METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR MICROFLUIDIC PARTICLE ORIENTATION AND/OR SORTING

• US 20190331588A1
• Filed: 07/10/2019
• Published: 10/31/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Engender Technologies Limited (CRV Holding BV)
• Original Assignee: Engender Technologies Limited (CRV Holding BV)
• Inventors: Simpson, Miriam Cather, Rohde, Charles Alan
• Granted Patent: US 10,712,255 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/0652 Sorting or classification of particles or molecules
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0663 Whole sensors
• 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 2300/14 Means for pressure control
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0454 radiation pressure, optical tweezers
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0487 fluid pressure, pneumatics
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/50273 characterised by the means or forces applied to move the fluids micropumps F04B19/006, of the membrane type F04B43/043
• 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: G01N 15/01 specially adapted for biological cells, e.g. blood cells investigating sedimentation of particle suspensions in blood G01N15/05
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 15/1404 Handling flow, e.g. hydrodynamic focusing
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 15/1425 using an analyser being characterised by its control arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 15/1427 with the synchronisation of components, a time gate for operation of components, or suppression of particle coincidences
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 15/1456 without spatial resolution of the texture or inner structure of the particle, e.g. processing of pulse signals
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 15/1459 the analysis being performed on a sample stream
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 15/1484 microstructural devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 15/149 specially adapted for sorting particles, e.g. by their size or optical properties
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2015/0288 Sorting the particles
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2015/1006 for cytology
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/6428 : Measuring fluorescence of fluorescent products of reactions or of fluorochrome labelled reactive substances, e.g. measuring quenching effects, using measuring "optrodes" in vivo A61B5/00; immunoassay G01N33/53

Abstract

A system for orienting particles in a microfluidic system includes one or more radiation pressure sources arranged to expose particles to radiation pressure to cause the particles to adopt a particular orientation in the fluid. A system for sorting particles in a microfluidic system includes a detection stage arranged to detect at least one difference or discriminate between particles in the fluid flow past the detection stage, and one or more radiation pressure sources past which the particles move sequentially and a controller arranged to switch radiation energy to cause a change in direction of movement of selected particles in the fluid flow to sort the particles. The particles may be biological particles such as spermatazoa. The radiation pressure may be optical pressure and may be from one or more waveguides which may extend across a channel of the microfluidic system.

Claims

1. A microfluidic particle orientation and sorting system comprising:

at least one channel configured for flowing a fluid flow received from at least one input source; and

at least one orientation stage arranged downstream from the at least one input source and comprising at least one optical waveguide configured to expose particles contained in the flow to radiation pressure for causing the particles to adopt a particular orientation in the flow.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a detection stage arranged downstream from the orientation stage.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the detection stage comprises an optical detector configured to detect at least one difference or discriminate between particles in the fluid flow.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a switching stage having at least one optical waveguide arranged and configured to expose particles in the flow to radiation pressure for causing a change in direction of movement of the particles.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the change in direction of the particles is only certain particles.

6. The system of claim 2, further comprising a switching stage following the detection stage, the switching stage having at least one optical waveguide arranged and configured to expose particles in the flow to radiation pressure for causing a change in direction of movement of the particles.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein the change in direction of the particles is only directed toward certain particles.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one optical waveguide is connected to at least one laser.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one waveguide extends across the channel or abuts the channel of the microfluidic system.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising a controller.

11. The system of claim 4, wherein the radiation pressure is configured to deflect particles in the flow on one side, across at least one flow boundary

12. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least two outputs, wherein the at least one channel is for flowing the fluid flow received from at least one input source to the two outputs.

13. The system of claim 6, further comprising at least two outputs, wherein:

the at least one channel is configured for flowing the fluid flow received from at least one input source to the two outputs; and

selected particles are switched into one of the at least two outputs based on input from the detection stage.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the optical detector is arranged to discriminate particles via fluorescence.

15. The system of claim 1, further comprising a focusing stage in fluid communication with the at least one input source, the focusing stage comprising an apparatus configured to provide at least one of a hydrodynamic pressure force and a radiation pressure force to focus particles to a particular location within the flow.

16. The microfluidic system of claim 1, further comprising a cooling stage capable of cooling the fluid flow.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one channel has a width of about 10 μ

m to about 500 μ

m.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one channel has a depth of about 5 μ

m to about 500 μ

m.

19. The system of claim 3, wherein the particles comprise sperm, and wherein the optical detector is configured to detect the difference between X and Y sperm.

20. A particle orientation and sorting method for a microfluidic system, comprising forcing particles to adopt a particular orientation in fluid flow within at least one channel of the microfluidic system by contacting the particles with a radiation force produced by at least one optical waveguide.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising, following orientation, discriminating between the particles in the fluid flow.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising causing a change in the direction of movement of selected particles in the fluid flow to sort the selected particles into one of at least two output sources.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the change in direction is caused by contacting the selected particles with at least a radiation pressure produced by at least one optical waveguide.

24. The method of claim 20, further comprising detecting at least one distinguishing feature of the particles in the flow.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein detection is performed via an optical detector configured to discriminate between the particles.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein the change in direction of the particles is only certain particles.

25-1. The method of claim 20, further comprising controlling, via a controller, forcing particles to adopt a particular orientation in fluid flow within at least one channel.

27. The method of claim 23, wherein the radiation pressure is configured to deflect particles in the flow on one side, across at least one flow boundary

28. The method of claim 20, further comprising flowing the fluid flow towards at least two outputs.

29. The method of claim 21, wherein discriminating is via fluorescence.

30. The method of claim 20, further comprising focusing particles via at least one of a hydrodynamic pressure force and a radiation pressure force, so as to focus particles to a particular location within the flow.