HIGH THROUGHPUT SCREENING OF CRYSTALLIZATION MATERIALS
First Claim
1. A method of priming a microfluidic device with a liquid material, the method comprising:
- loading a plurality of wells on an upper surface of a microfluidic device with a liquid material;
biasing a holder piece against the upper surface such that a continuous raised rim of the holder piece presses against the upper surface surrounding the wells, such that a chamber is created over the wells; and
applying a positive pressure to the chamber to drive the material from the wells into an active area of the elastomeric microfluidic structure.
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Accused Products
Abstract
High throughput screening of crystallization of a target material is accomplished by simultaneously introducing a solution of the target material into a plurality of chambers of a microfabricated fluidic device. The microfabricated fluidic device is then manipulated to vary the solution condition in the chambers, thereby simultaneously providing a large number of crystallization environments. Control over changed solution conditions may result from a variety of techniques, including but not limited to metering volumes of crystallizing agent into the chamber by volume exclusion, by entrapment of volumes of crystallizing agent determined by the dimensions of the microfabricated structure, or by cross-channel injection of sample and crystallizing agent into an array of junctions defined by intersecting orthogonal flow channels.
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Citations
10 Claims
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1. A method of priming a microfluidic device with a liquid material, the method comprising:
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loading a plurality of wells on an upper surface of a microfluidic device with a liquid material;
biasing a holder piece against the upper surface such that a continuous raised rim of the holder piece presses against the upper surface surrounding the wells, such that a chamber is created over the wells; and
applying a positive pressure to the chamber to drive the material from the wells into an active area of the elastomeric microfluidic structure. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3)
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4. A method of actuating a valve within a microfluidic elastomer device, the method comprising:
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applying a holder piece having a continuous raised rim against a surface of a microfluidic device having a plurality of control line outlets to create a chamber over the outlets; and
applying a positive or negative pressure to the chamber to control a pressure within the control line and thereby actuate a elastomeric valve membrane of the microfluidic device that is in communication with the control line. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6)
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7. A method of exercising temporal control over diffusion between two fluids, the method comprising:
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providing a microfluidic flow channel in an elastomer material, a membrane portion of the elastomer material positioned within the flow channel to define a valve;
priming a first portion of the flow channel on one side of the membrane with a first fluid;
priming a second portion of the flow channel on the opposite side of the flow channel with a second fluid; and
repeatedly moving the elastomer membrane into and out of the flow channel over time to allow diffusion between the first fluid and the second fluid across the valve. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10)
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Specification