Microfluidic chip to attract and trap a specific biological element

Abstract

Microfluidic chip for attracting and trapping a specific biological element The present invention relates to a microfluidic chip capable of attracting and trapping a specific biological element, said chip comprising: - a reservoir (1) made of a matrix comprising a chemoattractant compound capable of attracting the biological element - at least one network of microchannels (2) disposed between the reservoir (1) and the external medium (3) of the chip and allowing the chemoattractant compound to pass into said medium and the biological element present in said medium to pass towards the reservoir (1), characterized in that each microchannel is in the form of a harpoon comprising at least two arrows (4) spaced longitudinally apart and directed towards the reservoir, in which each arrow comprises two branches (5) each having a free end (6) forming an acute angle between 10° and 80°,and in which each arrow comprises two openings (7) communicating with a longitudinal portion of the microchannel and having a width between 5 µm and 30 µm. Figure for the abstract: Fig. 3,

Claims

Demands

1. Microfluidic chip capable of attracting and trapping a biological element Specifically, said chip includes: - a reservoir (1) consisting of a matrix comprising a chi- compound mioattractant capable of attracting the biological element - at least one network of microchannels (2) arranged between the reservoir (1) and the external environment (3) of the chip and allowing the passage of chemoattractant compound towards said medium and to allow the element to pass through biological present in said environment towards the reservoir (1), characterized in that each microchannel is presented in a form of harpoon comprising at least two shafts (4) spaced longitudinally finally one from the other and directed towards the reservoir, into which each arrow comprises two branches (5) each having an end free (6) forming an acute angle between 10° and 80°, and in which each arrow comprises two openings (7) communicating with a longitudinal portion of the microchannel and having a width including between 5 µm and 30 µm.

2. Microfluidic chip according to claim 1, wherein the end free (6) of each branch (5) is separated from the other by a distance between 30 and 200 µm.

3. Microfluidic chip according to claim 1 or 2, wherein Each arrow (4) is spaced longitudinally from the next by a distance between 10 and 100 µm.

4. Microfluidic chip according to any one of the preceding claims in in which each arrow (4) has a length between 50 and 200 µm, a height between 10 and 50 µm and a distance between each free end (6) of each branch (5) between 30 and 200 µm.

5. Microfluidic chip according to any one of the preceding claims in in which each microchannel has a length between 100 and 500 µm, a width between 30 and 200 µm, a height between between 5 and 50 µm.

6. Microfluidic chip according to any one of the preceding claims ca- characterized in that it lacks an electrode between the reservoir (1) and the microchannel network (2).

7. Microfluidic chip according to any one of the preceding claims, including a lower part (8) comprising a part of the reservoir (1), and an upper part (9) comprising a portion of the reservoir (1) and the microchannel network (2), said upper part being capable of being arranged on the lower part (8), said parts being fixed between they.

8. Microfluidic chip according to any one of the preceding claims, in in which the reservoir (1) and the microchannel network (2) are of the shape annular and wherein the reservoir is located at the center of the chip.

9. Microfluidic chip according to any one of claims 7 to 8, in which the upper part (9), the lower part (8) and the matrix including the chemoattractant compound are composed of a material biocompatible.

10. | Microfluidic chip according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the mass percentage of the chemoattractant / matrix compound reservoir (1) is between 0.1 and 20%, preferably between 0.5 and 10 % and preferably still between 0.5 and 5%.