Apparatus and method for sorting microfluidic particles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11607688-B2
Application number	US-202217832095-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 3, 2022
Priority date	Apr 19, 2017
Publication date	Mar 21, 2023
Grant date	Mar 21, 2023

Abstract

A single junction sorter for a microfluidic particle sorter, the single-junction sorter comprising: an input channel, configured to receive a fluid containing particles; an output sort channel and an output waste channel, each connected to the input channel for receiving the fluid therefrom; a bubble generator, operable to selectively displace the fluid around a particle to be sorted and thereby to create a transient flow of the fluid in the input channel; and a vortex element, configured to cause a vortex in the transient flow in order to direct the particle to be sorted into the output sort channel.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for sorting particles in a particle sorter, the method comprising:
receiving, at an input channel, an input particle suspension comprising a fluid and a plurality of particles;
aligning the plurality of particles in a streamline of the fluid;
evaluating the plurality of particles at a predetermined location and assigning a sort designation or a reject designation for each particle of the plurality of particles;
responsive to a sort designation, causing a creation of a transient flow in the fluid,
wherein the transient flow is created at a position downstream of the predetermined location;
responsive to the transient flow, causing formation of a sorting vortex in the fluid; and
directing particles assigned with the sort designation to an output sort channel via the sorting vortex.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the input particle suspension is an aqueous suspension of lymphocytes having a diameter of approximately 8 μm and a density of up to approximately 4×10 6 cells/ml.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of particles in the streamline is aligned via at least one of inertial focusing, hydrodynamic focusing, acoustic focusing, or dielectrophoretic focusing.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the streamline comprises a flow velocity of approximately 1 m/s to approximately 4 m/s.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the flow velocity of the streamline comprises a Dean number of approximately 20, the input channel comprises a Reynolds number of approximately 120, and the plurality of particles comprise a Reynolds number of approximately 2-5.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein evaluating of the plurality of particles is performed using an optical measurement.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the optical measurement is measured by an optical reader apparatus for collecting fluorescence, forward scattering, and back scattering measurements.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the optical measurement is measured at a first focal point located at a first predetermined location upstream of the predetermined location.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein a second optical measurement is measured at a second focal point located at a second predetermined location upstream of the predetermined location.

10. The method of claim 7 , wherein the optical reader apparatus comprises a laser.

11. A method for sorting particles in a particle sorter, the method comprising:
receiving, at an input channel, an input particle suspension comprising a fluid and a plurality of particles;
aligning the plurality of particles in a streamline of the fluid;
evaluating the plurality of particles at a predetermined location and based on the evaluating, assigning a sort designation or a reject designation for each particle of the plurality of particles;
responsive to a sort designation, causing a creation of a transient flow in the fluid,
wherein the transient flow is created at a position downstream of the predetermined location,
wherein the transient flow is created in response to a bubble generated by a bubble generator;
responsive to the transient flow, causing formation of a sorting vortex in the fluid;
directing particles assigned with the sort designation to an output sort channel via the sorting vortex; and
directing particles assigned with the reject designation to an output waste channel.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the bubble generator generates bubbles through a thermal bubble actuation.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the bubble generated by the bubble generator expands and collapses in approximately 10 μs.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the bubble generator comprises a microheater for heating the fluid of the input particle suspension.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the sorting vortex is formed by a vortex element located downstream of the bubble generator and upstream of the output sort channel.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein the sorting vortex moves downstream with the input particle suspension, displacing particles away from the fluid.

17. The method of claim 11 , wherein the evaluating of the plurality of particles and the assigning of a designation is performed by an automated control system.

18. The method of claim 11 , wherein the generated bubble displaces the fluid around a particle by approximately 20 μm.

19. The method of claim 11 , wherein particles are measured optically by a laser located upstream of the bubble generator.

20. The method of claim 11 , wherein the bubble generator is actuated by an electrical pulse of 20 V at a duration of 2 μs applied between a contact pad and a ground pad of the bubble generator.

Assignees

• Cellular Highways Ltd
• Ttp Plc

Inventors

• Bashtanov Mikhail
• Gold Richard
• Hayes Calum
• Hussain Fred
• Pritchard Robyn
• Rogers Salman Samson
• Varelas Nuno
• Zhukov Alexander

Classifications

• B01L2400/0442

  thermal energy, e.g. vaporisation, bubble jet · CPC title

• G01N15/14

  Optical investigation techniques, e.g. flow cytometry · CPC title

• B01L3/50273

  characterised by the means or forces applied to move the fluids · CPC title

• B01L2400/0622

  distribution valves, valves having multiple inlets and/or outlets, e.g. metering valves, multi-way valves · CPC title

• B01L3/502753 Primary

  characterised by bulk separation arrangements on lab-on-a-chip devices, e.g. for filtration or centrifugation · CPC title