Patent Grant
11162136
This invention relates generally to fields related to sample processing, and more specifically to a new and useful system and method for generation of an emulsion with suitable clarity in fields related to sample processing.
An emulsion is composed of droplets of a first fluid (i.e., dispersed phase) in a second fluid (i.e., continuous phase) that is immiscible with the first fluid. Emulsions are typically cloudy due to scattering of light at surfaces of the droplets. Clarity of emulsions can be improved by aligning the refractive indices of the immiscible phases, thereby mitigating light scattering effects. Clarity of emulsions can also be improved by forming microemulsions or nanoemulsions, in which the characteristic droplet size is less than the wavelength(s) of light being used to irradiate the emulsion (e.g., less than 100 nm).
In biotechnology applications (e.g., cell-related applications, nucleic acid-derived analyses, protein analyses, etc.), however, useful droplet sizes are typically greater than 1 micron in diameter. In order to generate emulsions with suitable clarity, one has to match the refractive indices of the emulsion fluid components (e.g., of the dispersed phase and the continuous phase). However, this approach requires small tolerances in relation to matching of refractive indices. Furthermore, such an approach is extremely sensitive to user error. For instance, for compositions where the refractive indices are tuned by addition of compounds, minor pipetting errors can cause the refractive index of the final mixture to fall outside of a suitable range. Refractive indices also change with temperature, and the degree of change can be different for different types of fluid. Thus, there are also typically finite temperature ranges in which an emulsion remains clear, which may not be appropriate for applications requiring modifications to the temperature of the emulsion.
Thus, there is a need in the field of sample processing to create a new and useful system and method for generation of an emulsion having suitable clarity.
The following description of the preferred embodiments of the invention is not intended to limit the invention to these preferred embodiments, but rather to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use this invention.
The inventions associated with the system and method can confer several benefits over conventional systems and methods, and such inventions are further implemented into many practical applications across various disciplines.
The invention(s) can provide methods and systems for forming clear emulsions with droplet sizes greater than wavelengths of light used to interrogate the emulsions for various applications, without requiring matching of the refractive indices of emulsion components (e.g., a dispersed phase and a continuous phase). Such invention(s) enable robust formation of emulsions having suitable clarity, with processes that are less subject to manual error (e.g., pipetting error). In particular, the invention(s) create emulsions with droplets having continuous fluid layers that are much thinner than the wavelength(s) of light being used to irradiate them, whereby producing clear emulsions without requiring refractive index matching for the various fluid/liquid phases used to produce the droplets.
The invention(s) can also use centrifugation forces and/or other forces to disperse a fluid, as droplets, through multiple layers of fluids (i.e., ‘continuous fluids’) that are immiscible with each other, forming at least a double emulsion. The dispersed fluid is immiscible with the first continuous fluid that it encounters, but can be miscible with one or more subsequent fluids it encounters. In embodiments, the dispersed fluid has a density configured to allow droplets to sink to a desired position within a collecting container. In embodiments, the refractive indices of the various phases do not have to match, and the resultant emulsion is clear. This feature of the invention is attributed to the thickness of the continuous fluid surrounding each droplet being less than the characteristic wavelength(s) of light used to interrogate the sample.
The invention(s) also provide methods and systems for generating clear emulsions using multiple continuous fluid phases, each having different density characteristics, where the clear emulsions are generated upon interacting formed droplets with the multiple continuous fluid phases.
The invention(s) also provide methods and systems for forming clear emulsions with discrete droplets that are stable across ranges of temperatures for various applications (e.g., nucleic acid processing and analysis applications).
The invention(s) also provide methods and systems for positioning dispersed fluid droplets away from regions of fluid (e.g., regions containing surfactant micelles) that would otherwise prevent assessments by imaging-based interrogation modalities.
The invention(s) can also produce higher packing efficiencies than close-packing due to the thin layer of continuous phase about the dispersed phase. As such, higher packing efficiencies can enable applications where a higher percentage of the dispersed phase relative to the continuous phase is desired.
In particular, in embodiments, due to the high packing efficiency of droplets and the clarity of the emulsion in a container, the invention(s) can produce and enable fast (e.g. <a few minutes) optical analysis of a high number of droplets (e.g., from 1 million to 100 million droplets) per unit volume (e.g., 10 microliter through 100 microliters), each droplet having a characteristic diameter (e.g., 10 micron through 100 microns). In one example, the invention(s) can produce and enable fast (e.g. <a few minutes) analysis of a high number of droplets (e.g., 3.5 million droplets having a characteristic droplet diameter of 30 micron within a 50 microliter volume). In another example, the invention(s) can produce a high number of droplets (e.g., ˜28 million droplets having a characteristic droplet diameter of 15 micron within a 50 microliter volume). However, variations can produce other numbers of droplets having other suitable characteristic diameters within other suitable collection volume sizes.
Applications of the invention(s) can include digital counting of nucleic acid molecules, peptide/protein molecules, cells, viral particles, living organisms, and/or other targets over a large dynamic range with low error, due to the large number of droplets available for partitioning and rapid analysis of a large number of droplets due to the clear emulsion being highly packed. In particular, the invention(s) allow droplet-based digital counting (e.g., digital PCR for analysis of nucleic acid molecules) without requiring counting of negative compartments (e.g., compartments not emitting a positive signal associated with target material), and thereby without implementing correction factors (e.g., correction factors based on Poisson statistics) for partitioning error, given that digital analysis herein can be performed in a low occupancy (e.g., ˜5% or less) regime due to the availability of large number of partitions. For instance, with ˜28 million droplets in a 50 microliter reaction (mean diameter˜15 micron), at ˜5% of occupancy, as many as ˜1.4 million nucleic acid molecules can be analyzed in a digital PCR reaction enabled by the invention(s) without having to apply Poisson statistics to correct for partitioning error.
