Microfluidic chips and assay systems
First Claim
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1. A microfluidic device, comprising:
- a substrate having a plurality of channels disposed therein, each of the channels having an inlet end and an outlet end;
at least one reagent reservoir of a type capable of holding a material;
a plurality of outlet reservoirs coupled to respective outlet ends of the plurality of channels;
at least one bi-directional diaphragm pump comprising at least three non-elastomeric membrane-based valve structures;
a distribution valve disposed in fluid coupling with the at least one reagent reservoir and at least one of the inlet ends, wherein the distribution valve is adapted to controllably direct a flow of the material from the at least one reagent reservoir to a plurality of outlet reservoirs via at least one of the channels coupled to the distribution valve; and
a cartridge adapted to detachably couple to the substrate and having the at least one reagent reservoir disposed thereon for porting the material into the plurality of channels disposed in the substrate.
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Abstract
The systems and methods described herein include a microfluidic chip having a plurality of microfeatures interconnected to provide a configurable fluid transport system for processing at least one reagent. Inserts are provided to removably interfit into one or more of the microfeatures of the chip, wherein the inserts include sites for interactions with the reagent. As will be seen from the following description, the microfluidic chip and the inserts provide an efficient and accurate approach for conducting parallel assays.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A microfluidic device, comprising:
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a substrate having a plurality of channels disposed therein, each of the channels having an inlet end and an outlet end; at least one reagent reservoir of a type capable of holding a material; a plurality of outlet reservoirs coupled to respective outlet ends of the plurality of channels; at least one bi-directional diaphragm pump comprising at least three non-elastomeric membrane-based valve structures; a distribution valve disposed in fluid coupling with the at least one reagent reservoir and at least one of the inlet ends, wherein the distribution valve is adapted to controllably direct a flow of the material from the at least one reagent reservoir to a plurality of outlet reservoirs via at least one of the channels coupled to the distribution valve; and a cartridge adapted to detachably couple to the substrate and having the at least one reagent reservoir disposed thereon for porting the material into the plurality of channels disposed in the substrate. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A microfluidic device, comprising:
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a substrate having a plurality of channels disposed therein, each of the channels having an inlet end and an outlet end; at least one reagent reservoir of a type capable of holding a material; a plurality of outlet reservoirs coupled to respective outlet ends of the plurality of channels; at least one bi-directional diaphragm pump comprising at least three non-elastomeric membrane-based valve structures; a distribution valve disposed in fluid coupling with the at least one reagent reservoir and at least one of the inlet ends, wherein the distribution valve is adapted to controllably direct a flow of the material from the at least one reagent reservoir to a plurality of outlet reservoirs via at least one of the channels coupled to the distribution valve; at least one insert configured to inter-fit within at least one of the channels and having a reaction surface for interacting with the material, wherein the insert comprises a membrane. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification