Digital microfluidics cartridge and system for operating a flow cell
First Claim
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1. A digital microfluidic liquid handling system, comprising:
- liquid reservoirs;
a droplet actuator, comprising;
a bottom substrate separated from a top substrate to form a droplet operations gap, wherein the droplet operations gap is filled with a filler fluid, and wherein the top substrate includes an opening;
reservoir electrodes disposed on the bottom substrate, wherein each reservoir electrode corresponds with a respective one of the liquid reservoirs;
outlet electrodes disposed on the bottom substrate and arranged proximal to the opening;
droplet operations electrodes defining a path between the reservoir electrodes and the outlet electrodes; and
a flow cell fluidly coupled to the droplet operations gap through the opening in the top substrate, said flow cell being external with respect to the droplet actuator;
wherein said liquid reservoirs being external reservoirs fluidly coupled to the droplet operations gap through a second opening in one of the bottom substrate or top substrate.
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Abstract
A liquid handling system for supplying liquids to a flow cell (FC). The system may include a droplet actuator cartridge, wherein the droplet actuator and a flow cell are fluidly coupled to, or situated within, a droplet operations gap of the droplet actuator.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A digital microfluidic liquid handling system, comprising:
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liquid reservoirs; a droplet actuator, comprising; a bottom substrate separated from a top substrate to form a droplet operations gap, wherein the droplet operations gap is filled with a filler fluid, and wherein the top substrate includes an opening; reservoir electrodes disposed on the bottom substrate, wherein each reservoir electrode corresponds with a respective one of the liquid reservoirs; outlet electrodes disposed on the bottom substrate and arranged proximal to the opening; droplet operations electrodes defining a path between the reservoir electrodes and the outlet electrodes; and a flow cell fluidly coupled to the droplet operations gap through the opening in the top substrate, said flow cell being external with respect to the droplet actuator; wherein said liquid reservoirs being external reservoirs fluidly coupled to the droplet operations gap through a second opening in one of the bottom substrate or top substrate. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A method of supplying liquids to a flow cell using a digital microfluidic liquid handling system, comprising:
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dispensing one or more droplets from a liquid reservoir onto a reservoir electrode corresponding with the liquid reservoir; transferring the one or more droplets from the reservoir electrode to outlet electrodes along a pathway defined by droplet operations electrodes; transferring the one or more droplets from the outlet electrodes through an opening arranged proximal thereto and into a flow cell in a predetermined sequence; monitoring an impedance at the outlet electrodes during flow of the one or more droplets; detecting a change in the impedance in response to the transfer of the one or more droplets from the outlet electrodes; and in response to the detecting, stopping a pump used to transfer the one or more droplets from the outlet electrodes until additional droplets are pooled at the outlet electrodes. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19)
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20. A digital microfluidic liquid handling system for supplying liquids to a flow cell, comprising:
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a processor for executing code and a memory in communication with the processor, the system comprising code stored in the memory that causes the processor at least to; dispense one or more droplets from a liquid reservoir onto a reservoir electrode corresponding with the liquid reservoir, the reservoir electrode being positioned in a droplet operations gap of a droplet actuator including a top substrate and a bottom substrate separated to form the droplet operations gap, wherein the top substrate includes an opening; fill the droplet operations gap of the droplet actuator with a filler fluid; transfer the one or more droplets from the reservoir electrode to outlet electrodes along a pathway defined by droplet operations electrodes; transfer the one or more droplets from the outlet electrodes through the opening arranged proximal thereto and into a flow cell in a predetermined sequence; monitor an impedance at the outlet electrodes during flow of the one or more droplets; detect a change in the impedance in response to the transfer of the one or more droplets from the outlet electrodes; and in response to the detection, stop a pump used to transfer the one or more droplets from the outlet electrodes until additional droplets are pooled at the outlet electrodes.
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Specification