Action of magnetic beads on microfluidics

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure include methods and apparatus for separating beads from the body of a droplet on a microfluidic actuator by applying a magnetic field to the droplet positioned at a first location. The droplet contains one or more magnetically responsive beads, and the magnetic field is moved to separate the one or more magnetically responsive beads from the body of the droplet. Embodiments also include methods and apparatus for introducing the one or more beads into the body of the droplet by applying a magnetic field to the one or more magnetically responsive beads and moving the magnetic field to introduce the one or more magnetically responsive beads into the droplet positioned at the first location. The droplet contains a fluid.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] (CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS) This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 898,454, filed September 10, 2019, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[0002] The present disclosure relates to devices and methods for manipulating beads, and in particular to devices and methods for manipulating magnetically responsive beads with microactuators. [Background technology]

[0003] Electrowetting on dielectrics (EWOD) is a liquid-driven mechanism that changes the contact angle of a water droplet between two electrodes on a hydrophobic surface. This is done by using an electric field to modify the hydrophobicity of the surface. For example, by applying a voltage, the surface can be modified to switch from a hydrophobic state to a hydrophilic state. Bulk liquid droplets with dimensions of a few mm (e.g., a few microliters in volume) can be moved by an array of electrodes arranged on a substrate, such as an inorganic substrate (e.g., silicon / glass substrate) or an organic substrate (e.g., cyclic olefin polymer / polycarbonate substrate).

[0004] Microfluidic actuators (hereafter referred to as microactuators) are devices that can be used to manipulate droplets of very small size. Microactuators are useful in many biological assay workflows, such as next-generation DNA / RNA sequencing library preparation. Such workflows typically use beads to capture targets, such as DNA, RNA or antibodies, and use the beads as carriers to transport the targets to desired locations on the microfluidic actuator and / or to carry out one or more reactions. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present disclosure presents devices, systems and methods for manipulating beads on a microactuator. In some embodiments, the beads may be magnetically responsive so that they may be moved or otherwise manipulated using a magnetic field. In some embodiments, the beads may be bound to targets, such as DNA molecules, RNA molecules or antibodies, and may be used as a means to manipulate these targets. For example, beads bound to target DNA molecules may be moved into and out of droplets in the microactuator, and reagents may be included in the droplets to cause reactions within the droplets. Traditional methods for moving beads into and out of droplets include immobilizing the beads and moving the droplets toward or away from the beads by electrowetting. Such methods have several drawbacks. For example, the use of electrowetting, especially when used to move droplets away from beads, requires the application of relatively high voltages (e.g., 300V) across the dielectric surfaces of the microactuator. In some cases, these voltages may be higher than the voltages required simply to transport the droplets, and may be between 150V and 200V. Repeated application of high voltages may damage the microactuator. For example, ions and other impurities can enter the dielectric, resulting in breakdown of the dielectric, which then becomes a conductor. Once the dielectric becomes a conductor, the microactuator may be disabled (e.g., application of a voltage across such a dielectric may localize a droplet within the microactuator) and may eventually require replacement. Another drawback is that using electrowetting to move a droplet away from a bead often leaves a significant number of beads within the body of the droplet that has been moved away from the bead, and / or leaves a significant amount of residual liquid from the droplet containing the bead. This is due, in part, to imprecision in the electrowetting approach. For example, the electrowetting approach induces a degree of flow that can drag beads along with the droplet's fluid. Additionally, the electrowetting approach does not allow fine control over the flow rate, which can result in unwanted amounts of liquid remaining on the beads.

[0006] The embodiments of the present disclosure depart from the conventional methods described above by magnetically moving beads in and out of droplets. In some embodiments, the disclosed methods may be performed while the droplet itself remains stationary. The methods described by the present disclosure may provide one or more of the following advantages over conventional methods. First, since electrowetting is not required to move beads in and out of droplets, the risk of dielectric breakdown is greatly reduced. Second, magnetic movement of beads is much more precise and controllable. The beads are collected in an area in contact with the substrate of the microactuator and can be moved at any desired speed. This fine tuning of speed is limited only by the level of control of the magnetic field (e.g., the movement of a permanent magnet that generates the magnetic field) and is much more precise and controllable than the flow resulting from electrowetting. Finally, the magnetic bead transport techniques described herein can be applied to applications that do not require electrowetting. For example, magnetic beads can be used in microfluidic cartridges that rely on other methods of fluid transport (e.g., continuous flow microfluidics, paper-based microfluidics, thread-based microfluidics). It should be noted that these are only examples of advantages. Other advantages may become readily apparent in light of this disclosure.

[0007] In some embodiments, the method may include applying a spot magnetic field to a droplet disposed at a first location on a first surface of the microactuator, the droplet including one or more magnetically responsive beads and a fluid, and moving the spot magnetic field to separate the one or more magnetically responsive beads from the body of the droplet. In some embodiments, the one or more magnetically responsive beads may include a set of magnetically responsive beads (e.g., two or more beads). In some embodiments, applying the spot magnetic field to the droplet may collect at least some of the set of magnetically responsive beads into a bead palette (which may include, e.g., a cluster of beads), and moving the spot magnetic field may include separating the bead palette from the body of the droplet, for example, by moving a source of the spot magnetic field (e.g., one or more permanent magnets, one or more electromagnets) toward the first location. In some embodiments, the bead palette may further include a residual volume of fluid. In some embodiments, moving the spot magnetic field to separate the bead palette from the body of the droplet may include moving a source of the spot magnetic field along a first surface of the microactuator (e.g., substantially parallel to a plane defined by the first surface), where moving the spot magnetic field may move the bead palette to a second location on the first surface. In some embodiments, the magnetic field source (e.g., a magnet) may be movable (1) toward and away from the first substrate and (2) along the first substrate. For example, the magnetic field source may be movable along a trajectory defined at least in part by a vector perpendicular to a plane defined by the first substrate, and may be further movable along a trajectory defined at least in part by a vector parallel to a plane defined by the first substrate.

[0008] In some embodiments, the microactuator may include a first substrate. The first substrate may include a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface. In some embodiments, the source of the magnetic field may be a permanent magnet located adjacent to the second surface. In some embodiments, the second surface may be a bottom surface of the microactuator, and the permanent magnet may be located below (e.g., adjacent to) the second surface.

[0009] In some embodiments, applying the spot magnetic field may include activating a first electromagnet at a location proximate the first location. In these embodiments, moving the spot magnetic field to separate the bead pallet from the body of the droplet may include activating a second electromagnet at a location proximate the second location.

[0010] In some embodiments, moving the spot magnetic field to separate the bead pallet from the body of the droplet may include physically moving the source of the spot magnetic field.

