US 12,325,022 B2
Microfluidic device, system, and method for the study of organisms
Matteo Cornaglia, Bussigny-près-Lausanne (CH); Martin Gijs, Ecublens (CH); and Daniel Migliozzi, Vittuone (IT)
Assigned to ECOLE POLYTECHNIQUE FEDERALE DE LAUSANNE (EPFL), Lausanne (CH)
Filed by ECOLE POLYTECHNIQUE FEDERALE DE LAUSANNE (EPFL), Lausanne (CH)
Filed on Jan. 20, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/099,786.
Application 18/099,786 is a division of application No. 15/520,085, granted, now 11,596,945, previously published as PCT/IB2015/058034, filed on Oct. 19, 2015.
Claims priority of application No. PCT/IB2014/065472 (WO), filed on Oct. 20, 2014.
Prior Publication US 2023/0149927 A1, May 18, 2023
Int. Cl. B01L 3/00 (2006.01); C12Q 1/04 (2006.01); G01N 33/50 (2006.01)
CPC B01L 3/502753 (2013.01) [B01L 3/502761 (2013.01); B01L 3/5085 (2013.01); B01L 3/5088 (2013.01); C12Q 1/04 (2013.01); G01N 33/5008 (2013.01); G01N 33/5085 (2013.01); B01L 3/502715 (2013.01); B01L 2200/0663 (2013.01); B01L 2400/0655 (2013.01)] 6 Claims
 
1. A method for culturing a population of a sample nematode organism by using a system, the system including,
a microfluidic device having an inlet reservoir configured to hold the sample organism, a culture chamber in fluidic connection with the inlet reservoir, and a valve filter located between the inlet reservoir and the culture chamber, and
a pressure device operatively connected to the inlet reservoir, the method comprising the steps of:
providing a population of the sample organism in a fluid culture medium within the inlet reservoir;
applying a pulse pressure exceeding a threshold pressure to the inlet reservoir so that the fluid culture medium and the sample organism passes from the inlet reservoir to the culture chamber through the valve filter, wherein the valve filter is configured such that application of the threshold pressure allows for size-dependent passage of the sample organism; and
culturing the sample organism by applying a pressure below the threshold pressure to the inlet reservoir such that only the fluid culture medium passes through the valve filter from the inlet reservoir to the culture chamber, wherein the sample organism is blocked from passing through the valve filter at pressures below the threshold pressure.