Sphere Fluidics Limited

Cambridge Enterprise Limited

Sdix, LLC

Graeme Whyte

Xin Li

Clive Adrian Smith

Xin Liu

Frank F Craig

Karine Enesa

Chris Abell

Wilhelm T S Huck

Ross Stewart Chambers

Tony R Joaquim

Lewis Joe Stafford

Daniel Bratton

Luis M Fidalgo

A method of label-free cell or particle sorting in a microfluidic device includes providing a stream of aqueous droplets in oil in a channel of the microfluidic device, wherein at least some of the droplets include cells or particles and illuminating the stream from a first direction. Then, one detects scattered light from cells or particles within said aqueous droplets in a second direction. Next, one determines a number of the cells or particles in each droplet from the scattered light and sorts the aqueous droplets into differentiated streams. Notably, the refractive index of said oil is modified to closely match a refractive index of the aqueous droplets to reduce light scattered from boundaries of the droplets. A volume of the droplets can also controlled.

Microfluidic devices and systems

The present invention provides an emulsion for sorting droplets in a microfluidic device, the emulsion comprising:

Emulsion

A flow cell for a microfluidic device can include a chamber, first microfluidic entry and exit channels, second microfluidic entry and exit channels, a first electrode, and a second electrode. A microfluidic device can include a microfluidic channel, a laser to excite fluorescent material, and a detector to detect fluorescence emission. Methods of merging a droplet from an emulsion in to a second stream of fluid and of detecting a content of a droplet in a stream are further disclosed.

Microfluidic systems

This invention relates to microfluidic systems and more particularly to methods and apparatus for accessing the contents of micro droplets () in an emulsion stream. A method of accessing the contents of a droplet () of an emulsion in a microfluidic system, the method comprising: flowing the emulsion alongside a continuous, non-emulsive stream of second fluid () to provide an interface () between said emulsion and said stream of second fluid (); and in embodiments applying one or both of an electric () and magnetic field across said interface () to alter a trajectory of a said droplet () of said emulsion to cause said droplet to coalesce with said stream of second fluid (); and accessing said contents of said droplet () in said second stream ().

Growing community of inventors

Uttenreuth, Germany

Graeme Whyte