[0011] In some embodiments, the microactuator may include a first substrate and a second substrate spaced apart from the first substrate defining a gap therebetween, the droplet may be disposed in the gap, and the second substrate may include a physical barrier extending into the gap configured to prevent fluid from exiting from the first location to the second location or to reduce the amount of fluid exiting from the first location to the second location.

[0012] In some embodiments, the method and apparatus may include applying a spot magnetic field to one or more magnetically responsive beads at a second location on a first surface of the microactuator, and may include moving the spot magnetic field to introduce the one or more magnetically responsive beads into a droplet disposed at the first location. In the method and apparatus, the droplet may include a fluid.

[0013] In some embodiments, the spot magnetic field may be moved along a first direction (e.g., by moving a magnet in the first direction) and the body of the droplet may be moved along a second direction different from the first direction (e.g., in a direction opposite to the first direction). For example, the body of the droplet may be moved along the second direction simultaneously or substantially simultaneously with moving the spot magnetic field along the first direction. Such techniques may be used, for example, to more quickly separate beads from the droplet or to more quickly introduce beads into the droplet. In some embodiments, the body of the droplet may be moved in the second direction using electrowetting. In some embodiments, the body of the droplet is moved in the second direction by contacting a portion of the body of the droplet with a hydrophilic portion of the first surface. In some embodiments, the body of the droplet may be moved in the second direction using a pressure differential. The body of the droplet may be moved in the second direction using a pressure differential between a first side of the body and a second side of the body. For example, a microactuator may include a first substrate and a second substrate spaced apart from the first substrate defining a gap therebetween, and a droplet may be disposed in the gap. In this example, the body of the droplet may be moved in a second direction using a pressure differential caused by a change in capacitance of the gap on the microactuator in which the droplet is disposed.

[0014] This summary is provided to introduce in a simplified form different embodiments of the disclosure that are described in more detail below. This summary is not intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. Other features, details, utilities and advantages of the claimed subject matter will become apparent from the following detailed description. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1A] FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram showing an example of a microactuator. [Figure 1B] FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view of the microactuator shown in FIG. 1A taken along line BB'. [Figure 2A] FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view showing a portion of another example of the microactuator. [Figure 2B] FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view showing a portion of another example of the microactuator. [Figure 3A] FIG. 3A shows an example of a droplet in a microactuator. [Figure 3B] FIG. 3B shows an example of a droplet within a microactuator. [Figure 3C] FIG. 3C shows an example of a droplet within a microactuator. [Figure 4A] FIG. 4A illustrates an example of a microactuator that uses a magnetic field source to separate one or more beads from a droplet body. [Figure 4B] FIG. 4B illustrates an example of a microactuator that uses a magnetic field source to separate one or more beads from the droplet body. [Figure 4C] FIG. 4C illustrates an example of a microactuator that uses a magnetic field source to separate one or more beads from the droplet body. [Figure 4D] FIG. 4D illustrates an example of a microactuator that uses a magnetic field source to separate one or more beads from a droplet body. [Figure 4E] FIG. 4E illustrates an example of a microactuator that uses a magnetic field source to separate one or more beads from the droplet body. [Figure 5A] FIG. 5A shows an example of a microactuator with a series of magnetic field sources for manipulating beads. [Figure 5B] FIG. 5B illustrates an example of a microactuator with a series of magnetic field sources for manipulating beads. [Figure 5C] FIG. 5C illustrates an example of a microactuator with a series of magnetic field sources for manipulating beads. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a microactuator with a physical barrier to prevent or reduce fluid waste. [Figure 7A]FIG. 7A illustrates an example microactuator that uses a moving spot magnetic field to move one or more beads in a first direction and electrowetting to move the droplet body in a second direction. [Figure 7B] FIG. 7B illustrates an example microactuator that uses a moving magnetic spot field to move one or more beads in a first direction and electrowetting to move the droplet body in a second direction. [Figure 7C] FIG. 7C illustrates an example microactuator that uses a moving magnetic spot field to move one or more beads in a first direction and electrowetting to move the droplet body in a second direction. [Figure 7D] FIG. 7D illustrates an example microactuator that uses a moving spot magnetic field to move one or more beads in a first direction and electrowetting to move the droplet body in a second direction. [Figure 8A] FIG. 8A illustrates an example of a microactuator that uses a moving spot magnetic field to move one or more beads in a first direction and a hydrophilic surface to move the droplet body in a second direction. [Figure 8B] FIG. 8B illustrates an example of a microactuator that uses a moving spot magnetic field to move one or more beads in a first direction and a hydrophilic surface to move the droplet body in a second direction. [Figure 8C] FIG. 8C illustrates an example microactuator that uses a moving spot magnetic field to move one or more beads in a first direction and a hydrophilic surface to move the droplet body in a second direction. [Figure 8D] FIG. 8D illustrates an example of a microactuator that uses a moving spot magnetic field to move one or more beads in a first direction and a hydrophilic surface to move the droplet body in a second direction. [Figure 9A] FIG. 9A illustrates an example microactuator that uses a moving spot magnetic field to move one or more beads in a first direction and a pressure differential to move the droplet body in a second direction. [Figure 9B]FIG. 9B illustrates an example microactuator that uses a moving spot magnetic field to move one or more beads in a first direction and a pressure differential to move the droplet body in a second direction. [Figure 9C] FIG. 9C illustrates an example microactuator that uses a moving magnetic spot field to move one or more beads in a first direction and a pressure differential to move the droplet body in a second direction. [Figure 9D] FIG. 9D illustrates an example microactuator that uses a moving spot magnetic field to move one or more beads in a first direction and a pressure differential to move the droplet body in a second direction. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 illustrates an example method of magnetically separating one or more beads from a droplet body on a microfluidic actuator. [Figure 11] 11 illustrates an example of a method for magnetically introducing one or more beads into a droplet body on a microfluidic actuator. In accordance with common practice, the depicted features and elements are not drawn to scale, but are drawn to highlight features and elements relevant to the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and in which are shown specific, non-limiting examples in which the invention may be practiced. The terms "upper", "lower", "vertical", "height", "top", "bottom", etc. are used with reference to the orientation of the figures being described. Because components of embodiments of the invention can be positioned in many different orientations, this terminology is used for purposes of illustration and not limitation.

