| Patent application number | Description | Published |
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| 20090218221 | Method And Apparatus For The Manipulation Of Particles In Conductive Solutions - The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for manipulation and/or control of the position of particles by means of fields of force of an electrical nature in electrically conductive solutions. The fields of force can be of (positive or negative) dielectrophoresis, electrophoresis, electrohydrodynamics or electrowetting on dielectric, characterized by a set of points of stable equilibrium for the particles. Each point of equilibrium can trap one or more particles within the attraction basin. Said forces dissipate by the Joule effect an amount of power proportional to the square of the voltages applied, causing in a short time the death of the biological particles contained in the specimen. According to the present invention, the dissipated power can be removed through at least one of the substrates in order to maintain the temperature in the liquid suspension constant or reduce it during the entire step of application of the forces. According to the present invention, the amount of heat to be extracted can be controlled by means of a temperature sensor internal to the microchamber or external thereto, which supplies information on the temperature of the system in order to establish a feedback control on the heat pump. In a second embodiment of the method, a flow constantly replaces the buffer, transporting by convection the heat outside the microchamber. Forming the subject of the present invention is likewise a method for minimizing the dissipated power given the same levels of performance by dividing the forces into classes, falling within one of which classes are the forces used for controlling particles in a static way whilst falling within a further class are the forces necessary for displacement of the particles. This can occur in a practical way by increasing the number of potentials that supply the electrodes of the device or else by appropriately modulating the amplitudes of the applied phases or by means of a timed management of the phases. Forming the subject of the present invention are likewise some practical implementations of the method that leads to an apparatus for manipulation of particles in conductive solutions. Said apparatus requires the use of a heat pump, which can be obtained by means of a Peltier-effect device or by means of the convective transport of the flow of heat absorbed by the substrate. Said convective flow uses a liquid or a gas. Forming the subject of the present invention is likewise an apparatus that exploits the gas law for reducing the temperature by varying the pressure of the gas having the function of performing the convective transport or by means of a change of phase from vapour to liquid or vice versa. | 09-03-2009 |
| 20090218223 | Method And Apparatus For Characterizing And Counting Particles, In Particular, Biological Particles - The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for the characterization and/or the counting of particles by means of non uniform, time variable force fields and integrated optical or impedance meter sensors. The force fields can be of positive or negative dielectrophoresis, electrophoresis or electro-hydrodynamic motions, characterized by a set of stable equilibrium points for the particles (solid, liquid or gaseous); the same method is suitable for the manipulation of droplets (liquid particles) by exploiting effects known to the international scientific community with the name of Electro-wetting on dielectric. The aim of the present invention is to act on the control of the position of each particle which is present in the sample, for the purpose of displacing such particles in a deterministic or statistical way, in order to detect their presence with the integrated optical or impedance meter sensors and/or characterize their type, for the purpose of counting or manipulating them in an efficient way. | 09-03-2009 |
| 20090220974 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR THE SELECTION AND/OR PROCESSING OF PARTICLES, IN PARTICULAR FOR THE SELECTIVE AND/OR OPTIMISED LYSIS OF CELLS - Methods and apparatus for the selection or processing of particles sensitive to the application of an external stimulus, in which is produced, by applying the external stimulus, the rupture/lysis of at least one selected particle or the fusion of first and second selected particles, by means of the organisation of the particles using a first field of force by selectively energising electrodes of an array of selectable electrodes having dimensions comparable to or smaller than those of the particles, applying to the electrodes a first configuration of stresses; and by applying to the electrodes a second configuration of stresses, so as to create a second field of force, located substantially close to at least one selected particle to be lysated or to a pair of first and second particles to be fused and such as to produce the application of a stimulus suited to produce their lysis or fusion. | 09-03-2009 |
| 20100068780 | METHOD FOR THE SELECTION AND/OR THE PROCESSING OF PARTICLES, IN PARTICULAR CELLS - Method for the selection or the processing of first particles sensitive to the application of an external stimulus including the step of producing, through the application of the external stimulus, the permeabilization of at least a selected first particle, consisting in the organization of the first particles through a first force field, to generate a second force field substantially placed in proximity of at least a selected first particle to be permeabilized. | 03-18-2010 |
| 20100200404 | METHOD AND DEVICE FOR THE MANIPULATION OF PARTICLES BY OVERLAPPING FIELDS OF FORCE - Methods and relative devices are illustrated for generating time-variable electric fields suitable for determining the creation of closed dielectrophoretic cages able to trap inside even single particles without the cages being necessarily positioned at relative minimum points of the electric field. | 08-12-2010 |
| 20100331205 | Method and Apparatus for the Identification and Handling of Particles - The present invention refers to the optimised selection and isolation, within a respective population, of elements of interest and/or utility for a series of subsequent operations. The invention concerns a method comprising the phases of: a) identifying, for each particle, at least one of a plurality of characteristic parameters; b) selecting the particles of interest, comparing for each of these the at least one parameter with a respective reference parameter. It furthermore comprises the phases of c) storing, for each of said particles, the at least one parameter identified; d) processing the value of a function of said stored parameter, associating the function with a criterion for selection of the particles of interest chosen from a group of possible selection criteria; e) establishing for each particle a threshold criterion to be used as reference parameter. The threshold criterion is established on a time by time basis according to the result of the above processing. | 12-30-2010 |
