Acoustophoresis device having improved dimensions

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018361053-A1
Application number	US-201816008780-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 14, 2018
Priority date	Jun 14, 2017
Publication date	Dec 20, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

Systems and methods for cleansing blood are disclosed herein. The methods include acoustically separating target particles from elements of whole blood. The whole blood and capture particles are flowed through a microfluidic separation channel formed in a thermoplastic. At least one bulk acoustic transducer is attached to the microfluidic separation channel. A standing acoustic wave, imparted on the channel and its contents by the bulk acoustic transducer, drives the formed elements of the blood and target particles to specific aggregation axes.

First claim

What is claimed:

1 . A device, comprising:
a separation channel defined within at least one thermoplastic substrate, the separation channel having a width, a first wall, a second wall, a roof, and a floor, wherein the floor is configured to couple with an acoustic transducer and a thickness of the first wall and the second wall is determined by the width of the separation channel; a first inlet defined within the at least one thermoplastic substrate to introduce a fluid into a proximal end portion of the separation channel; a first outlet defined within the at least one thermoplastic substrate, the first outlet positioned at a downstream portion of the separation channel substantially along the longitudinal axis of the separation channel; and a second outlet defined within the at least one thermoplastic substrate, the second outlet positioned at the downstream portion positioned adjacent to a first wall of the separation channel.

2 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the thickness of the floor is determined by the width of the separation channel.

3 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the width of the separation channel is between 0.1 mm and 3 mm.

4 . The device of claim 1 , wherein a wavelength of an acoustic wave generated by the acoustic transducer is between about 3.3 and about 5 times the width of the separation channel.

5 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the thickness of the first wall and second wall is based on a velocity of an acoustic wave through the fluid.

6 . The device of claim 5 , wherein the thickness of the first wall and the second wall is based on a velocity of the acoustic wave through the first thermoplastic substrate.

7 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the height of the separation channel is determined by the width of the separation channel.

8 . The device of claim 1 , wherein a ratio of the separation channel to the height of the separation channel is between 2 and 2.5.

9 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the floor of the separation channel has a first thickness and the roof of the separation channel has a second thickness.

10 . The device of claim 9 , wherein the first thickness is greater than the second thickness.

11 . The device of claim 1 , wherein a ratio of the thickness of the floor of the separation channel to a width of the separation channel is between about 0.5 and 1.

12 . The device of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of separation channels defined within the at least one thermoplastic substrate, each of the plurality of separation channels separated by an air gap.

13 . A method to process fluid, comprising:
providing a separation device comprising:
a separation channel defined within at least one thermoplastic substrate, the separation channel having a width, a first wall, a second wall, a roof, and a floor, wherein the floor is configured to couple with an acoustic transducer and a thickness of the first wall and the second wall is determined by the width of the separation channel;
a first inlet defined within the at least one thermoplastic substrate to introduce a fluid into a proximal end portion of the separation channel;
a first outlet defined within the at least one thermoplastic substrate, the first outlet positioned at a downstream portion of the separation channel substantially along the longitudinal axis of the separation channel; and
a second outlet defined within the at least one thermoplastic substrate, the second outlet positioned at the downstream portion positioned adjacent to a first wall of the separation channel;
flowing a fluid through the first inlet, wherein the fluid comprises undesirable particles; driving, with a standing acoustic wave generated by the acoustic transducer, the undesirable particles toward the first wall of the separation channel.

14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the width of the separation channel is between 0.1 mm and 3 mm.

15 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the width of the first wall and second wall is based on a velocity of the acoustic wave through the fluid and a velocity of the acoustic wave through the first wall and the second wall.

16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the width of the first wall and the second wall is based on a velocity of the acoustic wave through the first thermoplastic substrate.

17 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the height of the separation channel is based on the width of the separation channel.

18 . The method of claim 13 , wherein a ratio of the separation channel to the height of the separation channel is between 2 and 2.5.

19 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the floor of the separation channel has a first thickness and the roof of the separation channel has a second thickness and the first thickness is greater than the second thickness.

20 . The method of claim 13 , wherein a ratio of the thickness of the floor of the separation channel to a width of the separation channel is between about 0.5 and 1.

Assignees

• Charles Stark Draper Laboratory Inc

Inventors

• Fiering Jason
• Silva Ryan
• Dow Parker Stewart

Classifications

• B01L3/502707

  characterised by the manufacture of the container or its components · CPC title

• A61M1/362

  changing physical properties of target cells by binding them to added particles to facilitate their subsequent separation from other cells, e.g. immunoaffinity · CPC title

• B01D21/283

  Settling tanks provided with vibrators · CPC title

• B01L2300/08

  Geometry, shape and general structure · CPC title

• B01L3/5027

  by integrated microfluidic structures, i.e. dimensions of channels and chambers are such that surface tension forces are important, e.g. lab-on-a-chip · CPC title