[0017] Some figures show schematic droplets on the microactuator. In these examples, the droplets are on the order of a few milliliters (10 -3 ) to about a few microliters (10 -6) can be considered to be a liquid bounded at least in part by surface tension with a constant volume between the droplets. The droplets may be aqueous droplets containing any organic or inorganic species such as biomolecules, proteins, living or cadaveric bodies, reagents, and any combination thereof. The droplets may be non-aqueous liquids. The droplets may be spherical or non-spherical and may have sizes ranging from about 1 micrometer to several millimeters. In some embodiments, the droplets may have dimensions between 1×1×0.3 mm and 1.5×1.5×0.5 mm. In some embodiments, the droplets may be encapsulated by a filler fluid. The droplets may include one or more beads.

[0018] In some figures, beads are shown diagrammatically on the microactuator. In these examples, beads can be considered to be any particle that can be manipulated by the microactuator or that can interact with a droplet on or in close proximity to the microactuator. Beads can be any of a wide variety of shapes, such as spherical, near-spherical, ovoid, disc-shaped, cubic, and other three-dimensional shapes.

[0019] In some embodiments, the beads may be magnetically responsive. In these embodiments, the beads may be maneuverable (e.g., movable from a first position to a second position on a microactuator) by a magnetic field source. For example, the magnetically responsive beads may be attracted to or repelled by a magnetic field source. The beads may be magnetically responsive by including a magnetically responsive material, such as, for example, a paramagnetic material, a ferromagnetic material, a ferrimagnetic material, and / or a metamagnetic material.

[0020] In some embodiments, one or more reagents may be employed by the microactuator, in which a reagent may be considered to be a substance used to induce or facilitate a reaction (e.g., with a species present in the droplet).

[0021] FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a microactuator 10. The illustrated microactuator of FIG. 1A is a microfluidics droplet actuator capable of manipulating droplets and / or particles (e.g., beads) along one or more substrates. The microactuator 10 includes a substrate structure 11 having a lower substrate 12, an insulating layer 13 on the substrate, and an array of electrodes 14a and 14b in or below the insulating layer. The array of electrodes 14a and 14b may include a first set of electrodes 14a arranged parallel to one another and spaced apart from one another in a first direction, and a second set of electrodes 14b arranged parallel to one another and spaced apart from one another in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction. The first and second sets of electrodes may be spaced apart from one another within the insulating layer 13, which may include multiple dielectric layers of the same or different materials. The microactuator 10 may also include input / output circuitry 15 in the substrate. Input / output circuitry 15 may be configured to interface with control circuitry (not shown in FIG. 1A) that may be integrated into microactuator 10 or may be external to microactuator 10 to provide a control voltage having a time-varying voltage waveform to the array of electrodes 14a and 14b.

[0022] Referring to FIG. 1A, a fluid droplet 16 disposed on the surface of an insulating layer 13 may be moved across the surface by turning on and off a control voltage (or adjusting the voltage level) at an electrode below and adjacent to the droplet.

[0023] Figure 1B is a cross-sectional view of the microactuator 10 shown in Figure 1A taken along line B-B'. A cross-sectional view of a second set of electrodes 14b is shown. The first set of electrodes 14a (not shown) may be located above, below or in the same plane as the second set of electrodes 14b and may be spaced from the second set of electrodes by one or more dielectric layers.

[0024] 2A is a cross-sectional view of a portion of another embodiment of a microactuator 20A. Referring to FIG. 2A, the microactuator 20A includes a first substrate 22, a dielectric layer 23 on the substrate 21, a set of actuation electrodes 24a, 24b, 24c in the dielectric layer 23, and a common electrode 27 attached to a second substrate 28 and facing the actuation electrodes 24. In some embodiments, the common electrode 27 may be grounded or may be a reference electrode having another common voltage. In some embodiments, the dielectric layer 23 and the common electrode 27 are spaced apart from each other by a spacer 29, forming a gap. In other embodiments, the gap may be formed by a sealant (e.g., an adhesive or other bonding agent) that secures the first substrate 22 to the second substrate 28, or may be formed in other ways.

[0025] Referring to FIG. 2A, two substrate structures may be formed separately. For example, the first substrate structure may be formed to include a substrate 22, a dielectric layer 23, and actuation electrodes 24a, 24b, 24c in the dielectric layer 23. The substrate 22 may be a thin film transistor (TFT) array substrate formed by a conventional thin film transistor manufacturing process. The second substrate structure may include a substrate 28 and a common electrode layer 27 on the substrate 28. A spacer 29 may be formed on either the first substrate structure or the second substrate structure. In a particular embodiment, the spacer 29 has a height in a range of several micrometers to several millimeters. In general, the height of the spacer 29 is smaller than the diameter of a droplet of liquid disposed on the dielectric layer 23, where the microactuator is configured such that the droplet is in physical contact with the second substrate structure. The first substrate structure and the second substrate structure are bonded together to form the microactuator 20A. In other words, the space or gap between the first substrate structure and the second substrate structure in this embodiment is determined by the height or thickness of the spacer 29. This space or gap forms the flow path for the droplets.

[0026] In the example shown in FIG. 2A, the common electrode 27 and the set of actuation electrodes 24a, 24b, 24c are connected to a voltage provided by a control circuit (not shown) via the input / output circuit 15 shown in FIG. 1A. The common electrode may be connected to ground potential or a stable DC voltage. The control circuit applies a time-varying voltage to the set of actuation electrodes via the input / output circuit through respective electronic switches (which may be, for example, thin film transistors or MOS circuits on the substrate or off-chip), generating an electric field across the droplet to move it along a path. In some embodiments, the surface of the common electrode 27 is covered by an insulating layer made of a hydrophobic material. In other embodiments, the surface of the dielectric layer 23 is covered with a thin hydrophobic film having a submicron thickness.

[0027] Referring to FIG. 2A, a droplet 26 may be disposed between the first substrate 22 and the second substrate 28 (and thus between the actuation electrodes 24a, 24b, 24c and the common electrode 27). In one embodiment, the microactuator 20A may further include a control circuit (not shown) configured to provide control voltages to the common electrode 27 and the actuation electrode 24. The droplet 26 may be moved along a lateral direction across the surface of the dielectric layer 23 by altering or varying the voltage levels applied to the actuation electrodes relative to the common electrode. Applying a voltage (or increasing the voltage level) to a particular actuation electrode in this manner may have the effect of making a portion of the first substrate 22 less hydrophobic (i.e. more hydrophilic) immediately surrounding the location of the particular actuation electrode. This effect is commonly known as electrowetting (or, more specifically, electrowetting-on-dialic (EWOD) when electrowetting occurs on a dielectric) and may be used to move a droplet across a surface. By turning on and off the voltages applied to the actuation electrodes, the control circuitry can move the droplet 26 laterally across the surface of the dielectric layer 23. For example, a first voltage can be applied to the actuation electrode 24a below the droplet 26, and a second voltage can be applied to the adjacent actuation electrode 24b to generate an electric field that moves the droplet 26 toward the actuation electrode 24b. The velocity of the droplet 26 can be controlled by the magnitude of the voltage difference between the adjacent actuation electrodes. In one embodiment, the shape of the fluid droplet 26 can be changed by changing the voltage difference between the actuation electrodes 24a, 24b, 24c and the common electrode 27 between which the droplet 26 is disposed. It is understood that the number of actuation electrodes in a set of actuation electrodes can be any integer number. In the example shown in FIG. 2A, three actuation electrodes are used in the set of actuation electrodes. However, it is understood that the number is arbitrarily chosen to illustrate the exemplary embodiment, and is not intended to be limiting.

