Aclara Biosciences, Inc.

Travis Boone

Sharat Singh

Edwin F Ullman

Ian Gibbons

Torleif Ove Bjornson

Samuel Benjamin Schaevitz

Herbert H Hooper

Hilary Sue Lackritz

Antonio J Ricco

Vivian Xiao

Mark Harwood

Xiaowen Hu

Torlief Bjornson

David Slomski

Improved sealing for microstructures in microfluidic devices having a plurality of units is provided by providing collars surrounding the openings to the microstructures, such as reservoirs. The collars are protrusions extending from the surface of the devices and the internal walls of the collars generally aligned with the internal walls of the microstructure. Conformable and/or adhesive lids are employed for sealing the microstructures.

Efficient microfluidic sealing

Microfluidic devices are provided having units of 8-fold symmetry comprising 8 assay units, where a reservoir provides a common component to 8 assay units. The units can be compactly formed in a substrate to provide the ability to perform a large number of assays within a small area. The microfluidic devices find use in operations, such as assays, DNA sequence detection, etc. Various formats can be used to have the microfluidic device interrelate with microtiter well plates. Methods are provided for monitoring the flow rates/velocities of assay components and streams for comparison of results in different assay units and/or to modify the conditions to change the flow rates in particular channels.

Efficient compound distribution in microfluidic devices

An improved microfluidics device and system for sample loading and injection are disclosed. The device includes three main channels&mdash;a separation channel, supply channel, and drain channel&mdash;for use in loading and injecting a sample from the supply channel. Pairs of peripheral channels connecting the supply channel with upstream and downstream regions of the separation channel, and connecting supply and drain channels to a downstream region of the separation channel promote fluid flow and/or ion in the channel network to effect (i) sample shaping in the separation channel, when an electrokinetic or pneumatic force is applied between the supply and drain channels, and (ii) sample pullback in the supply and drain channels, when an electrokinetic or pneumatic force is applied between opposite ends of the separation channel. The system incorporates the device, electrodes that interact with reservoirs in the device, and a control unit.

Microfluidic device and system with improved sample handling

Devices and methods are provided using microfluidic devices for manipulating small volumes and determining a variety of chemical and physical events. The devices rely upon an opening to the atmosphere of a small volume in a zone, where a sample is placed in the zone where evaporation can occur. The zone is maintained in contact with a liquid medium that serves to replenish the liquid in the zone and maintain the composition of the mixture in the zone substantially constant. The diffusion of components in the zone is restricted during the course of the determination by the liquid flux into the zone.

Sample evaporative control

Multilevel microfluidic structures and their use are provided for performing operations using electrokinetic or pneumatic force for moving sample components through and between levels. The devices have flow systems comprising microstructures including reservoirs, channels and vias, where each of the levels or lamina has a plurality of microstructures, and where the microstructures may communicate between levels.

Multilevel flow structures

Microvolume sample plate

Growing community of inventors

San Mateo, CA, United States of America

Travis Boone