Microfluidic device and methods of using same

• US 8,343,442 B2
• Filed: 08/18/2010
• Issued: 01/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fluidigm Corporation
• Original Assignee: Fluidigm Corporation
• Inventors: McBride, Lincoln, Lucero, Michael, Unger, Marc, Nassef, Hany Ramez, Facer, Geoffrey
• Primary Examiner(s): LEVKOVICH, NATALIA A
• Application Number:
  US12/859,176
• Publication Number:
  US 20110189678A1
• Time in Patent Office: 867 Days
• Field of Search: 422/502, 422/503, 422/501
• US Class Current: 422/502
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 33/30 Micromixers
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00337 Valves
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00353 Pumps
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00403 in multiple arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00495 Means for heating or cooling the reaction vessels
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00585 Parallel processes
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/0059 Sequential processes
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/0072 Organic compounds
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0627 Sensor or part of a sensor is integrated
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0883 Serpentine channels
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/123 Flexible; Elastomeric
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/06 Valves, specific forms thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/00 Containers or dishes for laboratory use, e.g. laboratory glassware; Droppers
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502707 characterised by the manufacture of the container or its components by shaping or joining plastic parts B29C59/00, B29C65/00; by laminating B32B37/00; manufacture of microstructural devices in general B81C
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502715 characterised by interfacing components, e.g. fluidic, electrical, optical or mechanical interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502738 characterised by integrated valves microvalves F16K99/0001
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/50851 specially adapted for heating or cooling samples laboratory heating apparatus B01L7/00; incubators C12M
• CPC Class Codes: C12Q 1/6844 Nucleic acid amplification reactions
• CPC Class Codes: C12Q 2565/501 being an array of oligonucleotides
• CPC Class Codes: C40B 60/08 Integrated apparatus specially adapted for both creating and screening libraries
• CPC Class Codes: C40B 60/14 : for creating libraries
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/00366 : Several different temperatures used
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/00029 : provided with flat sample substrates, e.g. slides G01N35/028 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/0098 : involving analyte bound to insoluble magnetic carrier, e.g. using magnetic separation magnetic particles used in immunoassays G01N33/54326; magnetic separation in general B03C
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/25 : including sample preparation

Abstract

A variety of elastomeric-based microfluidic devices and methods for using and manufacturing such devices are provided. Certain of the devices have arrays of reaction sites to facilitate high throughput analyses. Some devices also include reaction sites located at the end of blind channels at which reagents have been previously deposited during manufacture. The reagents become suspended once sample is introduced into the reaction site. The devices can be utilized with a variety of heating devices and thus can be used in a variety of analyses requiring temperature control, including thermocycling applications such as nucleic acid amplification reactions, genotyping and gene expression analyses.

Claims

1. A microfluidic device comprising

(i) an unbranched serpentine flow channel having a plurality of parallel channel portions in fluid communication with a first fluid inlet and a second fluid inlet, wherein a solution can be introduced into said flow channel via the first fluid inlet and can be withdrawn from said flow channel via the second fluid inlet;

and

(ii) a plurality of valves that, when closed, partition said parallel portions of said flow channel into a series of more than two equally sized isolated reaction sites, said reaction sites being present at a density of at least 50 sites/cm².

2. The microfluidic device of claim 1 wherein the reaction sites are at a density of at least 1000 sites/cm².

3. The microfluidic device of claim 2 wherein the reaction sites are at a density of at least 1000 sites/cm².

4. The microfluidic device of claim 1 wherein the valves are elastomeric membranes deflected into the unbranched flow channel.

5. The microfluidic device of claim 2 wherein the valves are elastomeric membranes deflected into the unbranched flow channel.