[0028] FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view of a portion of another embodiment of a microactuator. Referring to FIG. 2B, microactuator 20B includes a substrate 22b, a dielectric layer 23b on substrate 21b, a set of actuation electrodes 24a, 24b, 24c in dielectric layer 23b, and a set of common electrodes 27 (only one electrode 27b is shown) on dielectric layer 23b. The common electrode 27b and the actuation electrodes are spaced apart from one another by a portion of the dielectric layer. As in FIG. 2A, a droplet 26 can be moved laterally along a path across the surface of dielectric layer 23b by applying a first voltage at an actuation electrode (e.g., 24a) below droplet 26 and a second voltage at an adjacent actuation electrode (e.g., 24b). The movement and direction of droplet 26 is controlled by a control circuit (not shown) that applies voltages to specific actuation electrodes via a set of electronic switches (MOS circuits in substrate 22b, not shown). 20A, the microactuator 20B has a common electrode 27b close to the actuation electrode 24, and the droplet 26 is not sandwiched between the common electrode 27 and the actuation electrode 24. The microactuator 20B also differs from the microactuator 20A in that it does not have a spacer 29.

[0029] 2B, the set of actuating electrodes 24a, 24b, 24c and the set of common electrodes 27 may be two-layer strip electrodes that cross each other on different planes of the substrate. The actuating electrodes 24a, 24b, 24c and the common electrode 27 operate to move the droplet 26 across the surface of the dielectric layer 23b. In some embodiments, the common electrode 27b has a surface that is covered by an insulating layer made of a hydrophobic material. In other embodiments, the surface of the dielectric layer 23 is covered with a thin hydrophobic film having a submicron thickness.

[0030] One example of the use of the microactuators of Figures 1 and 2 is the manipulation of multiple droplets of uniform or similar size as part of droplet digital PCR on a microfluidic chip. Below a certain DNA concentration where the volume of each sample is small and meets the requirements of the Poisson distribution, each sample in the droplet may have one or no DNA molecules. By thermal cycling the samples using conventional PCR or incubating them under constant temperature using isothermal PCR, a single DNA molecule in the target region can be amplified in each sample in the environment (e.g., oil). After the DNA concentration of the final droplet is read by optical detection or pH measurement via an on-chip integrated ion-selective field effect transistor (ISFET) sensor, the absolute number of target DNAs in the array of samples can be quantified and the absolute number can be used to calculate the DNA concentration in the bulk droplet. In some examples, droplets containing multiple different DNA targets are dispensed onto a single microfluidic chip region and electrowetting moves the droplet to the next region that generates multiple samples (copies of DNA target) from the droplet for detection or measurement of the sample.

[0031] Figures 3-6 show examples of microactuators in which targets, such as DNA molecules, are attached to magnetically responsive beads. By attaching the targets to magnetically responsive beads, the targets can be moved to a desired location or manipulated by the microactuator. For example, by controlling a magnetic field generated from a source, DNA molecules attached to one or more magnetically responsive beads can be moved from one location on the microactuator to another.

[0032] In some examples, the magnetically responsive beads can be moved into or out of a droplet containing one or more reagents to effect an appropriate reaction with the target bound to the magnetically responsive beads. For example, magnetically responsive beads bound to single-stranded DNA molecules can be introduced into a droplet containing appropriate polymers and / or nucleotides to initiate PCR. In some embodiments, once the target has been eluted from the magnetically responsive beads, the magnetically responsive beads can be "washed." For example, after a desired reaction has occurred with the DNA molecules of one or more magnetically responsive beads in a first droplet, the magnetically responsive beads can be moved from the first droplet to a second droplet that removes the DNA molecules from the magnetically responsive beads. The magnetically responsive beads can be moved from the first droplet to a third droplet that contains a buffer to wash the magnetically responsive beads. Finally, the washed magnetically responsive beads can be moved out of the third droplet and reused in the microactuator as desired (e.g., by being introduced into a fourth droplet that contains the DNA molecules and an enzyme capable of binding the DNA molecules to the magnetically responsive beads). In some embodiments, the magnetically responsive beads may be moved (e.g., magnetically) into or out of a particular zone of the microactuator. For example, magnetically responsive beads containing DNA may be moved from a first zone having a first temperature to a second zone having a second temperature. In some embodiments, the magnetically responsive beads may be moved (e.g., magnetically) into or out of an inlet or outlet of the microactuator.

[0033] 3A-3C are diagrams illustrating an example of a droplet containing a set of beads located at a position on a microactuator and temporarily held at that position. In some embodiments, the droplet may be moved and held at that position using the principles of electrowetting discussed herein by operating an actuation electrode 34. For example, referring to FIG. 3A, a droplet 36 containing a plurality of beads 31a may be placed within a gap of a microactuator 30A. In some embodiments, as shown, the microactuator 30A may include a common electrode 37 and one or more actuation electrodes 34. In these embodiments, the gap may be formed by a first substrate 32 and a common electrode 37. The common electrode 37 and the first substrate 32 may be hydrophobic to allow for a relatively large contact angle. The droplet 36 may be held in place using this hydrophobicity. In certain embodiments, the actuation electrode 34 may be contained within the first substrate 32, which may be a dielectric. As another example, referring to FIG. 3B, the droplet 36 may be held in place within the microactuator 30B using a physical barrier 35 that extends at least partially into the gap in which the droplet 36 sits. The gap is formed by a first substrate 32 and a second substrate 38. For example, there may be two physical barriers 35 located on either side of the droplet 36, as shown in FIG. 3B. In some embodiments, the physical barrier may be a narrowing of the gap, a discrete protrusion that protrudes into the gap, or a combination thereof. As another example, referring to FIG. 3C, the droplet 36 may be held in place within the microactuator 30C using a hydrophilic patch 33 attached to a substrate 32, which may be hydrophobic. In this example, the droplet 36 may be attracted to the aqueous patch 33 and repelled by the hydrophobic substrate 32, holding the droplet in place.

