US 12,292,372 B2
Measuring device and method for measuring characteristics of cells
Dominique Collard, Lambersart (FR); Hiroyuki Fujita, Tokyo (JP); Stanislav Karsten, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA (US); and Mehmet Cagatay Tarhan, Lambersart (FR)
Assigned to CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE (CNRS), Paris (FR); and JUNIA, Lille (FR)
Appl. No. 17/766,562
Filed by CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE (CNRS), Paris (FR); and JUNIA, Lille (FR)
PCT Filed Oct. 6, 2020, PCT No. PCT/EP2020/078007
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Apr. 5, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/069446, PCT Pub. Date Apr. 15, 2021.
Claims priority of application No. 19306313 (EP), filed on Oct. 8, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2024/0102915 A1, Mar. 28, 2024
Int. Cl. G01N 15/14 (2024.01); B01L 3/00 (2006.01); G01N 15/1031 (2024.01); G01N 33/487 (2006.01); G01N 15/10 (2006.01)
CPC G01N 15/1484 (2013.01) [B01L 3/502761 (2013.01); G01N 15/1031 (2013.01); G01N 33/48728 (2013.01); B01L 2200/0663 (2013.01); B01L 2300/0645 (2013.01); G01N 2015/1006 (2013.01); G01N 2015/1495 (2013.01)] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A measuring device for measuring physical characteristics of cells, the measuring device comprising:
a microfluidic chip provided with a flow channel for allowing cells to flow through from one end to another end of the flow channel, the flow channel including an inlet part, a characterization part and an outlet part;
a manipulator situated in the characterization part between the inlet part and the outlet part of the flow channel and configured to manipulate a cell in a continuous flow through the characterization part by applying deformation force to the cell in the characterization part; and
a sensor situated in the characterization part and configured to sense a physical characteristic of the cell in the characterization part of the flow channel,
wherein the manipulator and the sensor are configured to define a width of the characterization part of the flow channel as a gap formed between the manipulator and the sensor, the width being smaller than a size of the cell, and
wherein the manipulator is configured to apply the deformation force to the cell by compressing the cell against the sensor,
wherein the manipulator comprises a guiding portion and a tip portion, the guiding portion being inclined toward the sensor to define a decreasing gap between the manipulator and the sensor, the tip portion extending parallel to the sensor to define a constant gap between the manipulator and the sensor,
further comprising a further sensor situated in the inlet part which is upstream of the characterization part and configured to detect the size of a cell in the inlet part of the flow channel,
wherein the manipulator is configured to control a position of the movable unit within the flow channel to adjust the width of the characterization part of the flow channel, depending on the size of the cell detected by the further sensor.