The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Nov. 05, 2024
Filed:
Oct. 25, 2022
Lightcast Discovery Ltd, Cambridge, GB;
Tom Isaac, Cambridge, GB;
Barnaby Balmforth, Cambridge, GB;
Jasmin Conterio, Cambridge, GB;
Kerr Francis Johnson, Cambridge, GB;
Maciej Sosna, Cambridge, GB;
Richard Ingham, Cambridge, GB;
Gareth Podd, Cambridge, GB;
LIGHTCAST DISCOVERY LTD, Cambridge, GB;
Abstract
A method of manipulating microdroplets having an average volume in the range 0.5 femtolitres to 10 nanolitres comprised of at least one biological component and a first aqueous medium having a water activity of aof less than 1 is provided. It is characterised by the step of maintaining the microdroplets in a water-immiscible carrier fluid which further includes secondary droplets having an average volume less than 25% of the average volume of the microdroplets up to and including a maximum of 4 femtolitres and wherein the volume ratio of carrier fluid to total volume of microdroplets per unit volume of the total is greater than 2:1. The method may be employed for example with microdroplets containing biological cells or with microdroplets containing single nucleoside phosphate such as are prepared in a droplet-based nucleic acid sequencer. The method is suitable for controlling for example cellular, chemical or enzymatic processes and/or microdroplet size in microdroplets or single nucleotide nucleic acid sequencing.