Fluidic device for aliquoting and combinatorial mixing of liquids

Abstract

The present invention relates to fluidic devices, especially microfluidic devices, for aliquoting and pairwise combinatorial mixing of a first set of liquids with a second set of liquids. The device architecture is designed to move liquids in two separate phases, a first phase where the liquids are exposed to a first directional force field to move the liquids in a first direction, from a reservoir to aliquot chambers, and a second phase where the liquids are exposed to a second directional force field to move the liquids in a second direction, from the aliquot chambers to the mixing chambers. The first and second directional force fields that the device is exposed to may be achieved using a single directional force field (i.e. a rotor driven centrifugal force field) and by re-orienting the position of the device with respect to the centrifugal forces between the first and second phases of operation. The device architecture comprises reservoirs for each of the first fluids and reservoirs for each of the second fluids. Each reservoir is fluidically connected to aliquoting chambers, either arranged in parallel or in series, for providing aliquots of the fluid which may be metered. The conduits providing fluid communication between the reservoirs and aliquoting chambers are arranged in a first direction. A series of mixing chambers is also provided, and each mixing chamber is fluidically connected to one aliquot chamber for a first liquid and one aliquoting chamber for a second liquid. The conduits providing fluid communication between the aliquoting chambers and mixing chambers are arranged in a second direction.