Additionally or alternatively, the system and/or method can confer any other suitable benefit.
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Embodiments of the system 100 function to form emulsions having suitable clarity for interrogation (e.g., by an imaging apparatus) without requiring refractive index (RI) matching between fluid components of the emulsions. Embodiments of the system 100 also function to facilitate processes that are less subject to manual error (e.g., pipetting error). Embodiments of the system 100 also function to form emulsions having suitable clarity and with discrete droplets that are stable across ranges of temperatures for various applications (e.g., nucleic acid processing and analysis applications). The system 100 can also function to position dispersed fluid droplets away from regions of fluid (e.g., regions containing surfactant micelles) that would otherwise obstruct interrogation (e.g., by imaging apparatus).
In various applications, the system 100 can produce emulsions having suitable clarity for enabling readout of analytes encapsulated in the dispersed phase of the emulsion, within a closed container used to collect the dispersed phase. Such a configuration mitigates sample loss and/or sample contamination that occurs using other methods of generating emulsions. In variations, readout of fluorescent signals (e.g., from labeled analytes within droplets of the dispersed phase, from products of analytes within droplets of the dispersed phase, etc.) can be performed by one or more of a 3D scanning technique (e.g., light sheet imaging, confocal microscopy, etc.) and a planar imaging technique (e.g., to take images of a cross-section of the closed container). Additionally or alternatively, in a some applications, readout of colorimetric changes associated with droplets of the dispersed phase can be performed by 3D imaging techniques (e.g., 3D brightfield construction using light field imaging, etc.).
In other variations, readout of non-fluorescent signals from droplets of the dispersed phase can be performed. For instance, products resulting from reactions within individual droplets of the dispersed phase can produce changes in refractive indices, light absorption, light scattering, light reflection, light transmission, and/or other light interaction characteristics that are different from empty or unreacted droplets, for detection by various techniques (e.g., spectrophotometric techniques, turbidimetric techniques, etc.).
For instance, in relation to applications involving DNAs, RNAs, aptamers against proteins, chemical groups, and/or other targets, any one or more of: labeling of a target analyte or amplified version of the target analyte with fluorescent probes or dyes (e.g., hydrolysis probes, TaqMan probes, fluorescence resonant energy transfer (FRET) probes, fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) probes, DNA intercalating dyes etc.), labeling of probes (e.g., using digoxigenin (DIG), using biotin), labeling by way of fluorescently labeled nucleotides, labeling with DNA/RNA/ssDNA-specific dyes, or detecting by-products of DNA amplification (e.g., pH changes using pH-sensitive dyes, pyrophosphatase build up, etc.) can produce detectable/amplifiable signals (e.g., fluorescence, changes in color, with conjugation of an antibody of alkaline phosphatase or peroxidase) that are detectable from droplets of a dispersed phase produced according to the systems and methods described.
In relation to applications involving proteins, fluorescently labeled antibodies against target analytes or labeled probes (e.g., using DIG, using biotin) can produce detectable/amplifiable signals (e.g., fluorescence, changes in color, with conjugation of an antibody of alkaline phosphatase or peroxidase) that are detectable from droplets of a dispersed phase produced according to the systems and methods described.
In relation to applications involving cells, organelles, micro-organisms, viruses, or exosomes, processing with stains (e.g., live-dead stains), by cell type, by function, by detection of specific proteins (as described above), by DNAzymes, or by other processes can produce detectable/amplifiable signals that are detectable from droplets of a dispersed phase produced according to the systems and methods described.
In specific applications, the emulsion(s) generated by the systems and methods described can be used for one or more of: detection and counting of nucleic acid molecules via amplification of individual nucleic acid molecule captured within a droplet followed by detection of optically detectable signals (e.g., amplification by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods, by isothermal methods such as loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), by recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA), by helicase dependent amplification (HDA), by strand displacement amplification (SDA), by nicking enzyme amplification (NEAR), by transcription mediated amplification (TMA), by RNaseH mediated amplification, by whole genome amplification (WGA) using phi29, by rolling circle amplification, etc.) on purified DNA, cDNA, RNA, oligonucleotide tagged antibodies/proteins/small molecules, or directly from lysate (e.g., blood lysate); fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) with fluorescently tagged nucleic acids (e.g., PNA, LNA, DNA, RNA, etc.) or an indirect in situ hybridization approach using DIG or biotin, where the signal is later amplified by conjugation of an antibody to alkaline phosphatase or a peroxidase to produce a change in color detected by one or more substrates (e.g., nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT), 5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl-phosphate (BCIP), HNPP, etc.); an in vitro transcription or translation assay whereby a colorimetric or fluorescent reporter is used for detection; droplet PCR applied to samples derived from single cells (e.g., prokaryotes, eukaryotes), organelles, viral particles, and exosomes; enumeration of protein or peptide molecules (e.g., by proximity ligation assays, etc.); sequencing applications (e.g., single molecule sequencing applications); monitoring or detection of products (e.g., proteins, chemicals) released from single cells (e.g., interleukin released from immune cells); monitoring cell survival and/or division for single cells; monitoring or detection of enzymatic reactions involving single cells; antibiotic resistance screening for single bacteria; enumeration of pathogens in a sample (e.g., in relation to infections, sepsis, in relation to environmental and food samples, etc.); enumeration of heterogeneous cell populations in a sample; enumeration of individual cells or viral particles (e.g., by encapsulating cells in droplets with species-specific antibodies coupled with enzymes that react with substrate components in the droplet to produce signals, etc.); monitoring of viral infections of a single host cell; liquid biopsies and companion diagnostics; prenatal diagnosis of genetic disorders (e.g., aneuploidy, genetically inherited diseases) such as with cell-free nucleic acids, fetal cells, or samples containing mixtures of fetal and maternal cells; detection of cancer forms from various biological samples (e.g., detection of cancer from cell-free nucleic acids, tissue biopsies, biological fluids, feaces); detection and/or monitoring of minimal residual diseases; monitoring responses to therapies; detection or prediction of rejection events of transplanted organs; other diagnostics associated with other health conditions; other characterizations of statuses of other organisms; and other suitable applications.
