National Health Research Institutes

The General Hospital Corporation

Tsinghua University

Academia Sinica

Chia-Hsien S Hsu

Mehmet Toner

Shannon Stott

Ching-Hui Lin

Hao-Chen Chang

Ing-Ming Chiu

Ying-Chih Chang

Chih-Chen Chen

Chuan-Feng Yeh

Duane S Juang

This invention provides a high-efficient single-cell collection method using a specially designed collection well and collection pipet tip for particle/cell collection from the collection well. The structures of the collection well and pipet tip eliminate fluidic dead volume in the collection, resulting in all (or most) of the particles/cells can be brought into the collection pipette tip with the flow. The advantages of this invention in cell manipulation include high cell collection efficiency, low cell damage and easy operation procedure.

High-efficiency single-cell collection method

A target particle transferring device is disclosed, which comprises: (a) a substrate with a thickness of T and a width of W, having top and bottom portions, the top portion having a top surface and the bottom portion having a bottom surface; (b) a notch structure formed in the bottom portion of the substrate, comprising: a groove with a width of W, located at a distance oft below the top surface of the substrate, wherein the groove is formed in the bottom portion from the bottom surface extending toward the top portion; and (c) a target substrate portion with a width of Wand a thickness of T, located in the top and bottom portions of the substrate and being surrounded by the groove. Methods of transferring a target particle from one device to another is also disclosed.

Selective particles transfer from one device to another

A hydrodynamic shuttling chip device comprising an array of single-cell trapping units is disclosed. Each unit comprises: (a) an incoming channel with a cell capture site; (b) a cell culture chamber located posterior to the cell capture site, having a receiving site spaced apart from the cell capture site at a distance of g; (c) a trapping channel located between the cell capture site and the receiving site; (d) a chamber channel located posterior to and in fluidic connection with the cell culture chamber; and (e) a by-pass channel, located lateral to the incoming channel, chamber and chamber channel and having a first end and a second end opposite to the first end, the first end branching out from the incoming channel immediately prior to the cell capture site and the second end joining the chamber channel. A method of capturing single cells of more than one type is also disclosed.

Microfluidic hydrodynamic shuttling chip device for highthroughput multiple single cells capture

Methods and systems capturing particles suspended in a fluid flowed through a micro-channel, can include flowing the fluid including the particles to be captured through a micro-channel and past a groove defined in a surface of a wall of the micro-channel such that flowing the fluid past the groove forms microvortices in the fluid; contacting at least some of the particles against an adherent disposed on one or more of walls of the microchannel after the microvortices form in the fluid; and capturing at least some of the particles contacting the adherent.

Capturing particles

A microfluidic dual-well device is disclosed. The device comprises: (a) a first substrate having a first end, a second end, and a culture microwell forming portion; (b) a plurality of culture microwells; (c) a second substrate having a first end, a second end, and a capture microwell forming portion, the two ends of the second substrate being respectively bounded to the two ends of the first substrate; (d) a plurality of capture microwells; (e) a microfluidic channel; (f) a microfluidic inlet port; and (g) a microfluidic outlet port; wherein the microfluidic channel is in fluidic connections with the culture microwells, the capture microwells, and the inlet and outlet ports. Methods of capturing and transferring a single cell or a single cell colony for culture, and method of transferring a target cell from a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) structure of culture microwells to a culture plate for culture are also disclosed.

Microfluidic dual-well device for highthroughput single-cell capture and culture

A system and method thereof for collecting and concentrating a biologic substance of interest is provided. The biologic of interest obtained from a biologic sample present at an initial low concentration (or low number counts) can be captured and released through a collection device of the system to an intermediate second concentration, and further recovered through a concentration device of the system to a third concentration, thereby facilitating subsequent detection, characterization, enumeration, immunostaining, inspection, imaging, culturing, molecular analysis, and/or other assays.

Collection and concentration system for biologic substance of interest and use thereof

A microfluidic hanging drop chip is disclosed. Also disclosed are methods for culturing cells and forming cell aggregates in hanging drops.

Growing community of inventors

Zhunan Town, Taiwan

Chia-Hsien S Hsu