Patent ID: 8445210

Claim:
A method of conducting reactions in a droplet on a microfluidic device, comprising: (a) introducing first microfluidic droplets into an extrusion fluid, wherein the first microfluidic droplets contain a first sample fluid, said first sample fluid comprises a first biological material, and the first sample fluid is immiscible with the extrusion fluid; (b) introducing second microfluidic droplets into the extrusion fluid, wherein the second microfluidic droplets contain a second sample fluid, said second sample fluid comprises a second biological material, and the second sample fluid is immiscible with the extrusion fluid; and (c) combining individual first sample fluid droplets with individual second sample fluid droplets thereby producing a plurality of combined droplets, wherein the first biological material a first material in the first droplets interacts with the second biological material in at least one combined droplet; wherein step (a) comprises flowing the extrusion fluid through an inlet channel while flowing the first sample fluid through another inlet channel towards a junction that is constructed and arranged so that microfluidic droplets of the first sample fluid are introduced into the extrusion fluid; and wherein step (b) comprises flowing the extrusion fluid through an inlet channel while flowing the second sample fluid through another inlet channel towards a junction that is constructed and arranged so that microfluidic droplets of the second sample fluid are introduced into the extrusion fluid.