In particular, in embodiments, due to the high packing efficiency of droplets and the clarity of the emulsion in a container, the invention(s) can produce and enable fast (e.g. <a few minutes) optical analysis of a high number of droplets (e.g., from 1 million to 100 million droplets) per unit volume (e.g., 10 microliter through 100 microliters), each droplet having a characteristic diameter (e.g., 10 micron through 100 microns). In one example, the invention(s) can produce and enable fast (e.g. <a few minutes) analysis of a high number of droplets (e.g., 3.5 million droplets having a characteristic droplet diameter of 30 micron within a 50 microliter volume). In another example, the invention(s) can produce a high number of droplets (e.g., ˜28 million droplets having a characteristic droplet diameter of 15 micron within a 50 microliter volume). However, variations can produce other numbers of droplets having other suitable characteristic diameters within other suitable collection volume sizes.
Applications of the invention(s) can include digital counting of nucleic acid molecules, peptide/protein molecules, cells, viral particles, living organisms, and/or other targets over a large dynamic range with low error, due to the large number of droplets available for partitioning and rapid analysis of a large number of droplets due to the clear emulsion being highly packed. In particular, the invention(s) allow droplet-based digital counting (e.g., digital PCR for analysis of nucleic acid molecules) without requiring counting of negative compartments (e.g., compartments not emitting a positive signal associated with target material), and thereby without implementing correction factors (e.g., correction factors based on Poisson statistics) for partitioning error, given that digital analysis herein can be performed in a low occupancy (e.g., ˜5% or less) regime due to the availability of large number of partitions. For instance, with ˜28 million droplets in a 50 microliter reaction (mean diameter˜15 micron), at ˜5% of occupancy, as many as ˜1.4 million nucleic acid molecules can be analyzed in a digital PCR reaction enabled by the invention(s) without having to apply Poisson statistics to correct for partitioning error.
Extensions of the systems and methods described for producing emulsions with suitable clarity can further be applied to other industries (e.g., the cosmetic industry, food industries, other chemical processing industries, etc.). Extensions of the systems and methods described can also be applied to production of microparticles, where the microparticles either have solid cores with functionalized surfaces (e.g. by surrounding droplets with a dispersed phase that can be polymerized with functional groups in the first encountered fluid of the set of fluid layers) or hollow cores with shells (e.g., by surrounding droplets of the dispersed phase with one or more layers carrying polymerizable components, thereby forming a polymer shell about a fluid core). Extensions of the systems and methods described can also be applied to synthetic biology for generation of synthetic biological components. For instance, the systems and methods can be adapted to produce synthetic cells, giant unilamellar phospholipid vesicles (GUVs), polymersomes, liposomes, exosomes, multiple layer of synthetic cells forming artificial tissue/organs, or other synthetic biology components. Extensions of the systems and methods can also be used to generate dispersions of microparticles captured within shells. Extensions of the systems and methods described can also be applied to the pharmaceutical industry. For instance, the systems and methods described can generate controlled release drug solutions (e.g., by surrounding droplets of the dispersed phase that carry drug components with one or more layers carrying reactants that can be used to trigger drug release by exposure to light, heat, changes in pH, chemical activators, mechanical forces, etc.). Additionally or alternatively, the systems and methods described can generate compositions where undesired tastes or odors of a core fluid are masked by a shell layer of fluid of the emulsion (e.g., with respect to food and pharmaceutical applications). Additionally or alternatively, the systems and methods described can involve continuous phase-carrying reactants, where the reactants can diffuse into droplets of the disperse phase when the droplets reach the continuous phase, thereby producing chemical reactions within the droplets of the disperse phase.
Extensions of the systems and methods described can produce higher packing efficiencies than close-packing due to the thin layer of continuous phase about the dispersed phase. As such, higher packing efficiencies can enable applications where a higher percentage of the dispersed phase relative to the continuous phase is desired.
Extensions of the systems and methods described can, however, be applied to other fields as appropriate.
