Patent ID: 9494570
Filing Date: 2016-11-15
CPC Classification: B01F,B01L,G01N,G02B

Claim Text:
1. A cartridge for examining particles, the cartridge comprising: at least one covered microchannel formed on a substrate of the cartridge, the microchannel having an entrance end and an exit end; a fluid compartment enclosing a viscoelastic fluid; a sample inlet configured to receive a sample including the particles to be examined; and a light-transmissive region of the cartridge in an area of at least a portion of the microchannel for acquiring an optical image of the particles in the microchannel, wherein the at least one microchannel, the fluid structure, and the sample inlet are configured to enable: mixing of the particles to be examined with the viscoelastic fluid residing on the cartridge after the particles are introduced to the cartridge via the sample inlet in order to provide a mixture of the particles to be examined and the viscoelastic fluid; and flowing of the mixture through the microchannel from the entrance end of the microchannel to the exit end of the microchannel, wherein the flowing of the mixture of the particles to be examined and the viscoelastic fluid through the microchannel from the entrance end to the exit end causes alignment of the particles in a focus region in at least a one-dimensional array, wherein the focus region includes a center of the microchannel.