[0034] In some embodiments, the beads may be magnetically responsive such that they can be moved or otherwise manipulated using a magnetic field source. In some embodiments, the one or more beads may comprise only a single bead (e.g., a "super-bead"). In some embodiments, the one or more beads may comprise a set of beads (e.g., two or more beads).

[0035] 4A-4E show examples of a microactuator 40 using a magnetic field source 49 to separate one or more beads from a droplet body 46a. The microactuator 40 may include a first substrate 42 (e.g., a top substrate) and an opposing second substrate 48 (e.g., a bottom substrate) in some embodiments. The microactuator 40 may be configured to use the principles of electrowetting discussed herein and may include a common electrode 47 attached to the second substrate 48 and one or more actuation electrodes 44 contained within or attached to the first substrate 42. In some embodiments, one or more magnetic fields may be used to separate one or more beads from a droplet 46 on the microactuator. In some embodiments, a spot (or localized) magnetic field may be applied to a droplet disposed at a first location on a first surface of the microactuator. The droplet may include one or more beads and fluid. The microactuator 40 may include a magnet 49 (e.g., a permanent magnet, an electromagnet) as a magnetic field source that emits a spot magnetic field. In some embodiments, the magnet 49 may be located below the first substrate 42. As an example, magnet 49 may be a permanent magnet having a diameter of 1 / 16 inch. Although this disclosure describes a configuration in which magnet 49 is located below first substrate 42, this disclosure contemplates that magnet 49 may alternatively be located above second substrate 48.

[0036] In some embodiments, the spot magnetic field may be moved toward a first location where the droplet is disposed, and the magnetically responsive beads within the droplet may be attracted toward the source of the spot magnetic field. In some embodiments, moving the spot magnetic field may include moving the source of the spot magnetic field. For example, as shown in FIG. 4A, the spot magnetic field may be moved toward the first location by moving the magnet 49 from an initial position distant from the first substrate 42 toward a position proximate to the first substrate 42. The magnet 49 may be moved laterally (not shown in FIG. 4A) adjacent to the first location. This movement may be imparted to the magnet 49, for example, by coupling the magnet 49 to an XYZ linear motor capable of moving the magnet in three dimensions. In this example, the magnet 49 may be moved laterally along a vector substantially parallel to the XY plane defined by the surface 42 and / or vertically along a vector in the Z direction perpendicular to the XY plane defined by the surface 42. FIG. 4A illustrates the movement of the magnet 49 in the Z direction. In some embodiments, magnet 49 may move both laterally and vertically along a single trajectory defined by a vector having vector components both parallel and perpendicular to the XY plane defined by surface 42. For example, such a vector may have an initial point (0,0,0) located in an appropriate location (e.g., below surface 42) and an end point in the XYZ coordinate system of (1,-2,3). Purely for purposes of illustration, FIG. 4E shows an XYZ coordinate system in which the XY plane is defined by surface 42.

[0037] In some implementations, the spot magnetic field may move to separate one or more magnetically responsive beads from the main body of the droplet. In some embodiments, as illustrated in FIG. 4B, when there are multiple beads, applying the spot magnetic field to the droplet may cause the set of beads (if there are multiple) to assemble into a "bead palette," a term that may refer to a body containing an assembly or cluster of two or more beads. As shown in FIG. 4B, when the magnet 49 is in proximity to the beads 41a, the magnet 49 exerts a spot magnetic field on the beads 41a, causing the beads 41a to assemble into the bead palette 41. As shown in FIG. 4C, in some embodiments, the magnet 49 may be moved laterally such that the bead palette 41 moves with the magnet 49 toward a second position on the first surface of the microactuator. In these embodiments, the droplet 46 may be held relatively stationary or may remain in its initial position at the first location. As shown in FIG. 4D, the magnet 49 continues to move laterally such that the bead palette 41 may be picked from the droplet body 46a and ultimately separated. In some embodiments, many beads may be left behind, however, as discussed above, the methods and systems disclosed herein can minimize the number of residual beads compared to more conventional techniques.

[0038] In some embodiments, one or more magnetic fields may be used to introduce one or more beads into a droplet body on the microactuator. This may be accomplished, for example, by performing the steps discussed with respect to Figures 4A-4D in reverse. For example, a magnet 49 may be moved toward one or more magnetically responsive beads disposed at a second location on a first surface of the microactuator to create a spot magnetic field such that the magnetically responsive beads are attracted toward the magnet 49 and collected in the bead palette 41. The spot magnetic field may be moved (e.g., by moving the magnet 49 laterally toward the droplet) to the first location where the droplet is disposed to introduce the magnetically responsive beads into the droplet.

[0039] 5A-5C are diagrams illustrating examples of microactuators with a series of magnetic field sources for manipulating beads. In some embodiments, the microactuator may use multiple stationary magnetic field sources to move or manipulate one or more magnetically responsive beads. The stationary magnetic field sources may be, for example, electromagnets that may be turned on or off (or may be electromagnets whose magnetic field strength may be modulated). With reference to FIG. 5A, the magnetic beads in the droplet 56 may be collected into the bead palette 51 by activating a magnet 59b, which may be located below (e.g., adjacent to) the first substrate 52. As shown, the magnet 59b is positioned in close proximity to the droplet 56. With reference to FIG. 5B, the magnet 59b may be activated to begin moving the bead palette 51 away from the droplet body 56a while the droplet body remains relatively stationary. As shown in FIG. 5C, the magnet 59a may remain activated while the magnet 59B may be deactivated to complete the separation of the bead palette 51 from the droplet body 56a. In some embodiments, this process may be reversed to introduce a bead pallet into the droplet.

[0040] In some embodiments, the bead palette (or beads) may also contain a small or residual amount of fluid. This residual amount of fluid may simply be fluid remnants from a droplet (e.g., a droplet in which the beads may have been at one time). In some embodiments, it may be desirable to reduce or remove the residual amount of fluid from the bead palette. This may be advantageous to reduce fluid waste. For example, a bead palette that has been separated from a reagent droplet may contain residual amounts of reagent that flowed out with the bead palette. In this example, it may be necessary to wash the residual amount of reagent (e.g., by introducing the bead palette into a buffer liquid) before the beads in the bead palette are used again. Or, the beads may need to be discarded. In either case, unnecessary waste of reagent occurs. As a result, the amount of reagent decreases with the introduction and separation of the beads from the reagent droplet, and a larger amount of reagent may be required than is necessary for a given reaction.