Embodiments, variations, and examples of the system 100 are configured for execution of one or more steps of the method 300 described in Section 3 below; however, embodiments, variations, and examples of the system 100 can alternatively be configured to execute another suitable method.
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The system 100 can be configured such that the sample fluid is driven through the opening(s) of the substrate 110 under an applied force. In variations, the applied force can be attributed to one or more of an applied pressure (e.g., pressurized gas driven by a pumping element, driven by a syringe, etc.), centrifugation, to applied electric fields, and other mechanisms for actively driving fluid flow. In specific examples, the applied force can be applied by centrifugation apparatus, where centrifugation can be performed using a swing bucket (i.e., in which centrifugal forces are along the longitudinal axis of the collecting container), or by using a fixed angle rotor (i.e., in which centrifugal forces are at an angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the collecting container). Additionally or alternatively, the system 100 can be configured such that the sample fluid is flows through the opening(s) of the substrate 110 passively (e.g., due to normal gravitational forces, due to capillary effects, due to electric forces, etc.).
In variations, the substrate 110 can be configured as a plate, membrane, or mesh, and the set of openings 115 can include one or more openings, each having a characteristic dimension (e.g., width, diameter), that ranges from 0.05 um to 500 um. The openings can be uniform in morphology with respect to each other, or can alternatively have non-uniform morphology (e.g., with a defined average dimension having variability within a threshold tolerance level). Each of the one or more openings can have a channel axis preferentially aligned with a longitudinal axis of the collecting container 140. Alternatively, at least one of the one or more openings can have a channel axis that is non-parallel to (e.g., at an angle to, transverse to, etc.) a longitudinal axis of the collecting container 140, for instance, in applications involving step emulsification. In variations, an opening of the one or more openings can have a cross-sectional morphology that is constant along its respective channel axis; alternatively, an opening of the one or more openings can have a cross-sectional morphology that is non-constant along its respective channel axis.
The substrate 110 can be retained in position by way of at least one of the reservoir 120 and the collecting container 140, or retained in another suitable manner or by another suitable element of the system 100.
The substrate 110 can be composed of a material having suitable mechanical properties (e.g., in terms of compliance, in terms of hardness, in terms of moduli, etc.), surface properties (e.g., hydrophobicity, hydrophilicity, porosity, charge, etc.), physical properties (e.g., in relation to reactivity with components of the sample fluid), in terms of optical properties, in terms of thermal properties (e.g., in terms of heat transfer coefficients, in terms of coefficients of expansion, etc.), and/or other properties.
In variations, the substrate 110 can be composed of one or more of: glass, quartz, a metallic material (e.g., stainless steel), a polymeric material, or a natural material. In specific examples, the substrate 110 can be composed of one or more of: glass (e.g., controlled pore glass, glass fiber, another silica-derived material), another porous glass membrane (e.g., Shirasu porous glass membrane), a metal (e.g., aluminum, silver, stainless steel, etc.), a semiconductor-derived material (e.g., silicon, silicon nitride), and a polymer (e.g., polyacrylonitrile, PVDF, cellulose acetate, polyester PETE, polyimide, PTFE, polycarbonate PCTE, polypropylene, etc.).
In embodiments, variations, and examples, the substrate 110 can include be configured as described in U.S. application Ser. No. 16/309,092 titled “Method for preparing micro-channel array plate, device for obtaining liquid drops using the micro-channel array plate, and method for generating liquid drops”, which is herein incorporated in its entirety by this reference. Alternatively, the substrate 110 can be configured in another suitable manner.
Additionally or alternatively, in relation to
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In material composition, the reservoir 120 can be composed of one or more of: a polymer (e.g., polypropylene, polydimethylsiloxane, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, polymethyl methacrylate, PEEK, ABS etc.), a silicon-derived material, glass, a metallic material, a ceramic material, a natural material, a synthetic material, and/or any suitable material. The reservoir 120 can be composed of a material having suitable mechanical properties (e.g., in terms of compliance, in terms of hardness, in terms of moduli, etc.), surface properties (e.g., hydrophobicity, hydrophilicity, porosity, charge, etc.), physical properties (e.g., in relation to reactivity with components of the sample fluid), in terms of optical properties, in terms of thermal properties (e.g., in terms of heat transfer coefficients, in terms of coefficients of expansion, etc.), and/or other properties
In variations where the reservoir 120 is at least partially seated within the collecting container 140, the reservoir 120 can include a protrusion defining a set position of the reservoir 120 relative to an opening of the collecting container 140 (described in more detail below), such that the reservoir 120 does not move into or out of the collecting container 140 in an undesired manner during operation. In such variations, the reservoir 120 can be configured to, with or without intermediate sealing elements, prevent fluid within the collecting container 140 from leaving the collecting container 140 at the interface between the reservoir 120 and the collecting container 140.
As described above, the reservoir 120 functions to contain the sample fluid prior to droplet generation as a dispersed phase of an emulsion. The sample fluid 130 can be an aqueous solution, or can alternatively be a non-aqueous solution that is or is not miscible with water (e.g., oil, etc.), depending upon applications of use for the emulsion(s) generated. In first variations, the sample fluid 130 can be an aqueous solution. In specific examples of the first variations, the sample fluid 130 can include material associated with biological sample processing, such as: a mixture for PCR, a cell suspension, a suspension of organisms (e.g., bacteria, viruses), a nucleic acid solution (e.g., a solution of DNA for genomic amplification, a solution of RNA for reverse transcription, etc.), an amino acid or protein solution (e.g., a mixture of amino acids for synthesis, a mixture for protein crystallization, etc.), a mixture for a gelation reaction, a reagent (e.g., buffer, lysing reagent, enzyme, etc.), or another suitable aqueous solution (e.g., for another application of use).
