Granted Patent B2

US 12,631,651 · App. 19/400,892 · Granted May 19, 2026

Inventors: Hei Mun Christina Fan (Palo Alto, CA); Janice Hoiyi Lai (Mountain View, CA); Sixing Li (Mountain View, CA); Stephen P.A. Fodor (Palo Alto, CA); Eleen Yee Lam Shum (San Carlos, CA)

Assignee: Countable Labs, Inc.

G01N33/689C12Q1/6844G01N21/645G01N21/6486G01N2021/6482

Abstract

Claims (37)

1 . A method comprising:

(a) providing a sample comprising a set of target nucleic acid molecules, wherein the sample has a volume of less than 50 microliters;

(b) generating a set of droplets comprising processing materials and the set of target nucleic acid molecules of the sample within a duration of 50 minutes, wherein the set of droplets comprises at least 500,000 droplets, wherein a droplet of the set of droplets is surrounded by an immiscible fluid in a continuous phase immiscible with the immiscible fluid, wherein the set of droplets has a polydispersity coefficient of variation of less than 10%;

(c) collecting the set of droplets within a collecting container;

(d) amplifying the set of target nucleic acids or derivatives thereof within the collecting container; and

(e) scanning the set of droplets to detect signals corresponding to the set of target nucleic acid molecules or derivatives thereof.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein (b) is performed within a duration of 40 minutes.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the set of droplets comprises at least 1 million droplets.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the set of droplets has a polydispersity coefficient of variation of less than 5%.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein (e) comprises scanning droplets of the set of droplets across a set of channels comprising at least two color channels.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein (e) comprises scanning droplets of the set of droplets across a set of channels comprising at least four color channels.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein (e) comprises scanning droplets of the set of droplets across a set of channels comprising at least six color channels.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein (e) comprises scanning droplets of the set of droplets across a set of channels comprising at least seven color channels.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the set of target nucleic acid molecules comprises deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) molecules.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the set of target nucleic acid molecules comprises ribonucleic acid (RNA) molecules.

11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the set of target nucleic acid molecules comprises viral target nucleic acid molecules.

12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the sample comprises biological material collected from a human subject.

13 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the sample comprises biological material collected from multiple human subjects.

14 . A method comprising:

(a) providing a sample comprising a set of targets, wherein the sample has a volume of less than 50 microliters;

(b) generating a set of droplets comprising processing materials and the set of targets of the sample within a duration of 50 minutes, wherein the set of droplets comprises at least 1,000,000 droplets, wherein a droplet of the set of droplets is surrounded by an immiscible fluid in a continuous phase immiscible with the immiscible fluid, wherein the set of droplets has a polydispersity coefficient of variation of less than 5%;

(c) collecting the set of droplets within a collecting container;

(d) amplifying the set of targets or derivatives thereof within the collecting container; and

(e) scanning cross sections of droplets containing the set of targets across a set of at least four channels, thereby detecting signals corresponding to the set of targets or derivatives thereof.

15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein (a) through (d) are completed within a duration of four hours.

16 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the set of targets comprises nucleic acid targets.

17 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the set of targets comprises viral targets.

18 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the set of targets comprises protein targets.

19 . A method comprising:

(a) distributing a set of targets across a set of partitions comprising at least one million partitions, wherein a partition of the set of partitions comprises a hydrogel and is surrounded by an immiscible layer in a continuous phase immiscible with the immiscible layer;

(b) collecting the set of partitions within a collecting container;

(c) amplifying nucleic acids associated with the set of targets or derivatives thereof within the collecting container; and

(d) performing optical interrogation of sequences corresponding to the set of targets or derivatives thereof, thereby detecting signals corresponding to the set of targets or derivatives thereof.

20 . The method of claim 19 , wherein the set of targets or derivatives thereof comprises nucleic acid targets.

21 . The method of claim 19 , wherein the set of targets or derivatives thereof comprises single cell targets.

22 . The method of claim 19 , before (d), further comprising performing an enzymatic reaction involving single cells within the set of partitions in coordination with amplifying nucleic acids in (c).

23 . The method of claim 19 , wherein the set of partitions is generated using a set of channels.

Assignments (2)

Continuity (7)

References Cited (320)