Devices and methods for using centripetal acceleration to drive fluid movement in a microfluidics system

• Main Authors: COREY GEORGE D, KIEFFER-HIGGINS STEPHEN G, MIAN ALEC
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 23.03.2004
• Edition: 7
• Subjects: ACTUATING-FLOATS; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING; BLASTING; CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL LABORATORY APPARATUS FOR GENERAL USE; CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOIDCHEMISTRY; COCKS; DEVICES FOR VENTING OR AERATING; ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; FLUID-CIRCUIT ELEMENTS PREDOMINANTLY USED FOR COMPUTING ORCONTROL PURPOSES; FLUID-PRESSURE ACTUATORS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVEFUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; HEATING; HYDRAULICS OR PNEUMATICS IN GENERAL; INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIRCHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES; LIGHTING; MEASURING; MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; MIXING, e.g. DISSOLVING, EMULSIFYING, DISPERSING; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL; PHYSICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDEDFOR; SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; TAPS; TESTING; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL; TRANSPORTING; VALVES; WEAPONS; WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE, IN GENERAL

This invention relates to methods and apparatus for performing microanalytic and microsynthetic analyses and procedures. The invention provides a microsystem platform and a micromanipulation device for manipulating the platform that utilizes the centripetal force resulting from rotation of the platform to motivate fluid movement through microchannels. The microsystem platforms of the invention are also optionally provided having system informatics and data acquisition, analysis and storage and retrieval informatics encoded on the surface of the disk opposite to the surface containing the fluidic components. Methods specific for the apparatus of the invention for performing any of a wide variety of microanalytical or microsynthetic processes are provided.