In second variations, the sample fluid 130 is a non-aqueous liquid, and in specific examples can be a silicone oil (e.g., oligomeric dimethylsiloxane, cyclopentasiloxane, aliphatic siloxane, phenyl siloxane, fluorosiloxane, etc.), mineral oil, a hydrocarbon oil, a fluorocarbon oil, a fluorosilicone oil, another oil, a fatty acid glyceride (e.g., glyceryl dilaurate, glyceryl oleate, glyceryl linoleate, glyceryl stearate, glyceryl isostearate, glyceryl sorbate, etc.), a non-aqueous solution associated with cosmetics production, a non-aqueous solution associated with food production, a non-aqueous solution associated with a pharmaceutical application (e.g., a topical medication), or any other suitable non-aqueous liquid.
The sample fluid 130 can further be configured such that the density of the dispersed fluid is tuned in relation to the densities of one or more of the fluids in the fluid layers 150 described in more detail below. As such, the density of the dispersed fluid can be tuned such that formed droplets acquire a shell upon interaction with one or more of the fluid layers 150, and sink to an equilibrium position relative to one or more of the fluid layers 150 (e.g., after application of force by pressurization, by centrifugation, etc.). In one example, for a water-in-oil-in-water emulsion, the dispersed fluid can be tuned to have a density of >1, an oil layer can have a density <1, and an aqueous layer can have a density of ˜1. In this example, the formed droplets will sink to the bottom of the collecting container 140 after applied force and acquire a thin oil shell. The densities of aqueous solutions can be tuned by adding different amounts of density medium (e.g., Optiprep™, Histodenz™, Nycodenz™, heavy water or other suitable density increasing medium).
Additionally or alternatively, in other variations, the sample fluid 130 can include a sample fluid as described in U.S. application Ser. No. 16/309,093 titled “Oil-phase composition for generating water-in-oil liquid drops by means of centrifugation”, which is herein incorporated in its entirety by this reference
However, in still other variations, the sample fluid 130 can include any other suitable components and/or be composed of other materials.
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In variations, the collecting container 140 can be a container configured for centrifugation (e.g., a centrifuge tube, a microcentrifuge tube, etc.), a process container for PCR (e.g., a PCR tube), a strip tube, a plate having wells (e.g., a microtiter plate, a multi-well plate), or another suitable collecting container for the emulsion(s) generated. Alternatively, the collecting container 140 can be a custom-designed container for generating and/or containing the emulsion prior to downstream analyses or further processing. For instance, the collecting container 140 can include one or more openings (e.g., with or without valves) for transmitting contents from the collecting container 140 and/or for receiving additional material into the collecting container 140. For instance, after an initial reaction or generation of a first emulsion, the system 100 can be configured to receive additional materials (e.g., liquids, gases, etc.) to provide additional reactions or processing steps.
In variations, the set of fluid layers 150 is configured with a density gradient, and in the orientation shown in
Furthermore, each fluid layer of the set of fluid layers 150 is preferably immiscible with adjacent fluid layers of the set of fluid layers 150, such that the layers of the set of fluid layers 150 are substantially discrete in relation to each other. Alternatively at least one of the set of fluid layers 150 can be miscible with an adjacent fluid layer (e.g., but with a different density compared to the adjacent fluid layer), such that there is a non-discrete boundary between the adjacent fluid layers. Alternatively, the set of fluid layers can include adjacent fluid layers that are both aqueous solutions, but non-miscible with each other (e.g., as aqueous multi-phase systems).
In relation to composition, alternating fluid layers of the set of fluid layers 150 can include aqueous solutions and/or non-aqueous solutions. In variations, aqueous solutions of the set of fluid layers 150 can include material associated with biological sample processing, such as: material for PCR, a suspension of particles (e.g., particles with binding moieties) or other biological material, a nucleic acid solution (e.g., a solution of DNA for genomic amplification, a solution of RNA for reverse transcription, etc.), an amino acid or protein solution (e.g., a mixture of amino acids for synthesis, a mixture for protein crystallization, etc.), a mixture for a gelation reaction, a reagent (e.g., buffer, lysing reagent, enzyme, etc.), or another suitable aqueous solution (e.g., for another application of use). In one example, an aqueous continuous phase can be composed of water/heavy water or a suitable buffer (e.g., saline buffer), where the dispersed phase (e.g., droplets) are composed of a PCR mix with a density medium. Furthermore, in this example, a solute (e.g., simple sugar molecules) were added to the aqueous phase in order to balance osmolarity of the aqueous solution with the PCR mix, in order to prevent osmosis or droplet expansion over time.
