The Governors of the University of Alberta

Gregor Ocvirk

D Jed Harrison

Cameron Skinner

Hossein Salimi-Moosavi

Edgar Arriaga

Pierre Thibault

Jianjun Li

Per E Andersson

Can Wang

Yutao Jiang

Nghia H Chiem

Nicolas Bings

Graham H McKinnon

Thompson Tang

A method is provided for joining a microchip device to a capillary tube. The microchip device has a capillary channel opening onto an edge surface of the device. A short hole is drilled into the edge surface, aligned with the capillary channel. The drilling is done with a flat bottom, preferably by a two-step drilling process. Then, the end of the capillary can be inserted into the hole so that its end is substantially flush with the flat bottom of the hole, thereby eliminating dead volume. Testing has shown that this connection provides very little band broadening of samples transported through the capillary channel into the capillary tube. The tip of the capillary tube can be tapered, so that it is suitable for use as an electrospray source for a mass spectrometer.

Microfluidic devices connected to glass capillaries with minimal dead volume

A method for the detection of cell contents, the method comprising the steps of, introducing a cell into a channel in a microchip; lysing the cell to release cell contents into the channel; moving the cell contents towards a detection zone; and detecting the cell contents at the detection zone. An apparatus for the detection of cell contents, the apparatus comprising: a microchip; a cell mobilization channel formed in the microchip, the cell mobilization channel having a cell introduction end and a detection end; a cell mobilizer operably connected with the cell introduction end for moving cells from the cell introduction end to the detection end; means for lysing cells in the cell mobilization channel at a lysing zone, the lysing zone being located between the cell introduction end and the detection end; and a detector, disposed adjacent the detector end, arranged to detect cell contents appearing at the detector end that have been moved from the lysing zone to the detector end by the cell mobilizer.

Microchip based enzymatic analysis

An improved absorbance or detection cell for a microfluid device, and in accordance with an aspect of the invention, the absorbance cell comprises a bottom plate having a channel bearing surface in which a channel having a fluid inlet and fluid outlet is defined, a top plate having a channel facing surface bound to the channel bearing surface of the bottom plate and first and second reflecting elements formed on opposed sides of the channel to form a waveguide through which the channel extends such that radiation propagating along the waveguide makes multiple passes across the channel, the waveguide having a radiation input end and a radiation output end.

Absorbance cell for microfluid devices

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Edmonton, Canada

Gregor Ocvirk