Bead incubation and washing on a droplet actuator
First Claim
1. A method of manipulating a droplet comprising magnetically responsive beads therein, the method comprising:
- (a) providing a droplet actuator comprising;
(i) droplet operations electrodes arranged for conducting droplet operations on a droplet operations surface;
(ii) the droplet, arranged on the droplet operations surface and subject to droplet operations mediated by the droplet operations electrodes; and
(ii) a magnet having a magnetic field and positioned relative to the droplet operations surface such that the droplet may be transported into the magnetic field of the magnet and transported out of the magnetic field of the magnet;
(b) transporting the droplet into the magnetic field of the magnet by executing droplet operations mediated by the droplet operations electrodes; and
(c) transporting the droplet out of the magnetic field of the magnet executing droplet operations mediated by the droplet operations electrodes without removing the magnet.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention relates to bead incubating and washing on a droplet actuator. Methods for incubating magnetically responsive beads that are labeled with primary antibody, a sample (i.e., analyte), and secondary reporter antibodies on a magnet, on and off a magnet, and completely off a magnet are provided. Also provided are methods for washing magnetically responsive beads using shape-assisted merging of droplets. Also provided are methods for shape-mediated splitting, transporting, and dispensing of a sample droplet that contains magnetically responsive beads. The apparatuses and methods of the invention provide for rapid time to result and optimum detection of an analyte in an immunoassay.
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Citations
9 Claims
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1. A method of manipulating a droplet comprising magnetically responsive beads therein, the method comprising:
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(a) providing a droplet actuator comprising; (i) droplet operations electrodes arranged for conducting droplet operations on a droplet operations surface; (ii) the droplet, arranged on the droplet operations surface and subject to droplet operations mediated by the droplet operations electrodes; and (ii) a magnet having a magnetic field and positioned relative to the droplet operations surface such that the droplet may be transported into the magnetic field of the magnet and transported out of the magnetic field of the magnet; (b) transporting the droplet into the magnetic field of the magnet by executing droplet operations mediated by the droplet operations electrodes; and (c) transporting the droplet out of the magnetic field of the magnet executing droplet operations mediated by the droplet operations electrodes without removing the magnet. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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Specification