# US 9,751,057 B2 · Fluidics apparatus and fluidics substrate

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- Number: US 9,751,057 B2
- Document ID: US9751057B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/167,712
- Filed: 2016-05-27
- Published: 2016-11-10
- Granted: 2017-09-05
- Earliest claimed: 2009-08-24
- Assignees: The University Court of the University of Glasgow
- Applicants: The University Court of the University of Glasgow
- Inventors: Rab Wilson; Jonathan M. Cooper; Julien Reboud
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9751057B2

## CPC

- B01F 33/3021: {the components to be mixed being combined in a single independent droplet, e.g. these droplets being divided by a non-miscible fluid or consisting of independent droplets}
- B01F 31/86: with vibration of the receptacle or part of it
- B01J 19/0093: {Microreactors, e.g. miniaturised or microfabricated reactors (laboratory containers with capillary fluid transport in microfabricated channels or chambers B01L3/5027)}
- B01L 3/502792: {for moving individual droplets on a plate, e.g. by locally altering surface tension}
- C12N 13/00: Treatment of microorganisms or enzymes with electrical or wave energy, e.g. magnetism, sonic waves
- B01F 2101/44: Mixing of ingredients for microbiology, enzymology, in vitro culture or genetic manipulation
- B01J 2219/00783: Laminate assemblies, i.e. the reactor comprising a stack of plates
- B01J 2219/00824: Ceramic
- B01J 2219/00828: Silicon wafers or plates
- B01J 2219/00837: comprising coatings other than catalytically active coatings
- B01J 2219/0086: Dimensions of the flow channels
- B01J 2219/00873: Heat exchange
- B01J 2219/00889: Mixing
- B01J 2219/00905: Separation
- B01J 2219/00932: Sonic or ultrasonic vibrations
- B01J 2219/00952: Sensing operations
- B01L 2200/10: Integrating sample preparation and analysis in single entity, e.g. lab-on-a-chip concept
- B01L 2300/0816: Cards, e.g. flat sample carriers usually with flow in two horizontal directions
- B01L 2300/0864: comprising only one inlet and multiple receiving wells, e.g. for separation, splitting
- B01L 2300/0867: Multiple inlets and one sample wells, e.g. mixing, dilution
- B01L 2300/089: Virtual walls for guiding liquids
- B01L 2400/0436: acoustic forces, e.g. surface acoustic waves [SAW]
- B01L 2400/0439: ultrasonic vibrations, vibrating piezo elements
- B01L 2400/0496: Travelling waves, e.g. in combination with electrical or acoustic forces
- G01N 33/48: Biological material, e.g. blood, urine (G01N33/02, G01N33/26, G01N33/44, G01N33/46 take precedence); Haemocytometers (counting blood corpuscules distributed over a surface by scanning the surface G06M11/02)
- Y10T 436/25125: Digestion or removing interfering materials
- B01F: MIXING, e.g. DISSOLVING, EMULSIFYING OR DISPERSING (mixing paints B44D3/06)
- B01J: CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOID CHEMISTRY; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS
- B01L: CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL LABORATORY APPARATUS FOR GENERAL USE
- C12N: MICROORGANISMS OR ENZYMES; COMPOSITIONS THEREOF; PROPAGATING, PRESERVING, OR MAINTAINING MICROORGANISMS; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING; CULTURE MEDIA (microbiological testing media C12Q1/00)
- G01N: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (measuring or testing apparatus or processes other than immunoassay, involving enzymes or microorganisms C12M, C12Q)
- Y10T: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION

## Abstract

A method of using a fluidics apparatus for lysing a cell. In the method, the cell is placed in a fluid sample contacting a substrate surface. The method further includes providing surface acoustic waves (SAWs) at the substrate surface, causing cell lyses.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for lysing a cell, comprising:
suspending the cell in a fluid sample, the fluid sample having a volume of equal to or less than 5 milliliter;
contacting the fluid sample with a substrate surface; and
providing a transducer arrangement, the transducer arrangement being operated to provide surface acoustic waves at the substrate surface at a frequency in the range of 10 kHz to 1 GHz for a time of at least 0.1 seconds, causing cell lyses.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the surface acoustic waves provided at the substrate surface cause rotational streaming in the fluid sample.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method according to claim 2,
wherein said rotational streaming is induced in the fluid sample by providing the surface acoustic waves at the substrate surface asymmetrically with respect to the fluid sample.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1,
wherein a power of the surface acoustic waves is progressively increased such that it becomes sufficiently high to lyse the cell.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1,
wherein the substrate is separable from the transducer arrangement and coupled to the transducer arrangement by a coupling medium.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1,
wherein said transducer arrangement provides an emission train of said surface acoustic waves at the substrate surface, and wherein the fluid sample is located at a fluid sample area which only partly overlaps with the emission train of said surface acoustic waves.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method according claim 1,
wherein said transducer arrangement is tunable to provide a laterally movable emission train of said surface acoustic waves at the substrate surface, and
wherein a lateral position of said emission train of surface acoustic waves is tuned to a position on the substrate surface to induce rotational streaming in the fluid sample.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1,
wherein the substrate surface comprises an arrangement of scattering elements arranged to scatter the surface acoustic waves into a configuration for inducing rotational streaming in the fluid sample.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the fluid sample is a droplet.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the cell is an animal cell.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, further comprising:
providing a substrate having said substrate surface with a sample manipulation zone;
placing said fluid sample in the sample manipulation zone;
providing a transducer arrangement comprising a layer of piezoelectric material and at least one array of electrodes to project surface acoustic waves to the substrate surface, wherein the substrate surface has a two dimensional periodic arrangement of surface acoustic wave scattering elements affecting the transmission, distribution or behaviour of surface acoustic waves at the substrate surface, and wherein the substrate is separable from the transducer arrangement and the substrate is in the form of a sheet having a first major surface and a second major surface, formed substantially parallel with each other, the first major surface providing the sample manipulation zone and the arrangement of surface acoustic wave scattering elements, the second major surface providing a coupling surface, for coupling with the transducer arrangement in operation;
projecting surface acoustic waves from the transducer arrangement to the substrate surface such that the cell lyses; and
separating the substrate from the transducer arrangement.