the time-varying sequence of electrical driving fields, the electrical driving fields having directions and magnitudes that vary with position in the medium, the sequence of electrical driving fields causing a target particle to move in a corresponding sequence of non-aligned vector directions with a net drift toward a focus location.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.