In variations, non-aqueous liquids of the set of fluid layers 150 can include one or more of (e.g., including blends of): a silicone oil (e.g., oligomeric dimethylsiloxane, cyclopentasiloxane, aliphatic siloxane, phenyl siloxane, fluorosiloxane, etc.), mineral oil, a hydrocarbon oil, a fluorocarbon oil, a fluorosilicone oil, another oil, a fatty acid glyceride (e.g., glyceryl dilaurate, glyceryl oleate, glyceryl linoleate, glyceryl stearate, glyceryl isostearate, glyceryl sorbate, etc.), a non-aqueous solution associated with cosmetics production, a non-aqueous solution associated with food production, a non-aqueous solution associated with a pharmaceutical application (e.g., a topical medication), or any other suitable non-aqueous liquid. Additionally or alternatively, in variations, one or more of the set of layers 150 can include a gas-phase material, a solid-phase material, or any other suitable phase of material.
In relation to generation of emulsions, one or more of the set of fluid layers 150 (e.g., continuous phase(s) of the set of fluid layers 150) can include a surfactant, fluorosurfactant (e.g., containing a perfluoroalkyl group, etc.), and/or emulsifier to promote generation of stable emulsions. In examples, the surfactant(s) and/or emulsifiers used can include one or more of: a Tween® (e.g., Tween® 20, Tween® 21, Tween® 40, Tween® 60, Tween® 61, Tween® 5, Tween® 80, etc.), a Span® (e.g., Span® 20, Span® 40, Span® 60, Span® 80, Span® 83, Span® 85, Span® 120, etc.), an Abil® (e.g., Abil® we09, Abil® em90, Abil® em120, Abil® em180, etc.), Dow Coming® 5200, Dow Corning ES-5612, Dow Coming® ES-5300, Dow Corning ES-5600, Dow Corning® emulsifier 10, DehymuLs® SML, Cremophor® WO 7, Isolan® GI 34, Isolan® GIPDI, Tegosofit® Alkanol S2, Triton™ (e.g. Triton X-100), IGEPAL™ CA-630/NP-40, and another suitable surfactant/fluorosurfactant/emulsifier. In one example, a non-aqueous continuous phase (e.g., non-aqueous continuous phase where there is a distribution of continuous phases used) can be composed of a silicone oil blend with surfactants.
Additionally or alternatively, in other variations, one or more of the set of fluid layers can include a composition as described in U.S. application Ser. No. 16/309,093 titled “Oil-phase composition for generating water-in-oil liquid drops by means of centrifugation”, which is herein incorporated in its entirety by this reference
In variations, the set of fluid layers 150 can include two fluid layers, three fluid layers, four fluid layers, or greater than four fluid layers, where each layer has suitable thickness and/or volume to provide suitable amounts of transit time for droplets and/or amounts of material for generating stable emulsions. Additionally or alternatively, multiple fluid layers can be used to position generated droplets (e.g., generated droplets and a bottom or top surface of the collecting container 140, 140′, where methods described further below cover variations of methods for generating clear emulsions using multiple immiscible continuous phases having different densities in relation to density of the dispersed phase. In a first variation, as shown in
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The system 100 can, however, additionally or alternatively include other elements and/or configurations of elements for generation of stable emulsions without requiring RI matching to have suitable clarity for downstream analyses.
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In more detail, dispersing in step 320 can include applying a force (e.g., centrifugation, pressure, etc.) to the sample fluid in order to disperse the sample fluid through a substrate including a distribution of holes, followed by dispersion of generated droplets through one or more of the set of fluid layers (i.e., layers of continuous fluids having a distribution of densities). The dispersed sample fluid is immiscible with the first continuous fluid that it encounters, but can be miscible with the second continuous fluid it encounters. In variations, the dispersed fluid can have a density higher than the bottom-most fluid layer, such that the generated droplets sink to the bottom of the collecting container. The refractive indices of the various phases do not have to match, and the resultant emulsion is clear or otherwise has suitable clarity for various applications described. Clarity characteristics are achieved due to the continuous fluid(s) surrounding each droplet is being thinner than the wavelength of light being used to illuminate the emulsion.
Embodiments, variations, and examples of configurations and compositions of the set of fluid layers, as well as resultant emulsions, are described in Section 2.3 above.
In a specific example of Step 320, as shown in
As shown in
In embodiments, clarity can be defined in units associated with clarity or turbidity (e.g., NTU, FNU), such that the threshold level of clarity can be measured for the emulsion(s) generated according to the methods described. In one variation, clarity can be characterized in relation to transmissivity as detectable by a transmission detector and/or in relation to a suitable distance or depth (e.g., depth or distance into a collecting container for the emulsion; through a depth of a container of the emulsion, along an axis in which measurement of clarity is performed, etc.), where, in variations, the threshold level of clarity of the emulsion is associated with a transmissivity greater than 70% transmissivity, greater than 80% transmissivity, greater than 90% transmissivity, greater than 95% transmissivity, greater than 99% transmissivity, etc. As such, in accordance with methods described, upon measuring clarity of the emulsion (e.g., later stage emulsion) using a transmission detector the emulsion is characterized by a clarity associated with greater than 70% transmissivity, greater than 80% transmissivity, greater than 90% transmissivity, greater than 95% transmissivity, greater than 99% transmissivity, etc., which is above the threshold level of clarity.
