Integrated microfluidic devices
First Claim
1. An integrated microfluidic device comprising microchannels formed in a generally planar substrate, said device comprising:
- an enrichment microchannel comprising an enrichment channel portion containing an enrichment medium, said enrichment channel portion having a sample inlet, a discharge outlet, an elution inlet, and an enriched fraction fluid outlet;
a main electrophoretic microchannel enclosing a main electrophoretic flowpath, said main electrophoretic microchannel being connected in fluid-conducting relationship to said enriched fraction fluid outlet, and said main electrophoretic microchannel comprising a detection region; and
means for moving a sample into said enrichment channel portion by way of said sample inlet and out from said enrichment channel portion by way of said discharge outlet, whereby at least a fraction of a component of interest in the sample is retained by said enrichment medium;
means for moving at least a portion of the fraction of the component of interest out from said enrichment channel portion by way of said enriched fraction outlet and into said main electrophoretic microchannel, wherein said means for moving the fraction of the component of interest out from said enrichment channel portion and into said main electrophoretic microchannel comprises a first electrode located in said enrichment channel at a point upstream from said elution inlet and a second electrode located downstream from said detection region.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Integrated microfluidic devices comprising at least an enrichment channel and a main electrophoretic flowpath are provided. In the subject integrated devices, the enrichment channel and the main electrophoretic flowpath are positioned so that waste fluid flows away from said main electrophoretic flowpath through a discharge outlet. The subject devices find use in a variety of electrophoretic applications, including clinical assays, high throughput screening for genomics and pharmaceutical applications, point-or-care in vitro diagnostics, molecular genetic analysis and nucleic acid diagnostics, cell separations, and bioresearch generally.
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Citations
36 Claims
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1. An integrated microfluidic device comprising microchannels formed in a generally planar substrate, said device comprising:
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an enrichment microchannel comprising an enrichment channel portion containing an enrichment medium, said enrichment channel portion having a sample inlet, a discharge outlet, an elution inlet, and an enriched fraction fluid outlet; a main electrophoretic microchannel enclosing a main electrophoretic flowpath, said main electrophoretic microchannel being connected in fluid-conducting relationship to said enriched fraction fluid outlet, and said main electrophoretic microchannel comprising a detection region; and means for moving a sample into said enrichment channel portion by way of said sample inlet and out from said enrichment channel portion by way of said discharge outlet, whereby at least a fraction of a component of interest in the sample is retained by said enrichment medium; means for moving at least a portion of the fraction of the component of interest out from said enrichment channel portion by way of said enriched fraction outlet and into said main electrophoretic microchannel, wherein said means for moving the fraction of the component of interest out from said enrichment channel portion and into said main electrophoretic microchannel comprises a first electrode located in said enrichment channel at a point upstream from said elution inlet and a second electrode located downstream from said detection region. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. An integrated microfluidic device comprising microchannels formed in a generally planar substrate, said device comprising:
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an enrichment microchannel comprising an enrichment channel portion containing an enrichment medium, said enrichment channel portion having a first inlet and a first fluid outlet; a main electrophoretic microchannel enclosing a main electrophoretic flowpath, said main electrophoretic microchannel being connected in fluid-conducting relation to said first fluid outlet, and said main electrophoretic microchannel comprising a detection region; means for moving a sample into said enrichment channel portion by way of said first inlet and out from said enrichment channel portion by way of said first fluid outlet, whereby at least a fraction of a component of interest in the sample is retained by said enrichment medium; a discharge channel connected in fluid communication with said first fluid outlet at a point upstream from said main electrophoretic flowpath, for discharging a portion of said sample other than said fraction of the component of interest from said main electrophoretic flowpath; and means for moving at least a portion of the fraction of the component of interest from said enrichment channel portion by way of said first fluid outlet and into said main electrophoretic microchannel, wherein said means for moving at least a portion of the fraction of the component of interest out from said enrichment channel portion by way of said first fluid outlet and into said main electrophoretic microchannel comprises a first electrode located in said enrichment channel upstream of said first inlet and a second electrode located downstream from said detection region. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7)
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8. An integrated microfluidic device comprising microchannels formed in a generally planar substrate, said device comprising:
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an enrichment microchannel comprising an enrichment channel portion containing an enrichment medium, said enrichment channel portion having a first inlet a first fluid outlet; a main electrophoretic microchannel enclosing a main electrophoretic flowpath, said main electrophoretic microchannel being connected in fluid-conducting relation to said first outlet, and said main electrophoretic microchannel comprising a detection region; means for moving a sample into said enrichment channel portion by way of said first inlet and out from said enrichment channel portion by way of said first fluid outlet, whereby at least a fraction of a component of interest in the sample is retained by the enrichment medium; a discharge channel connected in fluid communication with said first fluid outlet at a point upstream from said main electrophoretic flowpath, for discharging a portion of said sample other than said fraction of the component of interest away from said main electrophoretic flowpath; means for moving at least a portion of the fraction of the component of interest out from said enrichment channel portion by way of said first fluid outlet and into said main electrophoretic microchannel, wherein said means for moving at least a portion of the fraction of the component of interest out from said enrichment channel portion by way of said first fluid outlet and into said main electrophoretic microchannel comprises a first electrode located upstream from said first inlet and a second electrode located downstream from said detection region; and a plurality of input microchannels connected in fluid relation to said first fluid inlet, said plurality of input microchannels comprising at least a sample input microchannel an an elution input microchannel.
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- 9. A microfluidic device for use with a detector to analyze a sample having an analyte portion and a waste portion, the microfluidic device comprising a substrate having a surface and comprising at least one microchannel, an inlet in fluid communication with said microchannel proximal to a first end of said microchannel, and a waste outlet, enrichment means in said microchannel for separating at least a part of the analyte portion from the waste portion, said microchannel having a detection region downstream of the enrichment means accessible by the detector for analyzing a characteristic of the sample, said waste outlet in fluid communication with said microchannel upstream of the detection region and adjacent said enrichment means, transfer means for moving the sample from the inlet to the enrichment means and the waste portion from the enrichment means to the waste outlet and at least first and second spaced-apart electrodes, with one of said electrodes proximal to said inlet and in electrical contact with the sample when the sample is present in the microfluidic device and the other of said electrodes is downstream from said detection region for moving the analyte portion from the enrichment means to the detection means whereby part of the analyte portion but not the waste portion is moved to the detection region for facilitating accurate analysis by the detector of said part of the analyte portion at the detection region.
- 34. A microfluidic device for use with first and second detectors to analyze a first analyte portion and a second analyte portion in a sample, said microfluidic device comprising a substrate having a surface and being provided with a microchannel network formed therein, the microchannel network comprising a main microchannel including a branched microchannel portion connected to first and second branch microchannel portions, first enrichment means in the first branch microchannel portion for separating at least part of the first analyte portion from the second analyte portion, second enrichment means in the second branch microchannel portion for separating at least part of the second analyte portion from the first analyte portion, the first branch microchannel portion having a first detection region downstream of the first enrichment means accessible by the first detector for analyzing a characteristic of the first analyte portion, the second microchannel portion having a second detection region downstream of the second enrichment means accessible by the second detector for analyzing a characteristic of the second analyte portion, first and second spaced-apart electrodes in electrical contact with an electrophoretic medium in said microchannel network for moving said part of the first analyte portion from the first enrichment means to the first detection region and at least a third electrode in electrical contact with the electrophoretic medium for moving the second analyte portion from the second enrichment means to the second detection region whereby the first analyte portion can be analyzed by the first detector at the first detection region and the second analyte portion can be analyzed by the second detector at the second detection region.
Specification