TEMPERATURE-CONTROLLED FLUIDIC REACTIONS SYSTEM
The present disclosure discloses methods and systems for executing chemical reactions including a source reservoir, an input channel in fluid communication with the source reservoir and a main channel. The input channel is configured to distribute a reaction volume from the source reservoir into a main channel. The main channel includes a plurality of pads on an inner surface of the main channel configured to convey the reaction volume as a plurality of droplets via electro wetting. The system includes a destination reservoir configured to receive the plurality of droplets from the main channel into a pool.
1 . A system for executing chemical reactions, the system comprising:
a source reservoir;
an input channel in fluid communication with the source reservoir and a main channel, the input channel being configured to distribute a reaction volume from the source reservoir into a main channel, the main channel comprising a plurality of pads on an inner surface of the main channel configured to convey the reaction volume as a plurality of droplets via electrowetting, at least one pad configured to capture an enzyme;
wherein each droplet of the plurality of droplets contains a magnetic bead, wherein the enzyme is attached to the magnetic bead, and wherein the pad comprises an electromagnet configured to capture the magnetic bead to which the enzyme is attached; and
a destination reservoir configured to receive the plurality of droplets from the main channel into a pool.
2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein each pad of the plurality of pads comprises an electrode, a dielectric material, and a hydrophobic surface.
3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of pads is arranged as an array on the inner surface, the array configured to convey an individual droplet of the plurality of droplets along a pad column of the array, wherein the array comprises a plurality of pad columns and each pad column extends along a length of the main channel.
4 . The system of claim 3 , wherein the plurality of pad columns is configured to convey multiple droplets in parallel.
5 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising a cover plate positioned at a height h above the inner surface of the main channel, wherein the height h delimits the main channel in one dimension.
6 . The system of claim 5 , wherein at least one of the height h of the main channel, a width w of the main channel, a droplet speed v of the plurality of droplets through the main channel, and an average fractional volume o of the main channel occupied by the plurality of droplets, is configured such that an effective flow rate of the system, equal to h*w*v*o, is sufficient for moving an initial reaction volume in the source reservoir through the main channel in a target amount of time.
7 . The system of claim 6 , wherein the initial reaction volume is greater than or equal to about 1 liter and the target amount of time is less than or equal to about 2 hours.
8 . The system of claim 6 , wherein the droplet speed v is determined by a pad length x and a pad switching frequency f such that the droplet speed is equal to x*f.
9 . The system of claim 3 , wherein the plurality of pads comprises a pad row set to a target temperature.
10 . The system of claim 9 , wherein the array comprises multiple pad rows set to multiple target temperatures, and wherein each pad column comprises a pad from each pad row of the multiple pad rows set to multiple target temperatures, such that a droplet is exposed to the multiple target temperatures as it is conveyed along an individual pad column of the array.
11 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the array comprises a pattern of pad rows having a cyclical temperature pattern along the length of the main channel.
12 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the pattern defines a temperature cycle, and wherein the array includes a plurality of instances of the pattern.
13 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the reaction volume is a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) formulation, and wherein the multiple target temperatures of an individual cycle are configured for melting double stranded DNA, annealing primers, and extending primers.
14 . The system of claim 12 , wherein a pad switching frequency and a number of pad rows for an individual temperature of the temperature cycle are set such that an individual droplet spends a target period of time at the individual temperature.
15 . (canceled)
16 . The system of claim 1 , wherein a pad of the plurality of pads is conjugated with an enzyme.
17 .- 18 . (canceled)
19 . The system of claim 16 , wherein the enzyme is a polymerase.
20 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising an input pump configured to convey the plurality of droplets from the source reservoir into the main channel via the input channel.
21 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising an output pump configured to aspirate droplets from the main channel to the destination reservoir.
22 .- 24 . (canceled)
25 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the destination reservoir further comprises a reagent configured to inhibit a reaction.
26 .- 28 . (canceled)
29 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the reaction volume comprises a library of DNA molecules that encode digital information.
30 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the reaction volume comprises a library of genomic DNA.
31 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the reaction volume comprises a library of DNA variants for screening.
32 .- 54 . (canceled)