Disposable cartridge for microfluidics system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9377439-B2
Application number	US-201313737656-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 9, 2013
Priority date	Nov 25, 2011
Publication date	Jun 28, 2016
Grant date	Jun 28, 2016

Abstract

A disposable cartridge had body, bottom layer with first hydrophobic surface, top layer with a second hydrophobic surface, and gap between. The bottom layer is a flexible film sealingly attached at its circumference to the top layer. No spacer is between the layers. The top layer has loading sites for transferring processing liquids into the gap. In use, the bottom layer is a working film for manipulating samples in liquid droplets and is placed on an electrode array of a digital microfluidics system having base unit with cartridge accommodation site and electrode array at the site. The electrode array is supported by a bottom substrate that extends in a first plane and has individual electrodes. The system also includes a central control unit for controlling selection of the electrodes and for providing these electrodes with individual voltage pulses for manipulating liquid droplets within the gap by electrowetting.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A disposable cartridge ( 2 ) comprising:
(a) a body ( 47 ) with at least one compartment ( 21 ) configured to hold therein processing liquids, reagents or samples, said at least one compartments ( 21 ) comprising a through hole ( 19 ) for delivering at least some of its content;
(b) a flexible bottom layer ( 3 ) with a first hydrophobic surface ( 17 ′) that is impermeable to liquids and that is configured as a working film for manipulating samples in liquid droplets ( 23 ) thereon utilizing an electrode array ( 9 ) of a digital microfluidics system ( 1 ) when the flexible bottom layer ( 3 ) of the disposable cartridge ( 2 ) is placed over said electrode array ( 9 );
(c) a top layer ( 4 ) with a second hydrophobic surface ( 17 ″) that is impermeable to liquids and that is attached to a lower surface ( 48 ) of the body ( 47 ) of the disposable cartridge ( 2 ); and
(d) a gap ( 6 ) that is located between the first hydrophobic surface ( 17 ′) of the flexible bottom layer ( 3 ) and the second hydrophobic surface ( 17 ″) of the top layer ( 4 ),
wherein the flexible bottom layer ( 3 ) is configured as a flexible film that is sealingly attached to the top layer ( 4 ) along a circumference ( 40 ) of the flexible bottom layer ( 3 ), the disposable cartridge ( 2 ) thus being devoid of a spacer ( 5 ) that is located between the flexible bottom layer ( 3 ) and the top layer ( 4 ) for defining a particular distance between said first hydrophobic surface ( 17 ′) and said second hydrophobic surface ( 17 ″),
and wherein the top layer ( 4 ) is configured to provide a seal between a lower end of said at least one compartment ( 21 ) and the gap ( 6 ), the top layer ( 4 ) comprising loading sites ( 41 ) for transferring processing liquids, reagents or samples into the gap ( 6 ).

2. The disposable cartridge ( 2 ) of claim 1 ,
wherein the top layer ( 4 ) is sealingly attached to the lower surface ( 48 ) of the body ( 47 ) of the disposable cartridge ( 2 ):
(i) by an adhesive tape or a glue strip, or
(ii) by welding.

3. The disposable cartridge ( 2 ) of claim 1 ,
wherein the flexible bottom layer ( 3 ) is sealingly attached to the top layer ( 4 ) along a circumference ( 40 ) of the flexible bottom layer ( 3 ):
(i) by an adhesive tape or a glue strip, or
(ii) by welding.

4. The disposable cartridge ( 2 ) of claim 1 ,
wherein the loading sites ( 41 ) are selected from a group comprising piercing sites ( 41 ′), capillary orifices ( 41 ″), and pipetting orifices ( 41 ′″).

5. The disposable cartridge ( 2 ) of claim 4 ,
which comprises at least one plunger ( 42 ) that in each case is configured to be movable within said at least one compartment ( 21 ) manually or by an actuating element ( 38 ) for pressing a content of the respective compartment ( 21 ) against a respective loading site ( 41 ) of the top layer ( 4 ).

6. The disposable cartridge ( 2 ) of claim 5 ,
wherein the plunger ( 42 ) comprises a piercing pin ( 27 ) that is configured for piercing the top layer ( 4 ) at the respective loading site ( 41 ) of the compartment ( 21 ), the plunger ( 42 ) being thus configured for pressing some of the content of the compartment ( 21 ) through the piercing site ( 41 ′) of the top layer ( 4 ) and into the gap ( 6 ).

7. The disposable cartridge ( 2 ) of claim 5 ,
wherein the plunger ( 42 ) is configured for pressing some of the content of the compartment ( 21 ) through a capillary orifice ( 41 ″) of the top layer ( 4 ) and into the gap ( 6 ), the capillary orifice ( 41 ″) being sized to exhibit capillary forces that prevent flowing though of aqueous liquids without a pressure being applied with the plunger ( 42 ).

