Systems and methods relating to portable microfluidic devices for processing biomolecules

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11311883-B2
Application number	US-201816758445-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 23, 2018
Priority date	Oct 23, 2017
Publication date	Apr 26, 2022
Grant date	Apr 26, 2022

Abstract

Aniosotropic Ratchet Conveyor (“ARC”)-based biomolecule processing devices and related methods are described. The ARC-based biomolecule processing devices include (i) a substrate having an ARC track defined on or within the substrate and including a biomolecule receiving area, which is designed to receive biomolecule, and a reconstituting area, which is designed to contain dry reagents and is designed to receive a transport solution such that at the reconstituting area, dry reagents are reconstituted with transport solution; and (ii) a microheater area disposed at or near the biomolecule receiving area, fitted with a microheater, which is designed to heat biomolecule that is received through the biomolecule receiving area and designed to process heated biomolecule and dry reagents reconstituted with transport solution. The ARC track includes an arrangement of a plurality of hydrophilic rungs disposed on a hydrophobic region such that between consecutive hydrophobic rungs, a portion of the hydrophobic region is exposed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A biomolecule processing device comprising:
a substrate;
a first anisotropic ratchet conveyor (“ARC”) track defined on or within said substrate and having disposed at or near one end a biomolecule receiving area, which is configured to receive biomolecules;
a microheater area disposed at or near another end of said first ARC track, microfabricated with a microheater, which is configured to heat the biomolecules that are received through said first ARC track from said biomolecule receiving area;
a second ARC track defined on or within said substrate and having disposed at or near one end a transport solution receiving area and having disposed at or near another end a reconstituting area, wherein said transport solution receiving area is configured to receive transport solution, wherein said reconstituting area is configured to receive dry reagents and configured to reconstitute said dry reagents into reagent solution and/or suspension;
a third ARC track defined on or within said substrate and that intersects with said first ARC track and said first microheater on said second ARC track such that said third ARC track is configured to convey reconstituted reagent solution and/or suspension to said microheater area for processing; and
wherein each of said first ARC track, said second ARC track, and said third ARC track includes an arrangement of a plurality of hydrophilic rungs disposed on a hydrophobic region such that between two consecutive said hydrophobic rungs, a portion of said hydrophobic region is exposed.

2. The biomolecule processing device of claim 1 , wherein said first ARC track and said second ARC track extend parallel to each other.

3. The biomolecule processing device of claim 1 , wherein said third ARC track extends perpendicular to said first ARC track and said second ARC track.

4. The biomolecule processing device of claim 3 , further comprising a delivery junction that is disposed between said second ARC track and said third ARC track such that said delivery junction facilitates transport of said reconstituted reagent solution and/or suspension from said second ARC track to said microheater, and wherein said delivery junction includes one or more substantially linear hydrophilic guides that extend from said hydrophilic rungs of said second ARC track to said third ARC track, wherein said hydrophilic rung is convex-shaped with a protruding portion extending in a direction towards said third ARC track and said substantially linear hydrophilic guides extend in said direction towards said third ARC track, and wherein said substantially linear hydrophilic guides are perpendicular to a plane or a line that tangentially intersects said protruding portion of said hydrophilic rung.

5. The biomolecule processing device of claim 1 , wherein said dry reagents include at least one member selected from a group comprising, ionic salt, polymerase, primer, and surfactant.

6. The biomolecule processing device of claim 1 , wherein said heating area and/or said microheater are designed to receive dried reagents and/or surfactant.

7. The biomolecule processing device of claim 1 , wherein said one or more rungs is comprised of SiO 2 .

8. The biomolecule processing device of claim 1 , wherein said microheater is comprised of molybdenum.

9. The biomolecule processing device of claim 1 , wherein said substrate is a soda-lime glass wafer.

10. A biomolecule processing device comprising:
a first substrate, comprising:
an anisotropic ratchet conveyor (“ARC”) track defined on or within said first substrate and including a biomolecule receiving area, which is configured to receive biomolecules, and a reconstituting area, which is configured to contain dry reagents and is configured to receive a transport solution such that at said reconstituting area, dry reagents are reconstituted with the transport solution;
a first microheater area disposed at or near said biomolecule receiving area, fitted with a first microheater, which is configured to heat the biomolecules that are received through said biomolecule receiving area and configured to process the heated biomolecules and the dry reagents reconstituted with the transport solution; and
wherein said ARC track includes an arrangement of a plurality of hydrophilic rungs disposed on a hydrophobic region such that between two consecutive said hydrophobic rungs, a portion of said hydrophobic region is exposed.

11. The biomolecule processing device of claim 10 , further comprising:
a gasket that does not completely surround said first microheater and that provides an aperture that is defined to receive said reagent solution and/or suspension;
a second substrate, comprising:
a track defined on or within said second substrate; and
a second microheater area disposed at or near an end of said track, microfabricated with a second microheater; and

wherein in an assembled state of said first substrate and said second substrate, said first substrate is disposed underneath or adjacent to said second substrate such that said ARC track is opposite to and facing said track, said first microheater is opposite to and facing said second microheater, and wherein said second microheater occupies a greater surface area than said first microheater.

12. The biomolecule processing device of claim 11 , wherein a distance between said first substrate and said second substrate is defined by said gasket.

13. The biomolecule processing device of claim 11 , wherein said track is an ARC track and/or is a hydrophobic coating.

14. The biomolecule processing device of claim 10 , wherein said dry reagents include at least one member selected from a group comprising primer, ionic salt, and polymerase.

15. The biomolecule processing device of claim 14 , wherein said dry reagents are temperature-sensitive at temperatures that are greater than at least about 65° C.

16. A biomolecule processing system comprising:
a vibration-driving subsystem; and
a biomolecule processing device coupled to said vibration-driving subsystem, said biomolecule processing device comprising:
a substrate;
an anisotropic ratchet conveyor (“ARC”) track defined on or within said substrate and including a biomolecule receiving area, which is designed to receive biomolecule, and a reconstituting area, which is designed to contain dry reagents and is designed to receive a transport solution such that at said reconstituting area, dry reagents are reconstituted with transport solution; and
a microheater area disposed at or near said biomolecule receiving area, fitted with a microheater, which is designed to heat biomolecule that is received through said biomolecule receiving area and designed to process heated biomolecule and dry reagents reconstituted with transport solution;
and wherein said vibration-driving subsystem is configured to deliver orthogonal vibration waves to said substrate.

17. A method for processing biomolecules comprising:
receiving biomolecules at or near a biomolecule receiving area;
receiving a transport solution at or near a transport solution receiving area;
conveying, using a vibration-driving subsystem that delivers orthogonal vibration signals, said biomolecules along a first anisotropic ratchet conveyor (“ARC”) track to a heating area, and said transport solution along a second ARC track to a reconstituting area;
heating, at said heating area, said biomolecules to produce intermediate biomolecules; reconstituting, at reconstituting area, said transport solution in the presence of one or more dry reagents to produce a reconstituted reagent solut

Assignees

• Conservation X Labs Inc
• Univ Washington
• Nat Science Foundation

Inventors

• Baisch David
• Holmes Hallie Ray
• Bohringer Karl F

Classifications

• B01L7/525

  with physical movement of samples between temperature zones · CPC title

• B01L2400/088

  by specific surface properties · CPC title

• B01L3/502792 Primary

  for moving individual droplets on a plate, e.g. by locally altering surface tension · CPC title

• B01L2300/0851

  Bottom walls · CPC title

• B01L2300/1827

  using resistive heater · CPC title