[0041] FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a microactuator with a physical barrier to prevent or reduce fluid waste. In some embodiments, the microactuator may include one or more physical barriers that prevent or reduce the discharge of a residual amount of fluid when the bead palette (or beads) is removed. For example, referring to FIG. 6, the microactuator 60 may include a physical barrier 65 that extends partially into (thereby narrowing) the gap in which the droplet is placed. As illustrated, when the magnet 69 moves to the left of the physical barrier 65, the physical barrier 65 may act to allow the bead palette 61 to move to the left of the physical barrier 65, but to block or reduce the residual amount of fluid that exits with the bead palette 61. As a result, a greater amount of fluid may be retained in the droplet body 66a.

[0042] In some cases, faster separation of beads from (or introduction of beads into) droplets may be optimal. In such cases, it may be advantageous to not only move the beads, but also to move the droplet body to reduce the time it takes to separate (or introduce) the beads from (or into) the droplet. Exemplary techniques for achieving this are described below with respect to Figures 7A-9D.

[0043] 7A-7D show an example of a microactuator 70 that moves one or more beads 71a in a first direction by moving a spot magnetic field and moves a droplet body 76a in a second direction using electrowetting. As shown in FIG. 7A, a droplet 76 containing beads 71a may be disposed on a surface of a microactuator 70 having a number of actuation electrodes 74. As shown in FIG. 7B, a magnet 79 may be moved towards a substrate of the microactuator 70 to collect the beads 71a into a bead palette 71. As shown in FIG. 7C, the magnet 79 may be moved in a first direction (here to the left in the figure) to move the bead palette 71 in the first direction. Simultaneously or nearly simultaneously, the actuation electrodes 74 may be actuated to move the droplet body 76a in a second direction (here to the right in the figure) using principles of electrowetting as described elsewhere. FIG. 7D shows the final separation resulting in a separated bead palette 71 and droplet body 76a.

[0044] 8A-8D show an example of a microactuator 80 that moves a spot magnetic field to move one or more beads 81a in a first direction and a hydrophilic surface 85 to move a droplet body 86a in a second direction. As shown in FIG. 8A, a droplet 86 containing beads 81a may be disposed on a surface of the microactuator 80. As shown in FIG. 8A, a magnet 89 may be brought toward a substrate of the microactuator 80 to collect the beads 81a into a bead pallet 81. Also, as shown in FIG. 8B, at least a portion of the droplet 86 may be brought into contact with a hydrophilic surface 85 (e.g., a hydrophilic patch). For example, electrowetting by actuation of an actuation electrode 84 may be used to move the droplet 86 toward the hydrophilic surface 85 until a portion of the droplet 86 contacts the hydrophilic surface 85. As shown in FIG. 8C, the magnet 89 may be moved in a first direction to move the bead pallet 81 in the first direction. Also, at or near the same time, the hydrophilic nature of hydrophilic surface 85 may move droplet body 86a in a second direction, as shown in Figure 8C. At or just prior to this step, actuation electrode 84 may optionally be turned off such that droplet body 86a is no longer attracted to the portion of the substrate near actuation electrode 84 (e.g., this portion may become hydrophobic again if actuation electrode 84 is not on). Figure 8D shows the final separation, resulting in a separated bead pallet 81 and droplet body 86a.

[0045] 9A-9D show an example of a microactuator 90 that uses a moving spot magnetic field to move one or more beads 91a in a first direction and a pressure difference to move a droplet body 86a in a second direction. As shown in FIG. 9A, the microactuator 90 may include a first substrate 92 and a second substrate having two portions 98a and 98b that vary in distance from the first substrate 92. In the illustrated example, portion 98a is closer to the first substrate 92 than portion 98b. As a result, the gap volume between the substrates of the microactuator 90 along portion 98a is smaller than the corresponding gap volume along portion 98b. This volume difference creates a pressure difference in the gap along the two portions. For example, Boyle's law P1V1=P2V2 ensures that an increased volume along portion 98b relative to portion 98a must translate into a decreased pressure (all else being equal) along portion 98b relative to portion 98a. This pressure difference creates a capillary push force in the second direction (e.g., to the right of the figure). As shown in FIG. 9A, droplet 96 may be brought near the junction between portions 98a and 98b (e.g., using electrowetting with actuation electrodes 94). As shown in FIG. 9B, magnet 96 may be brought toward a first substrate of microactuator 90 to collect beads 91a into bead palette 91. As shown in FIG. 9C, magnet 99 may be moved in a first direction to move bead palette 91 in a first direction. Also shown in FIG. 9C, simultaneously or nearly simultaneously, a pressure difference across the gap along portions 98a and 98b may move droplet body 96a in a second direction (e.g., in FIG. 9C, the left side of droplet body 96a may experience a higher pressure than the right side of droplet body 96a, causing droplet body 96a to advance to the right). At or just prior to this step, the actuation electrode 94 may be optionally turned off such that the droplet body 96a is no longer attracted to the portion of the substrate near the actuation electrode 94 (e.g., this portion may again become hydrophobic if the actuation electrode 94 is not on). Figure 9D shows the final separation, resulting in a separated bead pallet 91 and droplet body 96a.In some embodiments, the pressure differential may be created by applying an active positive pressure or an active negative pressure (eg, via a vacuum source).

[0046] While Figures 7A-9D show the use of a single moving magnet, this disclosure contemplates the use of multiple non-moving magnets, as shown in Figures 5A-5C. Additionally, while Figures 7A-9D show a first direction (e.g., left) as being opposite to a second direction (e.g., right), this disclosure contemplates the first direction being different, but not opposite, from the second direction (e.g., the first direction being perpendicular to the second direction or at an acute or obtuse angle thereto).

[0047] FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary method 100 for magnetically separating one or more beads from a body of a droplet on a microfluidic actuator. The method may begin at step 102. In step 102, a spot magnetic field may be applied to a droplet disposed at a first location on a first surface of the microactuator. The droplet includes one or more magnetically responsive beads and a fluid. In step 104, the spot magnetic field may be moved to separate the magnetically responsive beads from the body of the droplet. Certain embodiments may repeat one or more steps of the method of FIG. 10 as appropriate. Although this disclosure has described and illustrated certain steps of the method of FIG. 10 as occurring in a particular order, this disclosure contemplates that any suitable steps of the method of FIG. 10 may occur in any suitable order. Additionally, although this disclosure describes and illustrates an exemplary method for magnetically separating one or more beads from a droplet body on a microfluidic actuator that includes certain steps of the method of Figure 10, this disclosure contemplates any suitable method of magnetically separating one or more beads from a droplet body on a microfluidic actuator that includes any suitable steps, including all, some, or none of the steps of the method of Figure 10, as appropriate. Additionally, although this disclosure describes and illustrates certain components, devices, or systems that perform certain steps of the method of Figure 10, this disclosure contemplates any suitable combination of any suitable components, devices, or systems that perform any suitable steps of the method of Figure 10.

