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US 9,383,337 B2Granted
Method and apparatus for analysis and sorting of polynucleotides based on size
AssigneeCalifornia Institute of Technology
InventorsStephen R. Quake, Wayne D. Volksmuth
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention relates to a microfabricated device and methods of using the device for analyzing and sorting polynucleotide molecules by size.
Claims14
A method of analyzing an individual polynucleotide single-stranded DNA molecule in a solution using a microfluidic device, the method comprising :
- transporting the individual molecule through a detection region having a volume of between 1 femtoliter and 1 picoliter that is positioned in a microfluidic channel of the device without hydrodynamically focusing the solution with a sheath fluid, and without previous size separation of polynucleotides in the solution;
- and
- determining the size of the molecule as it passes through the detection region.
A method of analyzing a plurality of single-stranded DNA molecules using a microfluidic device, the method comprising:
- flowing the solution by hydrostatic pressure through a microfluidic channel in the device such that the molecules pass one-by-one through a detection region located within the channel without hydrodynamically focusing the solution with a sheath fluid;
- and
- determining the size of individual molecules in the plurality as they pass through the detection region.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.