Device and method for pressure-driven plug transport and reaction

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9889446-B2
Application number	US-201715586896-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 4, 2017
Priority date	May 9, 2002
Publication date	Feb 13, 2018
Grant date	Feb 13, 2018

Abstract

The present invention provides microfabricated substrates and methods of conducting reactions within these substrates. The reactions occur in plugs transported in the flow of a carrier-fluid.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method comprising:
flowing a first plug fluid stream in a first microchannel toward a junction, the first plug fluid stream comprising a particle;
flowing a second plug fluid stream in a second microchannel toward the junction, the second plug fluid stream comprising a biological element, wherein the first and second plug fluid streams meet at a first junction such that the particle and the biological element co-flow with each other downstream of the first junction toward a second junction; and
flowing a carrier fluid that is immiscible with the first and second plug fluid streams to the second junction; and
forming a plurality of plugs at the second junction, each of the plurality of plugs being separated by the carrier fluid and at least one of the plurality of plugs comprising the particle and the biological element.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the carrier fluid is an oil.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the particle and biological element within the at least one plug allow for a reaction to occur.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the reaction is an autocatalytic reaction.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the autocatalytic reaction is a polymerase-chain reaction (PCR).

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the biological element comprises a biological molecule.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the biological molecule is DNA or RNA.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the biological molecule is a protein.

9. The method of claim 6 , wherein the biological molecule is secreted from a cell.

10. The method of claim 6 , wherein the at least one plug comprises a single biological molecule.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the particle is a microbead.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first and second plug fluids comprises a reagent.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first and second plug fluids comprises a solvent.

Assignees

• Univ Chicago

Inventors

• Ismagilov Rustem F
• Tice Joshua David
• Song Baca Helen
• Roach Lewis Spencer

Classifications

• B01J2219/00869

  Microreactors placed in parallel, on the same or on different supports · CPC title

• B01J2219/00889

  Mixing · CPC title

• B01J2219/0086

  Dimensions of the flow channels · CPC title

• B82Y30/00

  Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites · CPC title

• B01J2219/0074

  Biological products · CPC title