Patent ID: 8372358

Claim:
In a microfluidic system, a device for sealing a microfluidic chip having a face with at least one test region comprising a plurality of microchannels, the device comprising: a magnetic clamp for exerting a reproducible and uniform pressure on the microfluidic chip to releasably seal the chip with minimal mechanical perturbation to cells on the substrate, wherein the magnetic clamp comprises: a base having an open center, the base comprising a magnetically-attractable material; a window supported within the open center, the window adapted for viewing the face of the microfluidic chip through the window; a ring disposed over the base, the ring having a center opening corresponding to the open center of the base; a plurality of magnets distributed around the ring for generating a magnetic force drawing the ring against the base; a transparent disk disposed on top of the ring, the disk having an inlet and an outlet adapted for connection to a fluid medium reservoir for introducing and removing the fluid medium, wherein the disk, the window, the center opening of the ring and the open center of the base define a cavity for enclosing the microfluidic chip with the face of the microfluidic chip with the at least one test region abutting the window; and an elastomer cushion disposed within the cavity between the disk and a backside of the microfluidic chip; wherein the magnetic force compresses the elastomer cushion against the microfluidic chip so that the at least one test region is sealed against the window.