Microfluidic devices and methods of use in the formation and control of nanoreactors
US9328344B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 5, 2013 |
| Grant date | May 3, 2016 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 5, 2033 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01N2500/10
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
The present invention provides novel microfluidic devices and methods that are useful for performing high-throughput screening assays and combinatorial chemistry. Such methods can include labeling a library of compounds by emulsifying aqueous solutions of the compounds and aqueous solutions of unique liquid labels on a microfluidic device, which includes a plurality of electrically addressable, channel bearing fluidic modules integrally arranged on a microfabricated substrate such that a continuous channel is provided for flow of immiscible fluids, whereby each compound is labeled with a unique liquid label, pooling the labeled emulsions, coalescing the labeled emulsions with emulsions containing a specific cell or enzyme, thereby forming a nanoreactor, screening the nanoreactors for a desirable reaction between the contents of the nanoreactor, and decoding the liquid label, thereby identifying a single compound from a library of compounds.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.