MICROFLUIDIC DEVICE WITH DRIED BLOOD SPOTS (DBS) CARD INTERFACE

• US 20140174160A1
• Filed: 08/22/2012
• Published: 06/26/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Waters Technologies Corporation (Waters Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Waters Technologies Corporation (Waters Corporation)
• Inventors: Michienzi, Joseph D., Murphy, James P., Keene, Russell L.
• Granted Patent: US 9,709,535 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 73/61.55
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0816 Cards, e.g. flat sample carriers usually with flow in two horizontal directions
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0874 Three dimensional network
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0887 Laminated structure
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/1827 using resistive heater
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502715 characterised by interfacing components, e.g. fluidic, electrical, optical or mechanical interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2001/383 collecting and diluting in a flow of liquid
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2030/009 Extraction
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2030/062 extracting sample from raw material
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 30/06 Preparation
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 30/16 Injection G01N30/24 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 30/6095 Micromachined or nanomachined, e.g. micro- or nanosize
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 30/88 Integrated analysis systems specially adapted therefor, not covered by a single one of the groups G01N30/04 - G01N30/86
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/49 Blood chemical methods for determining blood cell populations G01N33/5094; chemical analysis of blood groups or blood types G01N33/80

Abstract

An apparatus for use in a chromatography system includes a first microfluidic substrate having a first fluidic channel. One end of the first fluidic channel terminates at a first fluidic port on a first side of the first microfluidic substrate and an opposite end of the first fluidic channel terminates at a second fluidic port on a second side of the first microfluidic substrate. A second microfluidic substrate has a second fluidic channel. One end of the second fluidic channel terminates at a first fluidic port on a first side of the second microfluidic substrate. The first side of the second microfluidic substrate abuts the second side of the first microfluidic substrate such that the fluidic port of the second microfluidic substrate aligns with one of the fluidic ports of the first microfluidic substrate and the alignment produces a fluidic path comprised of the first and second fluidic channels.

Claims

1. A chromatography apparatus comprising:

a first microfluidic substrate having a first fluidic channel, one end of the first fluidic channel terminating at a first fluidic port on a first side of the first microfluidic substrate and an opposite end of the first fluidic channel terminating at a second fluidic port on a second side of the first microfluidic substrate; and

a second microfluidic substrate having a second fluidic channel, one end of the second fluidic channel terminating at a first fluidic port on a first side of the second microfluidic substrate,

wherein the first side of the second microfluidic substrate abuts the second side of the first microfluidic substrate such that the first fluidic port of the second microfluidic substrate aligns with one of the fluidic ports of the first microfluidic substrate and the alignment produces a fluidic path comprised of the first and second fluidic channels.

2. The chromatography apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a dried blood spot (DBS) card having one or more dried blood spots, one side of the DBS card being coupled to the first side of the first microfluidic substrate such that one of the dried blood spots of the DBS card is in fluidic communication with the other of the fluidic ports of the first microfluidic substrate.

3. The chromatography apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a dried blood spot taken from a DBS card, one side of the dried blood spot being coupled to the first side of the first microfluidic substrate such that the dried blood spot is in fluidic communication with the other of the fluidic ports of the first microfluidic substrate.

4. The chromatography apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first microfluidic substrate includes a plurality of fluidic channels, one end of each fluidic channel of the first microfluidic substrate terminating at a different first fluidic port on the first side of the first microfluidic substrate and an opposite end of each fluidic channel of the first microfluidic substrate terminating at a different second fluidic port on the second side of the first microfluidic substrate.

5. The chromatography apparatus of claim 4, wherein the first microfluidic substrate is card-like in shape and the fluidic channels are arranged in a row for linear indexing.

6. The chromatography apparatus of claim 4, wherein the first microfluidic substrate is disc-like in shape and the fluidic channels are arranged radially about a center of the first microfluidic substrate for rotary indexing.

7. The chromatography apparatus of claim 4, wherein each of the fluidic channels of the first microfluidic substrate is a sample-preparation column

8. The chromatography apparatus of claim 4, further comprising a dried blood spot (DBS) card having a plurality of dried blood spots, one side of the DBS card being coupled to the first side of the first microfluidic substrate such that each of the dried blood spots of the DBS card is in fluidic communication with a different first fluidic port on the first side of the first microfluidic substrate.

9. The chromatography apparatus of claim 1, wherein the fluidic channel of the first microfluidic substrate is a sample-preparation column and the fluidic channel of the second microfluidic substrate is an analytical column

10. The chromatography apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first microfluidic substrate is removably coupled to the second microfluidic substrate.

11. The chromatography apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first microfluidic substrate is movably coupled to the second microfluidic substrate for indexing.

12. The chromatography apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a fluidic coupler coupled to the first fluidic port on the first side of the first microfluidic substrate and a second fluidic coupler coupled to the second fluidic port on the second side of the second microfluidic substrate.

13. The chromatography apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a third microfluidic substrate having a fluidic channel, one end of the fluidic channel of the third microfluidic substrate terminating at a first fluidic port on a first side of the third microfluidic substrate and an opposite end of the fluidic channel of the third microfluidic substrate terminating at a second fluidic port on a second side of the third microfluidic substrate;

wherein the second side of the third microfluidic substrate abuts the first side of the first microfluidic substrate such that one of the fluidic ports of the third microfluidic substrate aligns with one of the fluidic ports of the first microfluidic substrate and the alignment produces a fluidic path comprised of the fluidic channels of the first and third microfluidic substrates.

