Integrated system for processing microfluidic samples, and method of using the same
First Claim
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1. An apparatus, comprising:
- a receiving bay configured to receive an insertable microfluidic cartridge;
at least one heat source thermally coupled to the cartridge and configured to apply heat to one or more selected regions of the cartridge at one or more selected times, in order to;
create a micro-droplet of a polynucleotide-containing biological sample held on the cartridge;
cause the micro-droplet to move between one or more positions on the microfluidic cartridge;
lyse cells, where present in the biological sample, thereby releasing polynucleotides from the cells;
prepare one or more of the polynucleotides for amplification; and
amplify one or more of the polynucleotides;
a detector configured to detect presence of the one or more amplified polynucleotides; and
a processor coupled to the detector and the at least one heat source, wherein the processor is configured to control applying heat to the one or more selected regions of the microfluidic cartridge at one or more selected times.
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Abstract
This patent application describes an integrated apparatus for processing polynucleotide-containing samples, and for providing a diagnostic result thereon. The apparatus is configured to receive a microfluidic cartridge that contains reagents and a network for processing a sample. Also described are methods of using the apparatus.
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Citations
49 Claims
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1. An apparatus, comprising:
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a receiving bay configured to receive an insertable microfluidic cartridge;
at least one heat source thermally coupled to the cartridge and configured to apply heat to one or more selected regions of the cartridge at one or more selected times, in order to;
create a micro-droplet of a polynucleotide-containing biological sample held on the cartridge;
cause the micro-droplet to move between one or more positions on the microfluidic cartridge;
lyse cells, where present in the biological sample, thereby releasing polynucleotides from the cells;
prepare one or more of the polynucleotides for amplification; and
amplify one or more of the polynucleotides;
a detector configured to detect presence of the one or more amplified polynucleotides; and
a processor coupled to the detector and the at least one heat source, wherein the processor is configured to control applying heat to the one or more selected regions of the microfluidic cartridge at one or more selected times. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48)
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49. The apparatus of claim cartridge 40 wherein the cartridge is further configured to store waste generated during sample processing and waste from the biological sample.
Specification