Systems and methods for stabilizing droplets

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9328376-B2
Application number	US-201314018205-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 4, 2013
Priority date	Sep 5, 2012
Publication date	May 3, 2016
Grant date	May 3, 2016

Abstract

This disclosure provides systems, devices, and methods for sample preparation and/or analysis comprising a droplet generator having a first channel in fluid communication with a carrier fluid reservoir and a second channel in fluid communication with a sample reservoir. The first channel and second channel may meet at an intersection that receives a sample from the sample reservoir and a carrier fluid from the carrier fluid reservoir and generates one or more droplets that flow along a droplet channel to a droplet reservoir. An energy application member in thermal communication with the intersection, at least a portion of the droplet channel, the sample reservoir and/or the carrier fluid reservoir may provide energy to an individual droplet of the one or more droplets, such as at the intersection and/or as the droplet moves along the droplet channel to the droplet reservoir.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for forming a droplet containing a sample to be detected, comprising:
a. generating a droplet at an intersection of a first channel and a second channel, said first channel in fluid communication with a carrier fluid reservoir and said second channel in fluid communication with a sample reservoir, wherein said droplet is generated by bringing a carrier fluid from said carrier fluid reservoir in contact with a sample or sample partition from said sample reservoir at said intersection;
b. flowing said droplet along a droplet channel leading from said intersection to a droplet reservoir; and
c. heating said droplet such that a skin is formed around the droplet by protein denaturation before the droplet enters the droplet reservoir.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein heating said droplet includes a step of applying thermal energy to said droplet with an energy application member as the droplet moves along said droplet channel to said droplet reservoir.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said droplet flows along said droplet channel as an emulsion.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein said droplet flows along said droplet channel with the aid of a pressure source.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein heating said droplet comprises heating said droplet in said droplet channel.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein heating said droplet stabilizes said droplet.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein heating said droplet prevents said droplet from coalescing with another droplet.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein (a) further comprises generating a plurality of droplets at said intersection.

9. A method for forming a droplet containing a sample or sample partition, comprising:
a. generating a droplet at an intersection of a first channel and a second channel, said first channel in fluid communication with a carrier fluid reservoir and said second channel in fluid communication with a sample reservoir, wherein said droplet is generated by bringing a carrier fluid from said carrier fluid reservoir in contact with a sample partition from said sample reservoir at said intersection;
b. flowing said droplet along a droplet channel leading from said intersection to a droplet reservoir; and
c. heating at least a portion of at least one of the channels such that a skin forms around said droplet by protein denaturation.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein said skin stabilizes the droplet.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein said skin prevents said droplet from coalescing with another droplet.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein (a) further comprises generating a plurality of droplets at said intersection.

13. The method of claim 9 , wherein heating at least a portion of at least one of the channels includes a step of heating at least a portion of the droplet channel.

Assignees

• Bio Rad Laboratories

Inventors

• Hiddessen Amy L
• Chia Erin R

Classifications

• B01L2300/0816

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

• B01L3/502784 Primary

  specially adapted for droplet or plug flow, e.g. digital microfluidics · CPC title

• B01L2300/1827

  using resistive heater · CPC title

• B01L2300/1822

  using Peltier elements · CPC title

• C12Q1/6806 Primary

  Preparing nucleic acids for analysis, e.g. for polymerase chain reaction [PCR] assay (C12Q1/6804 takes precedence) · CPC title