The General Hospital Corporation

Jon F Edd

Mehmet Toner

Daniel Irimia

Dino DiCarlo

Thomas L Toth

Ravi Kapur

Baris R Mutlu

Kaja Kaastrup

Memhet Toner

Xiaoming He

Methods of using particle size amplification to facilitate size-based particle separation and concentration. At least one of the methods includes introducing a plurality of binding moieties into a fluid sample; allowing at least one of the binding moieties to bind two or more biological particles to form a particle cluster, in which the particle cluster includes a first type of biological particle bound to a second different type of biological particle; and flowing the fluid sample including the particle cluster into a particle sorting region of a microfluidic device.

Size-based particle separation and concentration using particle size amplification

Various systems, methods, and devices are provided for focusing particles suspended within a moving fluid into one or more localized stream lines. The system can include a substrate and at least one channel provided on the substrate having an inlet and an outlet. The system can further include a fluid moving along the channel in a laminar flow having suspended particles and a pumping element driving the laminar flow of the fluid. The fluid, the channel, and the pumping element can be configured to cause inertial forces to act on the particles and to focus the particles into one or more stream lines.

Systems and methods for particle focusing in microchannels

This disclosure provides systems and methods to extend the capabilities of inertial and/or viscoelastic focusing in channels, such as microchannels. The new systems and methods can be integrated with existing microfluidic devices for inertial and/or viscoelastic manipulation of particles that have defied prior attempts, enabling a variety of applications in clinical diagnosis. The particles, e.g., bioparticles and cells, focus into streamlines in the same way and in the same locations as in existing inertial and viscoelastic focusing systems, but at much lower particle Reynolds numbers, much lower shear stress, over much shorter distances, and at lower driving pressures and/or flow rates.

Oscillatory focusing of particles in channels

Microfluidic devices and methods for the encapsulation of particles within liquid droplets are disclosed. The new methods and devices form 1-100 picoliter-size monodisperse droplets containing the particles, such as single cells, encapsulated in individual liquid droplets. The particles can be encapsulated in droplets of a fluid by passing a fluid containing the particles through a high aspect-ratio microchannel to order the particles in the fluid, followed by forming the fluid into droplets. The resulting fraction of the liquid droplets with a single particle (e.g., a cell) is higher than the corresponding fraction of single-particle liquid droplets predicted by Poisson statistics.

Microfluidic droplet encapsulation

The present invention features novel methods for the cryopreservation of mammalian cell that combine the advantages of the slow-freezing and vitrification approaches while avoiding their shortcomings. Generally, the methods include the use of a capillary tube made of a thermally conductive wall material and a thin wall such that the ratio of the thermal conductivity of the wall material to the wall thickness is at least 1,000-500,000. The solution is then exposed to temperatures equal to or less than &#x2212;80&#xb0; C. and the vitrification solution containing the mammalian cells is cooled at a rate equal to or greater than 30,000-100,000,000&#xb0; C./minute. The exposure of the capillary tube with a thermally conductive and thin wall allows for vitrification of the solution in the absence of ice formation. Cryoprotectants can also be added to the vitrification solution to further prevent ice formation.

Growing community of inventors

Arlington, MA, United States of America

Jon F Edd