US 11,754,579 B2
Systems and methods for rapid generation of droplet libraries
Elliot En-Yu Hui, Irvine, CA (US); and Erik Morgan Werner, Irvine, CA (US)
Assigned to THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, Oakland, CA (US)
Appl. No. 16/620,127
Filed by THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, Oakland, CA (US)
PCT Filed Jun. 6, 2018, PCT No. PCT/US2018/036327
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Dec. 6, 2019,
PCT Pub. No. WO2018/226876, PCT Pub. Date Dec. 13, 2018.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/515,745, filed on Jun. 6, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2020/0150142 A1, May 14, 2020
Int. Cl. G01N 35/10 (2006.01); B01J 19/00 (2006.01)
CPC G01N 35/1002 (2013.01) [B01J 19/0093 (2013.01); G01N 2035/1046 (2013.01)] 3 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system (100) for generating a reagent droplet, said system comprising:
a. an “N” number of droplet dispensers (110) arranged in an array of rows (102) and columns (104), wherein each droplet dispenser (110) comprises a well (120) fluidly coupled to a dispensing valve (115), wherein the well (120) stores a reagent, wherein the dispensing valve (115) is normally closed;
b. a microfluidic logic controller (300) comprising:
i. an “A” number of row-select lines (314), wherein for each row (102) of the array, one row-select line (314) is operatively coupled to the droplet dispensers (110) disposed on said row (102);
ii. a “B” number of column-select lines (324), wherein for each column (104) of the array, one column-select line (324) is operatively coupled to the droplet dispensers (110) disposed on said column (104); and
iii. an “N” number of logic circuits (350), each logic circuit (350) operatively coupled to one dispensing valve (115) such that said logic circuit (350) is configured to actuate the dispensing valve (115), wherein “N”≥1, “A”≥1, and “B”≥1, wherein A×B=N; and
c. a microfluidic channel network (150) configured to have a continuous phase fluid flowing therein, wherein the microfluidic channel network (150) is fluidly coupled to each of the droplet dispensers, wherein the microfluidic channel network (150) is adapted to receive reagent droplets dispensed from the wells (120);
wherein each droplet dispenser (110) is associated with a unique row-column address defined by its row-select line (314) and column-select line (324), wherein each droplet dispenser (110) is operatively coupled to its row-select line (314) and its column-select line (324) via the logic circuit (350) that actuates the dispensing valve (115) only if said logic circuit receives signals from both of the row-select line (314) and the column-select line (324) corresponding to the row-column address of said selected droplet dispenser (110), wherein actuation of the dispensing valve allows for dispensing of a reagent droplet from the well (120) and into the microfluidic channel network (150).