[0048] FIG. 11 illustrates an exemplary method 110 for magnetically introducing one or more beads into a droplet body on a microfluidic actuator. The method may begin at step 112. In step 112, a spot magnetic field may be applied to one or more magnetically responsive beads at a second location on a first surface of the microactuator. In step 114, the spot magnetic field may be moved to introduce the magnetically responsive beads into the droplet located at the first location. In step 114, the droplet includes a fluid. Certain embodiments may repeat one or more steps of the method of FIG. 11 as appropriate. Although this disclosure has described and illustrated certain steps of the method of FIG. 11 as occurring in a particular order, this disclosure contemplates that any suitable steps of the method of FIG. 11 may occur in any suitable order. Additionally, although this disclosure describes and illustrates an exemplary method for magnetically introducing one or more beads into a droplet body on a microfluidic actuator that includes certain steps of the method of Figure 11, this disclosure contemplates any suitable method of magnetically introducing one or more beads into a droplet body on a microfluidic actuator that includes any suitable steps, including all, some, or none of the steps of the method of Figure 11, as appropriate. Additionally, although this disclosure describes and illustrates certain components, devices, or systems that perform certain steps of the method of Figure 11, this disclosure contemplates any suitable combination of any suitable components, devices, or systems that perform any suitable steps of the method of Figure 11.

[0049] Although the processes described herein are described with respect to a particular number of steps performed in a particular order, it is contemplated that additional steps not expressly shown and / or described may be included. It is further contemplated that fewer steps than shown and described may be included without departing from the scope of the described embodiments (i.e., one or more of the described steps may be optional). It is further contemplated that the steps described herein may be performed in an order other than that described.

[0050] It is understood that the examples and embodiments described herein are for illustrative purposes only, and that various modifications or changes therein will be suggested to those skilled in the art and are within the spirit and scope of this application and the scope of the appended claims. All publications, patents, and patent applications cited herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes.

[0051] It should be understood that the above description is illustrative and not restrictive. Many embodiments will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon review of the above description. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be determined with reference to the above description, but should instead be determined with reference to the appended claims along with their full scope of equivalents.

[0052] Although the foregoing disclosure sets forth exemplary aspects of the disclosure, it should be noted that various changes and modifications may be made herein without departing from the scope of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims. The functions, steps, and / or actions of the method claims in accordance with the aspects of the disclosure described herein do not have to be performed in any particular order. Further, although elements of the disclosure may be described or claimed in the singular, the plural is contemplated unless limitation to the singular is expressly stated.

[0053] For all flowcharts herein, it will be understood that many steps may be combined, performed in parallel, or performed in different sequences without affecting the functionality achieved.

Claims

1. 1. A method of magnetically separating one or more beads from a droplet body on a microfluidic actuator, comprising: applying a spot magnetic field to a droplet disposed at a first location on a first surface of a microactuator, the droplet including one or more magnetically responsive beads and a fluid; moving the spot magnetic field to separate the one or more magnetically responsive beads from the body of the droplet, A method wherein separating the one or more magnetically responsive beads from the body of the droplet comprises both moving the spot magnetic field along a first direction and simultaneously, or substantially simultaneously, moving the body of the droplet along a second direction opposite to the first direction.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising contacting a portion of the body of the droplet with a hydrophilic portion of the first surface to move the body of the droplet in the second direction opposite the first direction.

3. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein a pressure differential between a first side of the body of the droplet and a second side of the body of the droplet is used to move the body of the droplet in the second direction opposite the first direction.

4. the microactuator comprising a first substrate and a second substrate spaced apart from the first substrate and defining a gap therebetween, the droplet being disposed in the gap; The method of claim 3 , wherein the pressure differential is caused by a change in capacitance of the gap in which the droplet on the microactuator is disposed.

5. 5. The method of claim 2, wherein the one or more magnetically responsive beads comprise a set of magnetically responsive beads, and wherein applying the spot magnetic field to the droplet comprises concentrating at least a portion of the set of magnetically responsive beads into a bead palette, and moving the spot magnetic field comprises separating the bead palette from the main body of the droplet.

6. The method of any of claims 2 to 4, wherein applying the spot magnetic field to the droplet comprises moving a source of the spot magnetic field towards the first position.

7. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein moving the spot magnetic field to separate a bead palette from a body of the droplet comprises moving a source of the spot magnetic field along the first surface of the microactuator, wherein moving the spot magnetic field moves the bead palette to a second position on the first surface.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the source of the spot magnetic field is a permanent magnet.

9. 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the microactuator comprises a first substrate, the first substrate having the first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface, the permanent magnet disposed adjacent the second surface.

10. 6. The method of claim 5, wherein applying the spot magnetic field comprises activating a first electromagnet at a position adjacent to the first location, and moving the spot magnetic field to separate the bead palette from the main body of the droplet comprises activating a second electromagnet at a position adjacent to a second location.

11. The method of claim 5 , wherein moving the spot magnetic field to separate the bead pallet from the body of the droplet comprises physically moving a source of the spot magnetic field.

12. The method of claim 5 , wherein the bead pallet further comprises a residual amount of the fluid.

13. 5. A method according to any of claims 2 to 4, wherein the microactuator comprises a first substrate and a second substrate spaced apart from the first substrate defining a gap therebetween, the droplet being disposed in the gap, and the second substrate including a physical barrier extending into the gap configured to prevent the fluid from exiting from the first location to a second location or to reduce the amount of the fluid exiting from the first location to the second location.

14. 1. A method for magnetically introducing one or more beads into a droplet body on a microfluidic actuator, comprising: applying a spot magnetic field to one or more magnetically responsive beads at a second location on the first surface of the microactuator; and moving the magnetic spot field to introduce the one or more magnetically responsive beads into a droplet disposed at a first location, The method, wherein introducing the one or more magnetically responsive beads into the droplet comprises both moving the spot magnetic field along a first direction and simultaneously, or substantially simultaneously, moving the body of the droplet along a second direction opposite to the first direction.

15. 15. The method of claim 14, further comprising contacting a portion of the body of the droplet with a hydrophilic portion of the first surface to move the body of the droplet in the second direction opposite the first direction.

16. 15. The method of claim 14, wherein a pressure differential between a first side of the body of the droplet and a second side of the body of the droplet is used to move the body of the droplet in the second direction opposite the first direction.

