University System of Maryland

Canon U.s.a., Inc.

Canon U.S. Life Sciences, Inc.

Ian M White

Kunal R Pandit

Srinivasa R Raghavan

Stephen Restaino

Donald K Milton

Marina Pranda

Jeffrey M Burke

Jeffrey Burke

Imaly Nanayakkara

Wei Wen Yu

Weidong Cao

The present invention relates to methods and systems for cell lysis in a microfluidic device. More specifically, embodiments of the present invention relate to methods and systems for rapid continuous flow pathogen cell lysis. In one embodiment, the microfluidic device comprises a microfluidic channel, a microporous structure within the channel, and an enzyme immobilized on the surface of the microporous structure configured to lyse pathogen cells in fluid flowing through the microfluidic channel.

Methods and systems for rapid continuous flow pathogen cell lysis in a microfluidic channel

The present invention relates to a method for concentrating a biological sample containing nucleic acids by using magnetic chitosan microparticles and subsequently performing a PCR reaction on the nucleic acids captured on the microparticles. The chitosan microparticles added to the biological sample at a PCR compatible pH are mechanically agitated to provide for cell lysis and simultaneous DNA capture, and then serve as a solid support for the nucleic acid template during the PCR reaction. As the chitosan microparticles are utilized for lysis and the nucleic acids do not need to be removed from the microparticles before PCR, the ease of the sample preparation procedure is dramatically improved.

Single-step DNA preparation for polymerase chain reaction using magnetic chitosan microparticles

A spiral inertial filtration device is capable of high-throughput (1 mL/min), high-purity particle separation while concentrating recovered target particles by more than an order of magnitude. Large fractions of sample fluid are removed from a microchannel without disruption of concentrated particle streams by taking advantage of particle focusing in inertial spiral microfluidics, which is achieved by balancing inertial lift forces and Dean drag forces. To enable the calculation of channel geometries in the device for specific concentration factors, an equivalent circuit model was developed and experimentally validated. Large particle concentration factors were achieved by maintaining either average fluid velocity or Dean number throughout the entire length of the channel during the incremental removal of sample fluid. Also provided is the ability to simultaneously separate more than one particle from the same sample.

Particle separation and concentration using spiral inertial filtration

The invention relates to a method and system for generating droplets of an aqueous solution on a microfluidic chip with an air continuous phase. Specifically, the droplet generator according to the present invention is integrated into a microfluidic chip to generate and introduce droplets of an aqueous solution into the microfluidic chip. The droplets travelling in a network of chip channels may be captured in on-chip traps in a manner defined by hydrodynamic resistances of chip channels. A biological reaction may be performed on a droplet trapped on the microfluidic chip.

Generation and trapping of aqueous droplets in a microfluidic chip with an air continuous phase

The present invention relates generally to the use of a class of surfactants for emulsion and droplet polymerase chain reaction ('PCR') mixtures. The class of surfactants consists of those having the chemical formula R&#x2014;(OCHCH)&#x2014;OH, wherein R is an alkyl group consisting of 12 to 18 carbons and n is 2 to 25. The present invention also relates to methods, devices, systems, and kits incorporating the above-described class of surfactants.

Methods, devices and systems for emulsion/droplet PCR

A system and method for detecting a biomarker in exhaled breath condensate nanodroplets comprises noninvasively collecting exhaled breath condensate nanodroplets of a subject, and analyzing said nanodroplets utilizing immuno-quantitative polymerase chain reaction to detect one or more target biomarkers.

Human exhaled aerosol droplet biomarker system and method

The present invention relates to methods and systems for cell lysis in a microfluidic device. More specifically, embodiments of the present invention relate to methods and systems for rapid continuous flow mechanical cell lysis. In one embodiment, a microfluidic device includes one or more microfluidic channels, each channel comprising constricted regions and non-constricted regions separating the constricted regions, wherein the constricted regions are configured to disrupt the cellular membranes of cells in fluid flowing through the one or more microfluidic channels.

Methods and systems for continuous flow cell lysis in a microfluidic device

A surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) analytical device includes a substrate having a porous structure, and a plurality of plasmonic nanoparticles embedding in the porous structure and forming a sensing region. A method of detecting a target analyte in a sample includes contacting the sample with the substrate, whereby the target analyte, if present in the sample, is concentrated in the sensing matrix. The substrate may then be analyzed using SERS detection equipment.

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Ellicott City, MD, United States of America

Ian M White