Leibniz-Institut Für Naturstoff-Forschung Und Infektionsbiologie—hans-Knöll-Institut

Miguel Tovar

Emerson Zang

Martin Roth

Lisa Mahler

Thomas Weber

A system for incubating microfluidic droplets includes a droplet incubator, a gas exchanger and a conveyor. A method provides homogeneous incubation conditions in a droplet incubator by targeted introduction of gases and/or gas mixtures into a carrier fluid.

System for incubating microfluidic droplets and method for producing homogeneous incubation conditions in a droplet incubation unit

The disclosure relates to a method and a system for the isolation of picoliter droplets from a continuous stream of carrier fluid in a microfluidic system. In particular the disclosure relates to a system that comprises a sorter, a detector and a collector. The sorter serves for a selection of picoliter droplets with a desired content based upon an optical signal obtained from the picoliter droplets. The selected picoliter droplets are guided towards the detector that comprises a detection channel that is arranged perpendicular to a light beam. By means of a photodetector that is aligned with the optical axis of the light beam the passage of the picoliter droplets can be detected. The collector comprises multiple wells and the detection of the passage of the picoliter droplets results in a relative movement of the detector and a collector such that the picoliter droplet is isolated by depositing it into one of said wells. The disclosure moreover relates to a method that uses such a system to isolate individual picoliter droplets. In particular the disclosure relates to a method that allows for an analysis and/or further processing of the content of the picoliter droplets that have been isolated from a microfluidic system by depositing them into a well.

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Jena, Germany

Miguel Tovar