Tecan Trading Ag

Tiffany Lay

Daniel Hoffmeyer

Thomas D Perroud

Anne R Kopf-Sill

Travis Lee

Manjeet Dhindsa

Dan Tran

Bruce J Richardson

Marc Nathan Feiglin

Daniel Tran

Michael Benjamin Franklin

Werner Hälg

S Nicholas Reimitz

Nicholas S Reimnitz

Bruce Richardson

Marc N Feiglin

Werner HÄLG

A digital microfluidics system with electrodes attached to a substrate and covered by a hydrophobic surface and a control unit for manipulating liquid droplets by electrowetting, providing in close proximity to electrodes a magnetic conduit for directing a magnetic field of a backing magnet to the first hydrophobic surface, providing on the hydrophobic surface a liquid droplet that has magnetically responsive beads moving by electrowetting the liquid droplet with the magnetically responsive beads until a part of which is placed atop of the magnetic conduit, actuating the backing magnet of the magnetic conduit and attracting/concentrating magnetically responsive beads while actuating the backing magnet, moving by electrowetting the liquid droplet with decreased number of magnetically responsive beads away from the specific magnetic conduit. Also disclosed are a method for suspending magnetically responsive beads in liquid portions or droplets in digital microfluidics and a disposable cartridge to carry out the methods.

Magnetic conduits in microfluidics

A digital microfluidics system with electrodes attached to a substrate and covered by a hydrophobic surface, and a control unit for manipulating liquid droplets by electrowetting; providing in close proximity to electrodes a magnetic conduit for directing a magnetic field of a backing magnet to the first hydrophobic surface; providing on the hydrophobic surface a liquid droplet that has magnetically responsive beads; moving by electrowetting the liquid droplet with the magnetically responsive beads until a part of which is placed atop of the magnetic conduit; actuating the backing magnet of the magnetic conduit and attracting/concentrating magnetically responsive beads; and while actuating the backing magnet, moving by electrowetting the liquid droplet with decreased number of magnetically responsive beads away from the specific magnetic conduit. Also disclosed are a method for suspending magnetically responsive beads in liquid portions or droplets in digital microfluidics and a disposable cartridge to carry out the methods.

Digital microfluidics system with electrodes attached to a PCB has control unit for manipulating liquid droplets by electrowetting, cartridge accommodation site for taking up a disposable cartridge having a working gap in-between two hydrophobic surfaces, and magnetic conduit/backing combination. A barrier element on an individual electrode of the PCB for narrowing the working gap. A disposable cartridge is positioned at the cartridge accommodation site, its flexible working film touching there and of the barrier element an uppermost surface. In the working gap and above a path of selected electrodes a liquid portion or liquid droplet with magnetically responsive beads moves by electrowetting on the electrode path until a magnetic field of the magnetic conduit is reached. The backing magnet is activated before and during the moving to thereby attract and remove magnetically responsive beads therefrom.

Bead separation in microfluidics

A disposable cartridge configured as a digital microfluidics system for manipulating samples in liquid portions having a cartridge accommodation site and a central control unit for controlling selection of individual electrodes of an electrode array located at the site and for providing plural electrodes with individual voltage pulses for manipulating liquid portions by electrowetting. The cartridge has a hydrophobic working surface and a rigid cover with a second hydrophobic surface, the hydrophobic surfaces facing each other and being separated in parallel planes by a gap. The cartridge has plural pipetting guides for safe entering/withdrawing liquids into/from the gap with a pipette tip. At least one of the pipetting guides provides an abutting surface sealingly admittable by a counter surface of a pipette tip, located at a pipetting orifice that reaches through the rigid cover, and configured to prevent a pipette tip from touching the hydrophobic working surface.

Microfluidics cartridge with pipetting guide

A digital microfluidics system for manipulating samples in liquid droplets within a gap between a first hydrophobic surface of a bottom layer and a second hydrophobic surface of at least one disposable cartridge. Disposable cartridges comprise a body and/or a rigid cover plate. The bottom layer of each disposable cartridge is a flexible film that is sealingly attached to the body or plate. The cartridge has no spacer between the first and second hydrophobic surfaces. When using these cartridges, the bottom layers configured as a working film for manipulating samples in liquid droplets thereon, is placed on an electrode array of a digital microfluidics system. The array has individual electrodes. The digital microfluidics system also comprises a central control unit for controlling the selection of the individual electrodes of the electrode array and for providing these electrodes with individual voltage pulses for manipulating liquid droplets by electrowetting.

Disposable cartridge for microfluidics system

A disposable cartridge used in a digital microfluidics system has a bottom layer with first hydrophobic surface, a rigid cover plate with second hydrophobic surface, and a gap there-between. The bottom layer is a flexible film on an uppermost surface of a cartridge accommodation site of a system, attracted to and spread over the uppermost surface by an underpressure. A lower surface of the plate and the flexible bottom layer are sealed to each other. The assembled cartridge is removed from the cartridge accommodation site in one piece and potentially includes samples and processing fluids. The system has a base unit and a cartridge accommodation site with an electrode array of individual electrodes and a central control unit for controlling selection of individual electrodes and for providing these electrodes with individual voltage pulses for manipulating liquid droplets within the gap by electrowetting.

Disposable cartridge for microfluidics systems

Digital microfluidics system manipulates samples in liquid droplets within a gap of at least one disposable cartridge. It is also provides additional space for collecting and/or storing waste fluids in this digital microfluidics system. It includes at least one waste hollow which is fluidly connected with a gap of a disposable cartridge that includes a bottom layer with a first hydrophobic surface and a top layer with a second hydrophobic surface. The waste hollow is located next to at least one individual waste electrode that is positioned next to at least one individual electrode of an electrode array. Each individual waste electrode is operatively connected to a central control unit and covers in each case a waste electrode area.

Microfluidics systems with waste hollow

A disposable cartridge had body, bottom layer with first hydrophobic surface, top layer with a second hydrophobic surface, and gap between. The bottom layer is a flexible film sealingly attached at its circumference to the top layer. No spacer is between the layers. The top layer has loading sites for transferring processing liquids into the gap. In use, the bottom layer is a working film for manipulating samples in liquid droplets and is placed on an electrode array of a digital microfluidics system having base unit with cartridge accommodation site and electrode array at the site. The electrode array is supported by a bottom substrate that extends in a first plane and has individual electrodes. The system also includes a central control unit for controlling selection of the electrodes and for providing these electrodes with individual voltage pulses for manipulating liquid droplets within the gap by electrowetting.

Growing community of inventors

San Jose, CA, United States of America

Tiffany Lay