17. the microactuator comprising a first substrate and a second substrate spaced apart from the first substrate and defining a gap therebetween, the droplet being disposed in the gap; The method of claim 16 , wherein the pressure differential is caused by a change in capacitance of the gap in which the droplet on the microactuator is disposed.

18. 18. The method of any of claims 15-17, wherein the one or more magnetically responsive beads comprise a set of magnetically responsive beads, and wherein applying the spot magnetic field to the set of magnetically responsive beads assembles the set of magnetically responsive beads into a bead palette, and moving the spot magnetic field comprises introducing the bead palette into the body of the droplet.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein applying the spot magnetic field comprises moving a source of the spot magnetic field towards the second location.

20. 20. The method of claim 19, wherein moving the magnetic spot field to introduce the one or more magnetically responsive beads into the droplet comprises moving a source of the magnetic spot field along the first surface.

21. The method of claim 19 , wherein the source of the spot magnetic field is a permanent magnet.

22. 22. The method of claim 21, wherein the microactuator comprises a first substrate, the first substrate having a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface, the permanent magnet being positioned adjacent the second surface.

23. 20. The method of claim 18, wherein applying the spot magnetic field comprises activating a second electromagnet at a position adjacent to the second location, and moving the spot magnetic field to introduce the one or more magnetically responsive beads into the droplet comprises activating a first electromagnet at a position adjacent to the first location.

24. 20. The method of claim 18, wherein moving the magnetic spot field to introduce the one or more magnetically responsive beads into the droplet comprises physically moving a source of the magnetic spot field.

25. 20. The method of claim 18, wherein the bead palette further comprises a volume of fluid.

26. 18. A method according to any of claims 15 to 17, wherein the microactuator comprises a first substrate and a second substrate spaced apart from the first substrate defining a gap therebetween, the droplet being disposed in the gap, and the second substrate including a physical barrier extending into the gap configured to prevent fluid from exiting the first location or to reduce the amount of the fluid exiting the first location.

27. a first substrate having a first surface configured to receive one or more droplets and a second surface opposite the first surface; Source of magnetic field and Equipped with applying a spot magnetic field to a first droplet disposed at a first location on a first surface, the first droplet configured to include one or more magnetically responsive beads and a fluid; a droplet microactuator configured to move the magnetic spot field to cause the one or more magnetically responsive beads to separate from the body of the first droplet, A droplet microactuator configured to separate the one or more magnetically responsive beads from the body of the first droplet by moving the spot magnetic field along a first direction and simultaneously, or substantially simultaneously, moving the body of the first droplet along a second direction opposite to the first direction.

28. 28. The droplet microactuator of claim 27 configured to move a body of the first droplet in the second direction by contacting a portion of the body of the first droplet with a hydrophilic portion of the first surface.

29. 28. The droplet microactuator of claim 27 configured to move the body of the first droplet in the second direction using a pressure differential between a first side of the body of the droplet and a second side of the body of the droplet.

30. the first substrate and the second substrate defining a gap between the first substrate and the second substrate, the first droplet being disposed in the gap; 30. The droplet microactuator of claim 29, wherein the pressure differential is caused by a change in capacitance of the gap in which the first droplet on the droplet microactuator is disposed.

31. A droplet microactuator as described in any of claims 28 to 30, wherein the one or more magnetically responsive beads comprise a set of magnetically responsive beads, and the droplet microactuator is configured to apply the spot magnetic field to the first droplet to collect the set of magnetically responsive beads into a bead palette, and the droplet microactuator is configured to move the spot magnetic field to separate the bead palette from the main body of the first droplet.

32. A droplet microactuator according to any of claims 28 to 30, configured to apply the spot magnetic field to the first droplet by moving a source of the spot magnetic field towards the first position.

33. 33. The droplet microactuator of claim 32, configured to move the spot magnetic field by moving a source of the spot magnetic field along the first surface of the droplet microactuator.

34. 32. The droplet microactuator of claim 31 , wherein the source of the spot magnetic field is a permanent magnet.

35. 35. The droplet microactuator of claim 34, wherein the permanent magnet is located adjacent to the second surface.

36. 32. The droplet microactuator of claim 31 , wherein a source of the spot magnetic field is an electromagnet, and wherein introducing the first droplet into the spot magnetic field comprises activating the electromagnet at a position proximate to the first location.

37. 31. A droplet microactuator as claimed in any one of claims 28 to 30, further comprising a second substrate spaced apart from the first substrate defining a gap therebetween, the first droplet being disposed in the gap, the second substrate including a physical barrier extending into the gap configured to prevent fluid from being transported from the first location to a second location or to reduce the amount of fluid transported from the first location to the second location.

38. a first substrate having a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface; a second substrate spaced apart from the first substrate and defining a gap therebetween, the gap being configured to allow placement of a droplet therein at a first location; and a magnetic field source disposed below the first substrate; Equipped with a droplet microactuator, the magnetic field source being (1) movable toward and away from the first substrate; and (2) movable along the first substrate; A droplet microactuator configured to move a spot magnetic field along a first direction, and further configured to simultaneously, or substantially simultaneously, move a body of the droplet along a second direction opposite to the first direction.

39. 40. A droplet microactuator as claimed in claim 38, configured to move the body of the droplet in the second direction by contacting a portion of the body of the droplet with a hydrophilic portion of the first surface.

40. 40. The droplet microactuator of claim 38 configured to move a body of a first droplet in the second direction using a pressure differential between a first side of the body of the droplet and a second side of the body of the droplet.

41. the first substrate and the second substrate defining a gap between the first substrate and the second substrate, the droplet being disposed in the gap; 41. The droplet microactuator of claim 40, wherein the pressure differential is caused by a change in capacitance of the gap in which the droplet on the droplet microactuator is disposed.

42. A droplet microactuator as described in any one of claims 39 to 41, wherein the magnetic field source is movable along a trajectory defined at least in part by a vector perpendicular to a plane defined by the first substrate, and further movable along a trajectory defined at least in part by a vector parallel to a plane defined by the first substrate.

43. A droplet microactuator as described in any one of claims 39 to 41, wherein the magnetic field source is movable along a trajectory defined by a vector having a first vector component perpendicular to a plane defined by the first substrate, and is further movable along a trajectory defined at least in part by a vector parallel to a plane defined by the first substrate.

44. A droplet microactuator as claimed in any one of claims 39 to 41, wherein the second substrate includes a physical barrier extending into the gap configured to prevent fluid from exiting the first location or to reduce the amount of fluid exiting the first location.

45. A droplet microactuator according to any of claims 39 to 41, wherein the first substrate is a bottom substrate and the second substrate is a top substrate.

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