Patent ID: 8597729

Claim:
A method of forming microbeads comprising the steps of: (a) flowing a polymer stream of a polymer solution into an interior chamber of a flow focusing body, with the polymer solution comprising particles and a polymer dissolved in a solvent; (b) flowing a focusing fluid into the chamber, with the focusing fluid capable of reacting with the polymer solution to form functional groups adapted to bind with biorecognition molecules; (c) directing the focusing fluid into contact with the polymer stream in the chamber, so as to focus the polymer stream; (d) flowing the focusing fluid and the polymer stream focused thereby, as a single flow stream, out from the chamber; and (e) allowing detachment of pendant droplets from a leading end portion of the single flow stream so as to form the microbeads; wherein each of the microbeads binds an identifiable set of the particles; and wherein the focusing fluid reacts with the polymer solution to form one or more of the functional groups at a surface of each of the microbeads, such that the microbeads are adapted to bind with the biorecognition molecules.