Microfluidic Platform to Control Particle Placement and Spacing in Channel Flow
- Technology Benefits
- • High throughput with capabilities up to 1 m/s flow speed• Easy fabrication• Compact, no need for external control units• No limitations from material properties of particles
- Technology Application
- • Flow cytometry• Cell printing• Particle encapsulation• Metamaterial synthesis
- Detailed Technology Description
- Researchers from the Department of Bioengineering at UCLA have developed a microfluidic platform that controls particle-wall and particle-particle interactions by intertial flow, which leads to capability of manipulation of inter-particle spacing during solution exchange. This microfluidic platform utilizes expansion and contraction channel geometries to make particle distribution more uniform in Reynolds number flow. Moreover, particle-particle spacing can be tuned to a desired frequency. Unlike existing particle manipulation methods, particle manipulation by inertial flow gives extremely high-throughput without bulky external control units. The device fabrication is simple and easy, requiring PDMS molding and bonding only.
- Supplementary Information
- Patent Number: US20130233420A1
Application Number: US13988282A
Inventor: Di Carlo, Dino | Lee, Wonhee
Priority Date: 18 Nov 2010
Priority Number: US20130233420A1
Application Date: 17 May 2013
Publication Date: 12 Sep 2013
IPC Current: F17D000100
US Class: 13756501
Assignee Applicant: The Regents of the University of California
Title: PARTICLE FOCUSING SYSTEMS AND METHODS
Usefulness: PARTICLE FOCUSING SYSTEMS AND METHODS
Summary: The system such as dual-inlet co-flow system is useful for focusing and/or analyzing particles.
Novelty: System e.g. dual-inlet co-flow system for focusing and/or analyzing particles, comprises a first inlet, an inertial focusing microchannel disposed in a substrate and connected to the inlet, and a pressure/flow source
- Industry
- Biomedical
- Sub Category
- Medical Device
- Application No.
- 20130233420
- Others
-
State Of Development
Experiments and model simulations have been performed.
Background
Micro-scale particles in flow can be found in many fields of science and technology. One example is cells in blood stream. Control of particle motion/position in flow has numerous applications such as flow cytometry and particle encapsulation. Control of particle positions in particle laden flows is typically achieved by external force fields such as acoustic, electric, or magnetic fields. However, such methods consume power, require a bulky setup and efficiencies degrade with increasing flow rate, thus lowering the throughput. Recently, fluid inertia has been used to manipulate particle position in flow with high throughput in the transverse direction (particle-wall spacing), but not the lateral direction (particle-particle spacing). Although studies to date have provided simple descriptions of lateral spacing phenomena as a function of particle Reynolds number, the mechanisms of self-assembly in these systems are not well understood and have not been engineered effectively.
Related Materials
Dynamic self-assembly and control of microfluidic particle crystals. PNAS. (2010)
Additional Technologies by these Inventors
- Sequential Array Cytometry: Multi-Parameter Imaging with a Single Fluorescent Channel
- Sheathless Inertial Cell Ordering Microfluidic Device for Extreme Throughput Flow Cytometry
- Single-Molecular Homogenous Amplified Detection in Confined Volumes
- Controllable Emulsification And Point-Of-Care Assays Driven By Magnetic Induced Movement Of The Fluid
- Enhanced Fluorescence Readout And Reduced Inhibition For Nucleic Acid Amplification Tests
- Drop-Carrier Particles For Digital Assays
- Homogenous Entropy-Driven Biomolecular Assay (HEBA)
- Label-Free Digital Bright Field Analysis of DNA Amplification
- DNA Nanotechnology for Quick and Sensitive Detection of Nucleic Acids in Point-of-Care (POC) Diagnosis Applications
- Microfluidic Interfacial Magnetic Separation (MIMS)
- Methods For High-Throughput Screening and Sorting of Hyperproducing Single Cells
- Methods And Devices for Continuous Analyte Sensing with Microporous Annealed Particle Gels
Tech ID/UC Case
23238/2011-038-0
Related Cases
2011-038-0
- *Abstract
-
UCLA researchers in the Department of Bioengineering have developed a microfluidic platform that controls particle spacing during solution exchange applications using inertial flow.
- *IP Issue Date
- Sep 12, 2013
- *Principal Investigator
-
Name: Dino Di Carlo
Department:
Name: Wonhee Lee
Department:
- Country/Region
- USA
