US 11,898,129 B2
Microfluidic pressure regulator for robust hydrogel loading without bursting
Abraham P. Lee, Irvine, CA (US); Xiaolin Wang, Shanghai (CN); Duc Phan, Fountain Valley, CA (US); Christopher C. W. Hughes, Irvine, CA (US); and Steven C. George, St. Louis, MO (US)
Assigned to The Regents of the University of California, Oakland, CA (US)
Filed by The Regents of the University of California, Oakland, CA (US)
Filed on Oct. 1, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/492,263.
Application 17/492,263 is a division of application No. 15/333,183, filed on Oct. 24, 2016, granted, now 11,180,724.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/245,829, filed on Oct. 23, 2015.
Prior Publication US 2022/0025312 A1, Jan. 27, 2022
Int. Cl. C12M 3/06 (2006.01); B01L 3/00 (2006.01); C12M 1/34 (2006.01); C12M 1/00 (2006.01); C12M 3/00 (2006.01)
CPC C12M 23/16 (2013.01) [B01L 3/502738 (2013.01); C12M 21/08 (2013.01); C12M 29/10 (2013.01); C12M 41/40 (2013.01); B01L 3/502761 (2013.01); B01L 2200/0647 (2013.01); B01L 2300/0864 (2013.01); B01L 2400/0688 (2013.01)] 6 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of loading a flowable material into a compartment of an on-chip microfluidic platform, comprising
passing a flowable material from an inlet region of a microfluidic channel to a downstream outlet region of the microfluidic channel and into a compartment fluidly connected to an outlet region, and
diverting, a part of the flowable material from the microfluidic channel through a bypass channel into a reservoir, the bypass channel being fluidity connected via a pressure safety capillary burst valve to the microfluidic channel upstream of the compartment, wherein the flowable material is diverted when the hydraulic pressure inside the microfluidic channel is higher than the pressure safety capillary burst valve burst pressure.