14. The chromatography apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second fluidic channel of the second microfluidic substrate terminates at a second fluidic port opening to a second side of the second microfluidic substrate.

15. The chromatography apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second fluidic channel of the second microfluidic substrate terminates at a second fluidic port opening at an edge of the second microfluidic substrate.

16. A microfluidic substrate comprising a plurality of spatially separated fluidic channels formed therein, one end of the each fluidic channel terminating at a different first fluidic port on a first side of the microfluidic substrate, and an opposite end of each fluidic channel terminating at a different second fluidic port on an opposite side of the microfluidic substrate.

17. The microfluidic substrate of claim 16, wherein the microfluidic substrate is card-like in shape, and the spatially separated fluidic channels are identical in shape and arranged in a row for linear indexing.

18. The microfluidic substrate of claim 16, wherein the microfluidic substrate is disc-like in shape, and the spatially separated fluidic channels are identical in shape and arranged radially about a center of the microfluidic substrate for rotary indexing.

19. The microfluidic substrate of claim 16, wherein each of the fluidic channels is a sample-preparation column containing a different resin.

20. The microfluidic substrate of claim 16 further comprising a multilayer construction, wherein one or more of the fluidic channels cuts through multiple layers of the multilayer construction.

21. The microfluidic substrate of claim 16, further comprising a multilayer construction, wherein different ones of the fluidic channels are formed in different layers of the multilayer construction.

22. A chromatography apparatus, comprising:

a microfluidic cartridge housing a microfluidic device comprised of;

a first microfluidic substrate having a first fluidic channel, one end of the first fluidic channel terminating at a first fluidic port on a first side of the first microfluidic substrate and an opposite end of the first fluidic channel terminating at a second fluidic port on a second side of the first microfluidic substrate; and

a second microfluidic substrate having a second fluidic channel, one end of the second fluidic channel terminating at a first fluidic port on a first side of the second microfluidic substrate,

wherein the first side of the second microfluidic substrate abuts the second side of the first microfluidic substrate such that the first fluidic port of the second microfluidic substrate aligns with one of the fluidic ports of the first microfluidic substrate and the alignment produces a fluidic path comprised of the first and second fluidic channels.

23. The chromatography apparatus of claim 22, further comprising a dried blood spot (DBS) card having one or more dried blood spots, one side of the DBS card being coupled to the first side of the first microfluidic substrate such that one of the dried blood spots of the DBS card is in fluidic communication with the other of the fluidic ports of the first microfluidic substrate.

24. The chromatography apparatus of claim 22, further comprising a dried blood taken from a DBS card, one side of the dried blood spot being coupled to the first side of the first microfluidic substrate such that the dried blood spot is in fluidic communication with the other of the fluidic ports of the first microfluidic substrate.

25. The chromatography apparatus of claim 22, wherein the first microfluidic substrate includes a plurality of fluidic channels, one end of each fluidic channel of the first microfluidic substrate terminating at a different first fluidic port on the first side of the first microfluidic substrate and an opposite end of each fluidic channel of the first microfluidic substrate terminating at a different second fluidic port on the second side of the first microfluidic substrate.

26. The chromatography apparatus of claim 25, wherein the first microfluidic substrate is rectangular in shape and the fluidic channels are arranged in a row for linear indexing.

27. The chromatography apparatus of claim 25, wherein the first microfluidic substrate is circular in shape and the fluidic channels are arranged radially about a center of the first microfluidic substrate for rotary indexing.

28. The chromatography apparatus of claim 25, wherein each of the fluidic channels of the first microfluidic substrate is a sample-preparation column.

29. The chromatography apparatus of claim 25, further comprising a dried blood spot (DBS) card having a plurality of dried blood spots, one side of the DBS card being coupled to the first side of the first microfluidic substrate such that each of the dried blood spots of the DBS card is in fluidic communication with a different first fluidic port on the first side of the first microfluidic substrate.

30. The chromatography apparatus of claim 22, wherein the fluidic channel of the first microfluidic substrate is a sample-preparation column and the fluidic channel of the second microfluidic substrate is an analytical column.

31. The chromatography apparatus of claim 22, wherein the first microfluidic substrate removably coupled to the second microfluidic substrate and removable from the cartridge housing.

32. The chromatography apparatus of claim 22, wherein the first microfluidic substrate movably coupled to the second microfluidic substrate for indexing within the cartridge housing.

33. The chromatography apparatus of claim 22, further comprising a fluidic coupler coupled to the first fluidic port on the first side of the first microfluidic substrate and a second fluidic coupler coupled to the second fluidic port on the second side of the second microfluidic substrate.

34. The chromatography apparatus of claim 22, wherein the microfluidic device further comprises a third microfluidic substrate having a fluidic channel, one end of the fluidic channel of the third microfluidic substrate terminating at a first fluidic port on a first side of the third microfluidic substrate and an opposite end of the fluidic channel of the third microfluidic substrate terminating at a second fluidic port on a second side of the third microfluidic substrate;

wherein the second side of the third microfluidic substrate abuts the first side of the first microfluidic substrate such that one of the fluidic ports of the third microfluidic substrate aligns with one of the fluidic ports of the first microfluidic substrate and the alignment produces a fluidic path comprised of the fluidic channels of the first and third microfluidic substrates.

35. The chromatography apparatus of claim 22, wherein the second fluidic channel of the second microfluidic substrate terminates at a second fluidic port opening at an edge of the second microfluidic substrate.