Additionally or alternatively, in another variation, clarity can be characterized in relation to clarity/turbidity as detectable by a turbidity measurement system (e.g., nephelometer, turbidimeter, etc.) and/or in relation to a suitable distance or depth (e.g., depth or distance into a collecting container for the emulsion; through a depth of a container of the emulsion, along an axis in which measurement of clarity is performed, etc.), where, in variations, the emulsion has a turbidity less than 10 turbidity units (e.g., nephelometric turbidity units NTU)), less than 5 turbidity units, less than 1 turbidity unit, etc. As such, in accordance with methods described, upon measuring clarity of the emulsion using a turbidity measurement system the emulsion (e.g., later stage emulsion) is characterized by a clarity associated with less than 10 NTU, less than 5 NTU, less than 1 NTU, etc., which is above the threshold level of clarity. Additionally or alternatively, turbidity can be characterized in terms of Formazin turbidity units (FTU), Helms units, parts per million, concentration units, optical density, and/or any other suitable units associated with any other suitable detection system.
After initial droplet formation according to step 310′, step 320′ can include processing the early stage emulsion with a second continuous phase that is immiscible with the first continuous phase and denser than the first continuous phase, in order to produces a later stage emulsion having clarity above a threshold level of clarity. Processing with the second continuous phase can include combining the second continuous phase with the early stage emulsion in a collecting container 322′, and applying a force to the collecting container with the early stage emulsion and the second continuous phase to generate the later stage emulsion 323′.
In variations, the applied force can be a force applied by centrifugation (e.g., at or above 10,000 G, below 10,000 G, at another suitable angular velocity, etc.), for a duration of time (e.g., less than or equal to one minute, greater than one minute, etc.). In a specific example, applying the force in step 323′ can include centrifuging the collecting container with the early stage emulsion and the second continuous phase at 16,000 G for one minute; however, variations of the specific example can be implemented. Additionally or alternatively, the applied force can be a force applied by pressurization, vibration, rocking, or any other suitable method to promote movement of the second continuous phase for interaction with contents (e.g., the dispersed phase, the first continuous phase) of the collecting container and toward an equilibrium density gradient.
In variations, the second continuous phase is denser than the first continuous phase, such that the applied force moves the second continuous phase deeper into the collecting container and displaces an excess volume of the first continuous phase in order to reduce physical distance between droplets in the dispersed droplet phase of the early stage emulsion, thereby generating a later stage emulsion having clarity above the threshold level of clarity.
In one example shown in
Alternatively, in another example shown in
Variations of the method 300′ can include processing intermediate stage emulsions with additional continuous phases (e.g., a third continuous phase, a fourth continuous phase, etc.) that are immiscible with each other and/or other continuous phases being used, and having suitable density characteristics, in order to produce resultant emulsions having even greater clarity or other desired properties for various applications of use.
In variations, the method 300 can additionally or alternatively include other suitable steps associated with downstream applications. Such applications can include performing one or more steps associated with PCR (e.g., thermocycling, incubating, mixing, imaging, material retrieval, etc.), in order to analyze reactions or products generated within each droplet of the disperse phase of the emulsion. For instance, as shown in
In particular, in comparison to conventional digital PCR platforms, in which the number of partitions are limited to the 20,000 or less and require counting both positive and non-positive compartments and applying Poisson statistics to estimate counts, the invention(s) described herein do not require portioning error correction methodologies for counting applications (e.g., associated with distributions of material), due to the high number of droplets generated and operation at low occupancy (see
In particular, with respect to droplet digital PCR, methods can include steps for detecting and quantifying only droplets emitting a positive signal (e.g., with respect to target material sequences), without detecting and/or quantifying droplets having a negative signal. As such, methods described can be used for positive digital PCR, without requiring detection or quantification of droplets having a non-positive signal.
As shown in
Relatedly, as shown in
Generating the set of droplets and generating the emulsion in steps 410 and 420′, respectively, can be performed according to methods (e.g., method 300, method 300′) described above and/or according to other suitable methods.
Furthermore, as described above, in embodiments, the sample fluid can include target material (e.g., nucleic acids), and in specific examples, the droplets can be generated from a sample fluid with a PCR master mix containing polymerase, dNTPs, template DNA molecules, primers, probes and/or a solute (e.g., sugar or salt component). As such, generation of droplets according to the method 400′ can produce an emulsion having suitable clarity, where some, but not all droplets generated contain the target material. Inducing one or more reactions upon processing the emulsion in step 430′ can thus include performing one or more steps associated with amplification and detection of nucleic acids (e.g., thermocycling, incubating, mixing, etc.) within the collecting container.
Post-reaction, the method 400 can include detecting signals emitted from a subset of droplets containing target material from the sample fluid 440′, where positive signals are associated with presence of target material captured within individual droplets of the subset of droplets. The detected signals are preferably optically-detectable (e.g., using an optical detection subsystem, using an imaging subsystem, etc.), where embodiments, variations, and examples of an optical detection subsystem are described in in PCT Application PCT/CN2019/093241 filed 27 Jun. 2019, incorporated by reference above; however, in variations, the signals can be detectable in another suitable manner by other suitable apparatus.
