METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SORTING PARTICLES

• US 20110005978A1
• Filed: 06/23/2010
• Published: 01/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cytonome/St, Llc (Cytonome Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cytonome/St, Llc (Cytonome Inc.)
• Inventors: Böhm, Sebastian, Deshpande, Manish, Gilbert, John R.
• Application Number:
  US12/821,790
• Publication Number:
  US 20110005978A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 209/155
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/0636 Focussing flows, e.g. to laminate flows
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/0647 Handling flowable solids, e.g. microscopic beads, cells, particles
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0816 Cards, e.g. flat sample carriers usually with flow in two horizontal directions
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0864 comprising only one inlet and multiple receiving wells, e.g. for separation, splitting
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0487 fluid pressure, pneumatics
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502761 specially adapted for handling suspended solids or molecules independently from the bulk fluid flow, e.g. for trapping or sorting beads, for physically stretching molecules investigating characteristics of particles G01N15/00
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502776 specially adapted for focusing or laminating flows
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 15/1459 the analysis being performed on a sample stream
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 15/149 specially adapted for sorting particles, e.g. by their size or optical properties

Abstract

A method and apparatus for sorting particles moving through a closed channel system of capillary size comprises a bubble valve for selectively generating a pressure pulse to separate a particle having a predetermined characteristic from a stream of particles. The particle sorting system may further include a buffer for absorbing the pressure pulse. The particle sorting system may include a plurality of closely coupled sorting modules which are combined to further increase the sorting rate. The particle sorting system may comprise a multi-stage sorting device for serially sorting streams of particles, in order to decrease the error rate.

Claims

1. A particle sorting system, comprising:

a duct for conveying a stream of particles in a carrier liquid, comprising an inlet, a first outlet and a second outlet, wherein the particles normally flow from the inlet into the first outlet;

a sensor for sensing a predetermined characteristic in a particle;

an actuator for selectively applying a pressure pulse to the suspension to deflect a particle in the stream of particles into the second outlet when said predetermined characteristic is detected; and

a buffer for absorbing the pressure pulse.

2. The particle sorting system of claim 1, where the actuator comprises one of a piezoelectric column, a stepper motor;

an electromagnetic actuator, a thermopneumatic actuator and a heat pulse generator for generating vapour bubbles in the flowing liquid.

3. The particle sorting system of claim 1, wherein the actuator comprises a side channel in communication with the duct, a sealed chamber positioned adjacent to the side channel, where in the carrier liquid forms a meniscus in the side channel to separate the sealed chamber from the carrier liquid and an actuator for modifying the pressure in the sealed chamber to deflect the meniscus caused the particle having said predetermined characteristic to flow into the second outlet while particles that do not have said predetermined characteristic flow into the first outlet.

4. The particle sorting system of claim 1, wherein the buffer comprises a buffer chamber in communication with the duct, where the carrier liquid forms a meniscus to separate the carrier liquid from the buffer chamber.

5. The particles sorting system of claim 1, where the buffer comprises a side channel in communication with the duct and a buffer chamber positioned adjacent to the side channel, wherein the carrier liquid forms a meniscus in the side channel to separate the buffer from the carried liquid.

6. The particle sorting system of claim 1, wherein the buffer chamber has a movable wall.