US 12,434,243 B2
Particle capture systems and methods
Hür Köser, Wallingford, CT (US); and Patrick Rivelli, Cambridge, MA (US)
Assigned to Savran Technologies, Inc., Cambridge, MA (US)
Appl. No. 17/288,089
Filed by Savran Technologies, Inc., Cambridge, MA (US)
PCT Filed Oct. 25, 2019, PCT No. PCT/US2019/058138
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Apr. 23, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/086999, PCT Pub. Date Apr. 30, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/750,620, filed on Oct. 25, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2021/0370300 A1, Dec. 2, 2021
Int. Cl. B01L 3/00 (2006.01); G01N 33/543 (2006.01)
CPC B01L 3/502761 (2013.01) [B01L 3/50273 (2013.01); B01L 3/50857 (2013.01); G01N 33/54326 (2013.01); B01L 2200/027 (2013.01); B01L 2200/0668 (2013.01)] 21 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system for performing an assay of target entities having a nominal diameter and that are magnetic, or are made to be magnetic by being bound to magnetic beads, the system comprising:
a housing comprising:
a receiving area sized and configured to support a test cartridge device for capturing target entities when a sample fluid containing target entities is flowed through the test cartridge device, wherein the test cartridge device comprises one or more microfluidic chips;
a sample fluid reservoir in fluid communication with the receiving area and configured to store the sample fluid;
one or more reagent reservoirs, each in fluid communication with the receiving area and configured to store one or more reagents;
one or more magnet components arranged adjacent to the receiving area and configured to generate a magnetic force within a test cartridge sufficient to separate magnetic target entities from non-magnetic entities and to hold at least one magnetic target entity in at least one known location within at least one of the microfluidic chips when fluid flows across a surface within the microfluidic chip;
a fluid control device comprising a pump or fluid pressure controller for controlling flow of the sample fluid and the one or more reagents through the one or more microfluidic chips, with a flow meter and one or more valves, wherein the fluid control device causes the sample fluid to pass through the one or more microfluidic chips at a flow rate sufficient to move non-magnetic entities out of the one or more microfluidic chips, but not sufficient to remove magnetic target entities from the one or more microfluidic chips;
a target entity collection device comprising one or more micropipettes for extracting target entities from the at least one known location within the at least one of the microfluidic chips;
and
a computing device arranged and programed to control at least the fluid control device.