8. The disposable cartridge ( 2 ) of claim 5 ,
wherein the plunger ( 42 ) is configured to seal the compartment ( 21 ) against an upper surface ( 49 ) of the body ( 47 ) of the disposable cartridge ( 2 ).

9. The disposable cartridge ( 2 ) of claim 5 ,
wherein to an upper surface ( 49 ) of the body ( 47 ) of the disposable cartridge ( 2 ) is sealingly applied to an elastic layer ( 44 ) that is configured to seal at least one of the compartments ( 21 ) against said upper surface ( 49 ).

10. The disposable cartridge ( 2 ) of claim 4 ,
wherein the body ( 47 ) of the disposable cartridge ( 2 ) comprises an essentially flat lower surface ( 48 ) and is configured as a frame structure with a central opening ( 43 ) that penetrates the entire frame structure.

11. The disposable cartridge ( 2 ) of claim 10 ,
wherein the disposable cartridge ( 2 ) further comprises a plane rigid cover plate ( 12 ) that is attached to the lower surface ( 48 ) of the body ( 47 ) of the disposable cartridge ( 2 ), the top layer ( 4 ) being attached to said rigid cover plate ( 12 ), which rigid cover plate ( 12 ) comprising through holes ( 19 ) located at the loading sites ( 41 ) of the top layer ( 4 ).

12. The disposable cartridge ( 2 ) of claim 11 ,
wherein the top layer ( 4 ) comprises at least one pipetting orifice ( 41 ′″) that is located in the central opening ( 43 ) of the disposable cartridge ( 2 ) and that is configured to be accessible by a pipette tip and thus allows pipetting of processing liquids, reagents or samples into the gap ( 6 ).

13. The disposable cartridge ( 2 ) of claim 4 ,
which is configured as a plate-like structure with an essentially flat lower surface ( 48 ), in each case the compartments ( 21 ) leading to said lower surface ( 48 ) with a through hole ( 19 ) at the piercing sites ( 41 ′) or capillary orifices ( 41 ″).

14. The disposable cartridge ( 2 ) of claim 1 ,
wherein the flexible bottom layer ( 3 ) is configured as a monolayer of a hydrophobic material.

15. The disposable cartridge ( 2 ) of claim 1 ,
wherein the flexible bottom layer ( 3 ) is configured as a monolayer of electrically non-conductive material, an upper surface of the flexible bottom layer ( 3 ) being treated to be a hydrophobic surface ( 17 ).

16. The disposable cartridge ( 2 ) of claim 1 ,
wherein the flexible bottom layer ( 3 ) is configured as a laminate comprising a lower layer and a hydrophobic upper layer, the lower layer being electrically conductive or non-conductive.

17. The disposable cartridge ( 2 ) of claim 1 ,
which further comprises a gasket ( 36 ) that is attached to a lower surface and along a circumference ( 40 ) of the flexible bottom layer ( 3 ), the gasket ( 36 ) defining a particular distance between said first hydrophobic surface ( 17 ′) and said second hydrophobic surface ( 17 ″), when the disposable cartridge ( 2 ) is placed over the electrode array ( 9 ) of a digital microfluidics system ( 1 ), if said digital microfluidics system ( 1 ) is equipped with suction holes ( 35 ) in the electrode array ( 9 ), and if the flexible bottom layer ( 3 ) is aspirated by said suction holes ( 35 ).

18. A disposable cartridge ( 2 ) comprising:
(a) a body ( 47 ) with a lower surface ( 48 ), an upper surface ( 49 ), and at least one through hole ( 19 );
(b) a flexible bottom layer ( 3 ) with a first hydrophobic surface ( 17 ′) that is impermeable to liquids and that is configured as a working film for manipulating samples in liquid droplets ( 23 ) thereon utilizing an electrode array ( 9 ) of a digital microfluidics system ( 1 ) when the flexible bottom layer ( 3 ) of the disposable cartridge ( 2 ) is placed over said electrode array ( 9 );
(c) an electrically conductive material ( 15 ) attached to the lower surface ( 48 ) of the body ( 47 ), the electrically conductive material ( 15 ) also being impermeable to liquids and configured to pr

Assignees

• Tecan Trading Ag

Inventors

• Lee Travis
• Lay Tiffany
• Richardson Bruce
• Reimitz S Nicholas

Classifications

• B01L2300/044

  pierceable, e.g. films, membranes · CPC title

• B01L2300/043

  Hinged closures · CPC title

• G01N27/44791 Primary

  Microapparatus (sample containers with integrated microfluidic structures B01L3/5027) · CPC title

• B01L2300/089

  Virtual walls for guiding liquids · CPC title

• B01L3/502792

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