Microfluidic device and methods of using same

• US 7,837,946 B2
• Filed: 11/06/2008
• Issued: 11/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Standard Biotools Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Fluidigm Corporation
• Inventors: Unger, Marc, Facer, Geoffrey, Nassef, Hany Ramez, Lucero, Michael, McBride, Lincoln
• Primary Examiner(s): LEVKOVICH, NATALIA A
• Application Number:
  US12/291,319
• Publication Number:
  US 20090176230A1
• Time in Patent Office: 747 Days
• Field of Search: 422/100, 422/102, 422/103
• US Class Current: 422/547
• 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 analyzes. 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 analyzes requiring temperature control, including thermocycling applications such as nucleic acid amplification reactions, genotyping and gene expression analyzes.

Claims

1. A microfluidic device comprising:

a first microfluidic flow channel,

a plurality of second microfluidic flow channels branching from said first microfluidic flow channel, wherein each said second microfluidic flow channel terminates at a terminal wall and comprises a reaction site proximal to the terminal wall;

a plurality of microfluidic control channels;

a plurality of valves,

wherein said valves are under common control and are coordinately closed or opened;

wherein said valves are configured so that, when closed, each valve isolates said reaction site from other reaction sites;

wherein each said valve comprises a deflectable elastomeric membrane separating a microfluidic flow channel and a microfluidic control channel associated with the valve, wherein said valve is closed by pressurization of the microfluidic control channel associated with the valve, and wherein the elastomeric membrane is formed from an elastomeric material having a Young'"'"'s modulus in the range 50 Pa to 10 MPa; and

wherein the density of reaction sites is at least 500 sites/cm².

2. The microfluidic device of claim 1, that comprises two or more first flow channels, wherein said first flow channels are substantially parallel to each other.

3. The microfluidic device of claim 1 wherein the deflectable elastomeric membrane comprises polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS).

4. The microfluidic device of claim 3 wherein the microfluidic flow and control channels are formed within PDMS.