Inlet and outlet geometries for a vertical three-stream microfluidic device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9909099-B2
Application number	US-201615383374-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 19, 2016
Priority date	Apr 17, 2012
Publication date	Mar 6, 2018
Grant date	Mar 6, 2018

Abstract

An example includes an apparatus for separating cells from a fluid sample, including a plenum, defining: a centrally located top inlet, and respective side outlets disposed below the inlet and to the side of the inlet; and a bottom outlet disposed below the top inlet, to the side of the two or more outlets, wherein the plenum is configured to receive a fluid and cells suspension through the inlet, and direct it to the bottom outlet, against respective side-walls extending between the bottom outlet and the two or more side outlets, and wherein the distance between each of the two or more side outlets and the bottom outlet is selected to encourage cells to exit through the bottom outlet under a force. Lateral/vertical distance between the inlet and side outlets can provide lateral fluid travel, thereby allowing time for gravity to bias cells toward an outlet.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for separating cells from a fluid in a fluid sample under the influence of a force, comprising:
a first channel configured to allow for passage of the fluid sample therethrough to a plenum;
a second channel for transporting the cells away from the plenum;
at least a third channel for transporting the fluid away from the plenum; and
the plenum having:
an end wall;
a first side wall oriented at a first acute angle relative to the end wall;
a second side wall opposing the first side wall and oriented at a second acute angle relative to the end wall;
an inlet in the end wall, the inlet communicating with the first channel;
a first outlet spaced from the inlet and disposed between the first side wall and the second side wall, wherein the first outlet communicates with the second channel;
at least one side outlet disposed to a side of the inlet and disposed between the first side wall and the end wall, the at least one side outlet communicating with the third channel; and
a diminishing cross-sectional area in a direction of the force with a first cross-sectional area proximate the inlet larger than a second cross-sectional area proximate the first outlet of the plenum,
wherein the plenum has a first distance between the at least one side outlet and the first outlet, the first distance is selected based on a settling velocity of the cells in the fluid such that substantially only the cells exit the plenum through the first outlet to the second channel under the force while substantially only the fluid exits the plenum through the at least one side outlet to at least the third channel under the force.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first side wall extends between the first outlet and the at least one side outlet.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first side wall is disposed at an acute angle to the direction of the force.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the first side wall is disposed at a 60 degree angle to the direction of the force.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the plenum has a second distance between the inlet and the at least one side outlet, and wherein both of the first distance and the second distance are selected based on the settling velocity of the cells in the fluid.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the force includes at least one of a gravitational force and a centrifugal force.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the plenum is positioned such that the gravitational force pulls the cells downward from the inlet to the first outlet.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the plenum proximate the inlet is wider along a y-direction than it is in a z-direction horizontally orthogonal to the y-direction, and wherein the direction of the force is along an x-axis direction that is orthogonal to both the y-direction and the z-direction.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first outlet is positioned to correspond to a vertex between the first side wall and the second side wall.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the force is aligned substantially parallel with a line between the inlet and the first outlet.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one side outlet comprises a first side outlet and a second side outlet, and wherein an area of the first side outlet, an area of the second side outlet, and an area of the first outlet are substantially equal.

12. An apparatus for separating cells from a fluid of a fluid sample under the influence of a force, comprising:
a first channel configured to allow for passage of the fluid sample therethrough to a plenum;
a second channel for transporting the cells away from the plenum;
at least a third channel for transporting the fluid away from the plenum; and
the plenum having:
an end wall;
a first side wall oriented at an acute angle relative to the end wall;
a second side wall opposing the first side wall and oriented at an acute angle relative to the end wall, wherein the first side wall and second side wall are spaced relatively closer together proximate a first outlet than proximate the end wall;
an inlet communicating with the first channel;
the first outlet disposed between the first side wall and the second side wall, wherein the first outlet communicates with the second channel and is positioned relative to the first side wall, the second side wall and the inlet to allow substantially only the cells to pass to the second channel under the force;
the first side outlet disposed between the first side wall and the end wall, wherein the first side outlet communicates with the third channel and is positioned relative to the inlet and the first side wall to allow substantially only the fluid to pass to the third channel under the force;
a diminishing cross-sectional area in a direction of the force with a first cross-sectional area proximate the end wall larger than a second cross-sectional area proximate the first outlet of the plenum.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the first side wall has a first distance between the first outlet and the first side outlet, the first distance is selected based on a settling velocity of cells in the fluid such that substantially only the cells exit the plenum through the first outlet under the force while substantially only the fluid exits the plenum through the first side outlet.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the plenum has a second distance between an inlet in the end wall and the first side outlet, the second distance selected based on the settling velocity of the cells in the fluid.

15. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the plenum includes:
the first outlet is disposed at a vertex between the first side wall and the second side wall.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the plenum is oriented such that the force is aligned substantially parallel with a line between the inlet and the first outlet.

17. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the force comprises a gravitational force and the vertex is in alignment with the gravitational force to pull the cells downward from the inlet to the first outlet.

18. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the force comprises a centrifugal force and the vertex is in alignment with the centrifugal force to pull the cells radially outward from the inlet to the first outlet.

19. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the first side wall and the second side wall are each disposed at acute angle relative to the direction of the force.

20. An apparatus for separating cells from a fluid of a fluid sample under the influence of a force, comprising:
a first channel configured to allow for passage of the fluid sample therethrough to a plenum;
a second channel for transporting the cells away from the plenum;
at least a third channel for transporting the fluid away from the plenum; and
the plenum having:
an end wall with an inlet communicating with the first channel;
a first side wall oriented at an acute angle relative to the end wall;
a second side wall opposing the first side wall and oriented at an acute angle relative to the end wall;
at least one side outlet disposed to a side of the inlet between the end wall and the first side wall, wherein the at least one side outlet communicates with the third channel and is positioned relative to the inlet and the first side wall to allow substantially only the fluid to pass to the third channel under the force;
a first outlet disposed at a vertex between the first side wall and the second side wall and disposed across the p

Assignees

• Univ Minnesota

Inventors

• Hubel Allison
• Hanna Jacob

Classifications

• B01L3/502753

  characterised by bulk separation arrangements on lab-on-a-chip devices, e.g. for filtration or centrifugation · CPC title

• B01L2300/0861

  Configuration of multiple channels and/or chambers in a single devices · CPC title

• C12M23/16

  Microfluidic devices; Capillary tubes (integrated microfluidic structures B01L3/5027; microreactors B01J19/0093) · CPC title

• B01L3/50273

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

• B01L2300/0858

  Side walls · CPC title