Cartridge and electrowetting sample processing system with delivery zone

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11951482-B2
Application number	US-202117559362-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 22, 2021
Priority date	Apr 25, 2018
Publication date	Apr 9, 2024
Grant date	Apr 9, 2024

Abstract

A cartridge, in particular a disposable cartridge, for use in an electrowetting sample processing system. The cartridge has a liquid input port for introducing an input liquid into an internal gap of the cartridge, the input liquid providing for at least one droplet, directly or via a liquid separation process within the internal gap, and the internal gap having at least one hydrophobic surface, at least one processing zone for processing samples located in the processing zone, and a delivery zone for delivering the at least one droplet from the liquid input port to the at least one processing zone. The delivery zone is configured to provide a repeating pattern of interacting electrowetting force for simultaneously transporting the at least one droplet within the delivery zone.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for operating a cartridge in an electrowetting sample processing system, the cartridge comprising, a liquid input port, an internal gap with at least one hydrophobic surface, at least two processing zones for processing samples located in the at least two processing zones and a delivery zone for delivering multiple droplets from the liquid input port to the at least two processing zones, wherein the method comprises:
introducing an input liquid into the internal gap of the cartridge, the input liquid providing for at least one droplet, directly or via a liquid separation process within the internal gap;
providing a repeating pattern of interacting electrowetting force for simultaneously and only unidirectionally transporting multiple droplets within the delivery zone;
delivering the at least one droplet from the liquid input port to one of the at least two processing zones.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the electrowetting force is provided by an electrode array.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the electrowetting force is provided by a two-dimensional electrode array.

4. The method according to claim 1 , comprising the process of manipulating the at least one droplet located in the delivery zone independently and/or asynchronously from a droplet located in the at least two processing zones.

5. The method according to claim 1 , comprising delivering of the at least one droplet to a staging position prior to a need in the at least one processing zone and/or moving the at least one droplet into one of the at least two processing zones when required for processing.

6. The method according to claim 1 , comprising the step of inserting the cartridge into the electrowetting sample processing system and/or removing the cartridge from the electrowetting sample processing system.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the cartridge comprises at least two separate processing zones and the method comprises simultaneously and/or identically processing samples located in the at least two processing zones.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one droplet is a microfluidic droplet and/or a liquid comprising at least one of: a reagent, a buffer, a diluent, an extraction liquid, a washing liquid and a suspension.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the cartridge comprises a first part with the liquid input port and a second part attached to the first part, such that the gap is formed between the first part and the second part.

10. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the first part comprises a rigid body and/or the second part comprises or is an electrode support element or a flexible film.

11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the flexible film is a polymer film and/or an electrically isolating film.

12. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the second part is attached to a peripheral side structure of the first part.

13. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the gap is defined by a spacer that is arranged between the first part and the second part.

14. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the spacer comprises the liquid input port and wherein the at least one of the two parts of the cartridge is selected from the group consisting of a flexible part and a rigid part of the cartridge.

15. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the delivery zone comprises a plurality of electrodes for applying an electrowetting force to the droplets.

16. The method according to claim 15 , wherein the plurality of electrodes is an electrode array.

17. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the delivery zone comprises substantially identical and spaced apart electrodes that are electrically connected to a common electrical interface of the cartridge.

18. The method according to claim 17 , wherein the repeating pattern comprises at least four electrodes in longitudinal direction, at least two of them being operated differently.

19. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the method comprises manipulating droplets located in the at least two processing zones independently and/or asynchronously from droplets located in the delivery zone.

20. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the cartridge comprises at least one waste removal zone configured to provide a repeating pattern of electrowetting force for simultaneously transporting multiple droplets within the at least one waste removal zone.

21. The method according to claim 20 , wherein the at least one waste removal zone is arranged adjacent to the at least two processing zones and opposite to the delivery zone, and the cartridge further comprises at least one optical reading zone adjacent to the at least two processing zones.

22. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the cartridge comprises a waste removal line with an output port.

23. The method according to claim 22 , wherein the output port is arranged adjacent to the liquid input port.

24. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the electrowetting sample processing system is a biological sample processing system.

25. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the electrowetting sample processing system comprises a plurality of electrodes for applying an electrowetting force to the multiple droplets.

26. The method according to claim 25 , wherein the plurality of electrodes is an electrode array.

27. The method according to claim 26 , wherein the plurality of electrodes is a two-dimensional electrode array.

28. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the electrowetting sample processing system comprises periodically interconnected electrodes for simultaneously transporting multiple droplets in the delivery zone.

29. The method according to claim 28 , wherein the electrodes are substantially identical and/or connected to a common electrical interface.

30. The method according to claim 29 , wherein the common electrical interface is an electrical connector and/or contact field.

31. The method according to claim 28 , wherein the electrodes are arranged in at least two different groups, each group comprising electrically interconnected electrodes that are operated according to a predetermined offset in time.

32. The method according to claim 28 , wherein the electrodes manipulate at least one of the multiple droplets located in at least one of the at least two processing zones independently and/or asynchronously from further of the multiple droplets located in the delivery zone.

33. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the electrowetting sample processing system comprises a controller for providing electrical control signals to a plurality of electrodes.

34. The method according to claim 33 , wherein the controller provides electrical control signals to the plurality of electrodes via an electrical interface of the cartridge.

35. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the electrowetting sample processing system comprises electrodes for operating at least one waste removal zone, which is arranged at a side of the at least two processing zones that is located opposite to the delivery zone.

36. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the electrowetting sample processing system comprises a two

Assignees

• Tecan Trading Ag

Inventors

• Kinney Patrick
• Ding (Lay) Tiffany
• Dhindsa Manjeet
• Tran Daniel
• Ji Jennifer
• Iyer Sujata
• Ngo Tin

Classifications

• B01L3/502792 Primary

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

• B01L2400/0427

  Electrowetting · CPC title

• B01L3/50273

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

• B01L2300/0816

  Cards, e.g. flat sample carriers usually with flow in two horizontal directions · CPC title

• B01L2300/0645

  Electrodes · CPC title