Method and device for particle analysis using thermophoresis

1. A method of measuring the thermophoretic characteristics of particles in a solution comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a sample probe comprising marked particles in a solution;

(b) providing a temperature control system for creating a temperature gradient within said sample probe by contact heating, electrical heating and/or cooling;

(c) detecting the marked particles at a first time;

(d) creating a temperature increase of from 0 to about 5 K and a temperature gradient of 0-20 K/μm within the sample probe by means of the temperature control system;

(e) detecting the marked particles in the sample probe at a second time and/or at a predetermined location within the temperature gradient, and

(f) characterizing the particles based on said two detections.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said detecting the marked particles occurs at a predetermined second time.

3. The method according of claim 1 , further comprising the step of performing a third detection at a third time.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein said third detection is performed at a predetermined third time.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second time and/or third time is while and/or after heating.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the first, second and/or third times are predetermined times.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the predetermined times are determined based on absolute time, the completion or conduction of further method steps, and/or relative time between the two times.

8. Method according to claim 1 , further comprising the step of exciting luminescence of said marked particles wherein the detection steps comprise detecting luminescence of said excited particles.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein said luminescence is fluorescence.

10. Method according to claim 1 , wherein the temperature control system controls the temperature by a heating means and/or cooling means using one or more of a wire, a Peltier element, a plate, a conductive path, means for creating a high frequency electric field in the sample probe, an indium-tin-oxide (ITO) element and/or means with a radiation absorbing surface.

11. Method according to claim 1 , wherein detection is performed by use of one or more of epifluorescence (EPI) microscope, total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) microscope, confocal microscope, CCD, APD, PMT, and/or a microscope.

12. Method according to claim 1 , wherein the temperature gradient lies in the range from about 0.01 K/μm to 0.1 K/μm.

13. Method according to claim 1 wherein the sample probe volume lies in the range from about 1 pl to 100 μl.

14. Method according to claim 1 , wherein the time span between the first time and the second time is less than 5 minutes.

15. Method according to claim 1 , wherein the predetermined location within the temperature gradient is at the surface, the bottom, the side of a measurement chamber and/or the sample probe and/or at a predetermined distance from heating and/or cooling means or at a place of specific temperature.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the predetermined location is close to the heating and/or cooling means or near a surface in a region of high temperature gradients.

17. Method according to claim 1 , wherein a plurality of sample probes are measured subsequently and/or in parallel.

18. A device for measuring thermophoretic characteristics of particles in a solution according to the method of claim 1 , the device comprising:

a measurement chamber for receiving a sample probe containing marked particles in a solution;

means for detecting the marked particles in the sample probe;

a temperature control system for creating a temperature increase of from 0 to about 5 K and a temperature gradient of 0-20 K/μm within said sample probe by contact heating and/or cooling, and

a control means adapted for controlling said detection means to detect the marked particles at a first time and for controlling said detection means and temperature control system to detect the marked particles in the sample probe at a second time and/or at a predetermined location within a temperature gradient created by the temperature control system.

19. Device according to claim 18 , wherein the control means is adapted to control the first and/or second times to be predetermined times.

20. Device according to claim 18 , further comprising means for exciting luminescence of said marked particles wherein the detection means is adapted to detect luminescence of said excited particles.

21. Device according to claim 18 , wherein the temperature control system comprises one or more of each or more of the following heating and/or cooling means: a wire, a Peltier element, a plate, a conductive path, means for creating a high frequency electric field, an indium-tin-oxide (ITO) element and/or means with a radiation absorbing surface for controlling the temperature.

22. Device according to claim 18 , wherein the detection means comprises one or more of epifluorescence (EPI) microscope, total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) microscope, confocal microscope, CCD, APD, PMT, and/or a microscope.

23. Device according to claim 18 , wherein the device comprises means for characterizing the particles based on said detections.

24. Device according to claim 18 , wherein the temperature control system is adapted to create a temperature gradient lying in the range from about 0.01 K/μm to 0.1 K/μm.

25. Device according to claim 18 , wherein the device is adapted to receive a sample probe having a volume lying in the range from about 1 pl to 100 μl.

26. Device according to claim 18 , wherein control means is adapted to control the time span between the first time and the second time is less than 5 minutes.

27. Device according to claim 18 , wherein the detection means is adapted to conduct the detection at the surface, the bottom, the side of the measurement chamber or the sample probe and/or at a predetermined distance from heating means or at a place of specific temperature.

28. Device according to claim 18 , wherein the device is adapted to measure a plurality of sample probes subsequently and/or in parallel.

29. Device according to claim 18 , wherein the device comprises a substrate containing a measurement chamber for receiving the sample probe.

30. Device according to claim 18 , wherein the measurement chamber and/or the sample probe is covered by a cover lid.

31. Device according to claim 30 , wherein the cover lid comprises one or more filling holes and/or pin holes.

32. Device according to claim 18 , wherein the measurement chamber is defined as a recess in a substrate.

33. Device according to claim 18 , comprising filling holes for filling the measurement chamber.

34. Device according to claim 18 , wherein one or more of the heating and/or cooling means of the temperature control system extend into and/or through the measurement chamber and/or the sample probe.

35. Device according to claim 18 , wherein one or more of the heating and/or cooling means of the temperature control system contacts the measurement chamber and/or the sample probe.

36. Device according to claim 18 , wherein one or more of the heating and/or cooling means are electrically isolated vis-à-vis the measurement chamber and/or the sample probe.

37. The device according to claim 36 , wherein one or more of the heating and/or cooling means are electrically isolated vis-à-vis the measurement chamber and/or the sample probe by an electrical isolation coating and/or an electrical isolation layer.

38. Device according to claim 18 , wherein the measurement chamber and/or the sample probe is covered by a cover lid and wherein the cover lid is a heating and/or cooling element.

39. Device according to claim 38 , wherein the cover lid is an ITO element.

40. Device according to claim 18 , wherein the measurement chamber is defined by a structured surface and/or the sample probe is positioned on a surface of a substrate as a droplet, and where the heating and/or cooling element is defined by/on/in the substrate on which the droplet is placed.

41. A method to measure thermophoretic characteristics of particles in a solution by using a device according to claim 18 , comprising:

(a) providing a sample probe comprising marked particles in a solution;

(b) providing a temperature control system for creating a temperature increase of from 0 to about 5 K and a temperature gradient of 0-20 K/μm within said sample probe by contact heating, electrical heating and/or cooling;

(c) detecting the marked particles at a first time;

(d) creating a temperature gradient within the sample probe by means of the temperature control system;

(e) detecting the marked particles in the sample probe at a, preferably predetermined, second time and/or at a predetermined location within the temperature gradient, and

(f) characterizing the particles based on said two detections.