Actuation of parallel microfluidic arrays

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10994273-B2
Application number	US-201816119404-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 31, 2018
Priority date	Dec 3, 2004
Publication date	May 4, 2021
Grant date	May 4, 2021

Abstract

An improved actuator for use in a microfluidic particle sorting system utilizes a staggered packing scheme for a plurality of actuators used to selectively deflect a particle in an associated sorting channel from a stream of channels. An actuator block may be provided for housing a two-dimensional array of actuators, each configured to align with an actuation port in an associated sorting chip containing a plurality of sorting channels. The actuator block may include a built-in stressing means to pre-stress each actuator housed by the block. An actuator comprising a piezo-electric stack may employ contact-based electrical connection rather than soldered wires to improve packing density. The actuator may be an external actuator. That is, the external actuator is external to the substrate in which the sorting channels are formed.

First claim

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new and protected by Letters Patent is:

1. A particle processing assembly for sorting individual particles on a particle-by-particle basis from a stream of particles, the particle processing assembly comprising:
a microfluidic chip including a plurality of microsorters, each microsorter having a switching region and a microfluidic channel formed in the microfluidic chip that is fluidically coupled to a sample input a keep output, a waste output, and the switching region,
wherein the switching region of each microsorter interfaces with an actuator from a plurality of actuators external to the microfluidic chip, and
wherein each of the respective switching regions, when actuated by a respective one of the actuators upon detection of a predetermined characteristic of a selected particle in a respective one of the microfluidic channels of a respective one of the microsorters, directs a pressure pulse across the respective one of the microfluidic channels to deflect the selected particle from the stream of particles.

2. The particle processing assembly of claim 1 , further comprising:
a cartridge having fluid contact surfaces including a sample chamber, a keep chamber and a waste chamber, wherein the sample chamber of the cartridge is in fluid communication with the sample input of each of the microsorters, wherein the keep chamber of the cartridge is in fluid communication with the keep output of each of the microsorters, wherein the waste chamber of the cartridge is in fluid communication with the waste output of each of the microsorters, and
wherein all the fluid contact surfaces of the particle processing assembly are enclosed and configured to be sealed against liquid transfer to an exterior environment during a sorting operation.

3. The particle processing assembly of claim 2 , wherein the cartridge includes a sorted sample extraction port in fluid communication with the keep chamber and configured to be unsealed after the sorting operation has ended to provide access to fluid within the keep chamber.

4. The particle processing assembly of claim 2 , wherein all the fluid contact surfaces needed for the sorting operation are enclosed within the particle processing assembly.

5. The particle processing assembly of claim 2 , wherein the particle processing assembly is configured to allow pressurized air to drive the stream of particles through the microfluidic channel.

6. The particle processing assembly of claim 2 , wherein the fluid contact surfaces of the cartridge include a sheath chamber configured to supply sheath fluid to each of the plurality of microsorters upstream of the switching region for that microsorter.

7. The particle processing assembly of claim 2 , wherein the microfluidic chip and the cartridge are provided as a unitary particle processing cartridge assembly.

8. The particle processing assembly of claim 7 , wherein the unitary particle processing cartridge assembly is a rigid and integral assembly.

9. The particle processing assembly of claim 1 , wherein each of the microfluidic channels includes a detection region wherein particle characteristics of individual particles of a sample are detected on a particle-by-particle basis during the sorting operation.

10. The particle processing assembly of claim 1 , wherein the particle processing assembly includes a unique identifier.

11. A system for sorting individual particles on a particle-by-particle basis from a plurality of streams of particles, the system comprising:
a particle processing assembly including a microfluidic chip, the microfluidic chip including a plurality of microsorters, each of the microsorters having a switching region and a microfluidic channel formed in the microfluidic chip that is fluidically coupled to a sample input a keep output, a waste output, and the switching region; and
a plurality of actuators, each actuator in the plurality of actuators associated with a respective one of the plurality of microsorters and configured to generate a pressure pulse in the switching region of the respective microfluidic channel of the associated microsorter,
wherein each of the switching regions is capable of directing the pressure pulse generated by the associated one of the actuators to deflect a selected particle from a selected one of the streams of particles, and
wherein each of the actuators in the plurality of actuators is external to the particle processing assembly and is interfaced with the switching region of a respective one of the microsorters and wherein each of the actuators in the plurality of actuators is configured to be actuated in response to a desired particle characteristic of an individual particle being detected in a detection region of a respective one of the microsorters.

12. The system of claim 11 ,
wherein the particle processing assembly further includes a cartridge having fluid contact surfaces including a sample chamber, a keep chamber and a waste chamber, wherein the sample chamber of the cartridge is in fluid communication with the sample input of each of the microsorters, wherein the keep chamber of the cartridge is in fluid communication with the keep output of each of the microsorters, wherein the waste chamber of the cartridge is in fluid communication with the waste output of each of the microsorters, and
wherein all the fluid contact surfaces of the particle processing assembly are enclosed and configured to be sealed against liquid transfer to an exterior environment during a sorting operation.

13. The system of claim 11 , wherein each actuator in the plurality of actuators is configured to supply at least one of a mechanical, electrical, pneumatic or magnetic force to at least one switch element associated with the switching region corresponding to that actuator.

14. The system of claim 11 , wherein the operative interface between each actuator in the plurality of actuators and the switching region of the associated microsorter includes a pre-stressed state between each actuator and the particle processing assembly.

15. A method for sorting particles comprising:
obtaining a microfluidic particle sorting component including a plurality of microsorters, each of the microsorters having a switching region and a microfluidic channel formed in the microfluidic chip that is fluidically coupled to a sample input, a keep output, a waste output, and the switching region;
operatively interfacing the microfluidic particle sorting component with an operating machine, including aligning the switching region of each of the microsorters in the microfluidic particle sorting component with a corresponding pressure pulse generator external to the microfluidic particle sorting component and provided by the operating machine;
operating the operating machine to process a sample having particles to be sorted, including the steps of:
flowing the sample containing particles through the microfluidic particle sorting component;
detecting whether individual particles flowing within one of the microsorters in the plurality of microsorters in the microfluidic particle sorting component have a predetermined characteristic;
causing the pressure pulse generator provided on the operating machine to generate a pressure pulse in the corresponding switching region of the associated microsorter in response to the predetermined characteristic of an individual particle being detected;
deflecting the individual particle from the particles flowing within the microfluidic particle sorting component into one of the keep output and the waste output of the associated microsorter; and
rem

Assignees

• Cytonome St Llc

Inventors

• Johnson Andrew
• Gilbert John R
• Deshpande Manish
• Lewis Hugh
• Bunner Bernard

Classifications

• B01L3/502761 Primary

  specially adapted for handling suspended solids or molecules independently from the bulk fluid flow, e.g. for trapping or sorting beads or physically stretching molecules · CPC title

• B01L2400/04

  Moving fluids with specific forces or mechanical means · CPC title

• B07C5/34

  Sorting according to other particular properties {(material testing per se G01N; quality control G07C3/14)} · CPC title

• B01L2200/027

  for microfluidic devices · CPC title

• B01L2300/0864

  comprising only one inlet and multiple receiving wells, e.g. for separation, splitting · CPC title