As shown in
In specific applications, above-described methods for droplet digital PCR can be used for or adapted for (e.g., in relation to analytes other than nucleic acids and reactions other than PCR) one or more of: enumeration of protein or peptide molecules (e.g., by proximity ligation assays, etc.); sequencing applications (e.g., single molecule sequencing applications); monitoring or detection of products (e.g., proteins, chemicals) released from single cells (e.g., interleukin released from immune cells); monitoring cell survival and/or division for single cells; monitoring or detection of enzymatic reactions involving single cells; antibiotic resistance screening for single bacteria; enumeration of pathogens in a sample (e.g., in relation to infections, sepsis, in relation to environmental and food samples, etc.); enumeration of heterogeneous cell populations in a sample; enumeration of individual cells or viral particles (e.g., by encapsulating cells in droplets with species-specific antibodies coupled with enzymes that react with substrate components in the droplet to produce signals, etc.); monitoring of viral infections of a single host cell; liquid biopsies and companion diagnostics; prenatal diagnosis of genetic disorders (e.g., aneuploidy, genetically inherited diseases) such as with cell-free nucleic acids, fetal cells, or samples containing mixtures of fetal and maternal cells based upon generated counts and subsequent characterization of target nucleic acids; detection of cancer forms from various biological samples (e.g., from cell-free nucleic acids, tissue biopsies, biological fluids, feaces) based upon generated counts and subsequent characterization of target nucleic acids; detection and/or monitoring of minimal residual diseases; monitoring responses to therapies; detection or prediction of rejection events of transplanted organs; other diagnostics associated with other health conditions; other characterizations of statuses of other organisms; and other suitable applications.
Variations of the method 300 can additionally or alternatively include other steps involving adjustments to the temperature(s) of emulsions generated, where the emulsions are stable across temperature ranges in use. In terms of stability, the components of the disperse phase and the continuous phase of the emulsion can be configured such that the film(s) about each droplet of the disperse phase are stable and do not break or result in droplet coalescence across temperature ranges in use. In particular, temperature adjustments can be associated with thermocycling (e.g., for amplification processes), temperatures for cell culture applications, temperatures storage (e.g., at refrigerated temperatures, at ambient temperatures), and/or other temperatures used for applications in other fields (e.g., pharmaceutical applications, food production applications, etc.). In a specific example, the emulsion generated is stable for across material storage and thermocycling applications, for instance, between 4 C and 95 C (e.g., for 20-30 minutes).
Additionally or alternatively, in some variations, the method 300 can include steps associated with performance of multi-step reactions or analyses. For instance, in relation to generating emulsions, the method 300 can include passing droplets of the dispersed phase through multiple layers of a set of fluid layers, where each layer includes components associated with a reaction (e.g., tagging with a moiety, generation of a product, etc.). In one such example, a components of a droplet can “pick up”, bind to, or otherwise react with content of each fluid layer encountered, to perform multi-step reactions.
In another variation, the method 300 can additionally or alternatively include steps for receiving additional fluids into the collecting container after an initial emulsion is generated. For instance, after an initial emulsion is generated and/or a product is generated from a reaction associated with components of the emulsion, the method 300 can include receiving one or more additional material components into the collecting container (e.g., through an opening, through a valved connection into the collecting container, etc.) where the additional material components can be configured to react with or interact with the emulsion in some manner for a downstream application.
However, the method 300 can additionally or alternatively include other steps for generating, processing, and/or using emulsions having suitable clarity for at least one stage of processing.
In specific example applications, clear emulsions generated by the method 300 can be used for antimicrobial susceptibility testing, where a sample fluid can include a fluorescent compound reactive with target material of the sample fluid. The method can then include performing fluorescent imaging of the emulsion generated from the sample fluid, within the collecting container, and processing readout signals from individual droplets of the emulsion within the collecting container. In more detail, in a specific example, a solution containing bacteria and an antibiotic for susceptibility testing can be combined with a fluorescent growth indicator (e.g., resazurin) and/or a live-dead staining component. The solution can then be processed to generate droplets (e.g., by centrifugation through an example of the system 100 described above) the droplets. In this example, the amount of bacteria used is configured to be smaller than the number of droplets generated, such that each droplet contains one or zero bacterium units, with antibiotic components. In the example, antibiotic efficacy is assessed by imaging droplets, as droplets containing live/growing and dead bacterium units will fluoresce according to the live-dead stain. Imaging of droplets is thus enabled due to the transparency of the emulsion (e.g., having greater than 80% optical transmittance of light, having another suitable level of light transmittance, etc.), which enables reading of fluorescence of individual droplets throughout the tube (e.g., using confocal imaging, using light sheet imaging). Furthermore, due to the small volume of each droplet of the disperse phase of the emulsion, signals can be observed after only a few cell replication cycles. This reduces turn-around time for results from a few days of typical plate-based culture to a few hours or less. The digital read-out also enables one to monitor heterogeneous response to antibiotic of the microbial community in the sample.
Alternative to fluorescent monitoring of growth associated dyes in the example described above, an increase in number of cells within a droplet and/or generation of reaction products can cause the droplet to have different light scattering properties. As such, droplet turbidity can be measured quantitatively by a turbidimeter or spectrophotometer, or even by visual observation.
The method 300 can, however, be applied to other specific applications in relation to processing and/or analyzing sample emulsions.
The figures illustrate the architecture, functionality and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods and computer program products according to preferred embodiments, example configurations, and variations thereof. In this regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or, if applicable, portion of code, which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function(s). It should also be noted that, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the block can occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specified functions or acts, or combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.
As a person skilled in the art will recognize from the previous detailed description and from the figures and claims, modifications and changes can be made to the preferred embodiments of the invention without departing from the scope of this invention defined in the following claims.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/010,490 filed on 15 Apr. 2020, which is incorporated in its entirety herein by this reference.
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