Microfluidic devices for fluid manipulation and analysis

• US 8,318,109 B2
• Filed: 01/11/2010
• Issued: 11/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Perkinelmer Health Sciences Incorporated (Perkinelmer Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Micronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Saltsman, Patrick, Shen, Mingchao, Houkal, Jeffrey M., Lancaster, Christy A., Battrell, C. Frederick, Weigl, Bernhard H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gordon, Brian R
• Application Number:
  US12/685,582
• Publication Number:
  US 20100173395A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,051 Days
• Field of Search: 422/502, 422/504, 422/505, 422/500, 422/400, 422/408, 422/417, 422/420, 422/503, 422551-552, 422/554
• US Class Current: 422/502
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 25/3141 with additional mixing means other than injector mixers
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 25/433 Mixing tubes wherein the shape of the tube influences the mixing, e.g. mixing tubes with varying cross-section or provided with inwardly extending profiles
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 25/4331 Mixers with bended, curved, coiled, wounded mixing tubes or comprising elements for bending the flow
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 33/30 Micromixers
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/0621 Control of the sequence of chambers filled or emptied
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/10 Integrating sample preparation and analysis in single entity, e.g. lab-on-a-chip concept
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0636 Integrated biosensor, microarrays
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0681 Filter
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0861 Configuration of multiple channels and/or chambers in a single devices
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0867 Multiple inlets and one sample wells, e.g. mixing, dilution
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/1805 Conductive heating, heat from thermostatted solids is conducted to receptacles, e.g. heating plates, blocks
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0406 capillary forces
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0481 squeezing of channels or chambers
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0487 fluid pressure, pneumatics
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/049 vacuum
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0605 check valves
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0633 with moving parts
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/5027 by integrated microfluidic structures, i.e. dimensions of channels and chambers are such that surface tension forces are important, e.g. lab-on-a-chip B01L3/5023 takes precedence; micromixers B01F33/30; microreactors for synthesis B01J19/0093; microcapillary devices in general B81B1/00
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502715 characterised by interfacing components, e.g. fluidic, electrical, optical or mechanical interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502723 characterised by venting arrangements
• 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 3/502738 : characterised by integrated valves microvalves F16K99/0001
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502753 : characterised by bulk separation arrangements on lab-on-a-chip devices, e.g. for filtration or centrifugation separation in general B01D; microapparatus for analysis using electrophoresis G01N27/44791; sample preparation G01N1/28
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 43/043 : Micropumps
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/5304 : Reaction vessels, e.g. agglutination plates for solid-phase systems G01N33/543
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/80 : involving blood groups or blood types or red blood cells white blood cells G01N33/56972

Abstract

The present invention relates to microfluidic devices and methods for manipulating and analyzing fluid samples. The disclosed microfluidic devices utilize a plurality of microfluidic channels, inlets, valves, filter, pumps, liquid barriers and other elements arranged in various configurations to manipulate the flow of a fluid sample in order to prepare such sample for analysis.

Claims

1. A microfluidic device for analyzing a liquid sample, the microfluidic device comprising:

a first microfluidic channel having a first end and a second end;

a sample inlet connected to the first end of the first microfluidic channel, the sample inlet for receiving the liquid sample;

a bellows pump connected to the second end of the first microfluidic channel;

a second microfluidic channel having a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is connected to the sample inlet, and the second end is connected to the bellows pump;

a third microfluidic channel having a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is connected to the sample inlet, and the second end is connected to the bellows pump;

a first reagent inlet connected to the first microfluidic channel at a reagent-sample junction downstream from the sample inlet, the first reagent inlet for receiving a first reagent;

a second reagent inlet connected to the second microfluidic channel at a reagent-sample junction downstream from the sample inlet, the second reagent inlet for receiving a second reagent;

a third reagent inlet connected to the third microfluidic channel at a reagent-sample junction downstream from the sample inlet, the third reagent inlet for receiving a third reagent; and

wherein the bellows pump is configured to aspirate the sample and each of the reagents through the reagent-sample junctions and through each of the microfluidic channels toward the bellows pump and to mix each of the reagents with the sample in response to an actuation stroke applied to the bellows pump.

2. The microfluidic device of claim 1, further comprising a check valve fluidly connected to the bellows pump, wherein the check valve permits fluid flow away from the bellows pump.

3. The microfluidic device of claim 1, wherein the first microfluidic channel, the second microfluidic channel and the third microfluidic channel each further comprise one or more optical viewing areas.

4. The microfluidic device of claim 1, wherein the first, second and third reagent inlets each comprise a liquid reservoir configured for preloadedly containing the first, second and third liquid reagents.

5. The microfluidic device of claim 1, further comprising an affixing device for attaching the microfluidic device to a liquid sample container, wherein the liquid sample is blood or other fluid sample.

6. The microfluidic device of claim 1, wherein each microfluidic channel comprises a serpentine section downstream from the reagent-sample junction.

7. The microfluidic device of claim 1, wherein the bellows pump is configured for manual activation.

8. An assay kit comprising at least one microfluidic device of claim 1, and further comprising liquid reagents, wherein the first, second and third reagents are selected from antibody-A, antibody-B and antibody-D blood group antisera.

9. The microfluidic device of claim 1, wherein the bellows pump comprises a vent hole.