Microfluidic system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11853087-B2
Application number	US-202016983270-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 3, 2020
Priority date	Jul 2, 2004
Publication date	Dec 26, 2023
Grant date	Dec 26, 2023

Abstract

The present invention provides microfluidic technology enabling rapid and economical manipulation of reactions on the femtoliter to microliter scale.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for forming and collecting a plurality of droplets, the method comprising:
providing a microfluidic device comprising at least a first channel and a second channel intersecting with each other at a junction and a microchannel extending from the junction and having at least one outlet downstream of the junction;
providing a detachable holding component comprising a microchannel having an inlet and an outlet, wherein the inlet is detachably coupled to the outlet of the microchannel of the microfluidic device;
forming a plurality of droplets in an immiscible carrier fluid within the microfluidic device;
transferring the plurality of droplets from the microfluidic device to the holding component by flowing the plurality of droplets through the microchannel of the microfluidic device and into the microchannel of the holding component via a suction force applied by a pump operably coupled to the holding component; and
attaching the holding component to a combining component and merging, in the combining component, a reagent with the plurality of droplets, wherein the plurality of droplets in the holding components contain live cells, protein or nucleic acids representing the genome of an organism, and wherein each droplet is separated from an immediately adjacent droplet within the microchannel of the holding component.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pump is coupled to the outlet of the microchannel of the holding component such that, upon application of a suction force thereto, the suction force is further applied to the microchannel of the microfluidic device.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising detaching the inlet from the microfluidic device, and wherein separation among the plurality of droplets is maintained, by means of the carrier fluid, upon detachment.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the holding component comprises coiled tubing, wherein the tubing comprises a material selected from the group consisting of glass, silicon, a silicone elastomer, and a polymer.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein at least a portion of the tubing is transparent allowing for visualization of one or more of the plurality of droplets within the microchannel.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein at least one of the plurality of droplets comprises a visible marker.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least the inlet of the holding component is sealable upon detachment of the holding component from microfluidic device.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of droplets contains the protein, and the protein includes an enzyme.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising performing an enzyme-catalyzed reaction in at least one of the plurality of droplets.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of droplets contains the nucleic acids, and the nucleic acids include RNA.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising conducting a reaction in at least one of the plurality of droplets in the combining component.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising subjecting the combining component to heat while conducting the reaction.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising manipulating temperature of the combining component to actively control the reaction.

Assignees

• Univ Chicago

Inventors

• Ismagilov Rustem F
• Zheng Bo
• Gerdts Cory John

Classifications

• G05D7/0694 Primary

  by action on throttling means or flow sources of very small size, e.g. microfluidics (microvalves F16K99/0001; microstructural devices per se B81B) · CPC title

• B01F25/314

  wherein additional components are introduced at the circumference of the conduit · CPC title

• B01F33/3021

  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 · CPC title

• B01J19/0046 Primary

  Sequential or parallel reactions, e.g. for the synthesis of polypeptides or polynucleotides; Apparatus and devices for combinatorial chemistry or for making molecular arrays (synthesis methods per se C40B50/00) · CPC title

• B01L3/0293

  for liquids · CPC title