Aligning a non-spherical biological entity in a sample flow using ambient viscoelastic fluid flows

US10656070B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Siemens Healthcare Limited · DE

Inventors

• Oliver Hayden · Moosburg an der Isar, DE
• Lukas Richter · Hirschaid, DE
• Matthias Ugele · Dresden, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Mar 30, 2016
• Grant date: May 19, 2020
• Expiry date: Mar 30, 2036

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G01N2015/1497
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A technique is presented for aligning, in a desired region within a flow chamber of a flow cell, a non-spherical biological entity carried in a sample. The flow chamber has a rectangular cross-section. A bottom flow input module, a top flow input module and a sample input module provide a viscoelastic first fluid, a second viscoelastic fluid, and the sample, respectively, to the flow chamber. The first and the second viscoelastic fluids laminarly flow along a bottom and a top wall of the flow chamber and the sample laminarly flows sandwiched between them. By controlling rate of flow of the first and/or the second viscoelastic fluids the sample flow, and thus the non-spherical biological entity, is focused in the desired region. A gradient of sheer within the sample flow set up due to the first and second viscoelastic fluids orients the non-spherical biological entity in the desired region.