Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Systematic characterization and mechanistic insights into ultrasonically actuated sharp-tip capillary droplet generation.

Lab on a chip·2026
Same author

A digital plating platform for robust and versatile microbial detection and analysis.

Scientific reports·2025
Same author

Spectral prediction method based on the transformer neural network for high-fidelity color reproduction.

Optics express·2024
Same author

Controllable Fabrication of Highly Ordered Spherical Microcavity Arrays by Replica Molding of In Situ Self-Emulsified Droplets.

ACS applied materials & interfaces·2024
Same author

Complete Prevention of Bubbles in a PDMS-Based Digital PCR Chip with a Multifunction Cavity.

Biosensors·2024
Same author

Reflow-molded deep concave microwell arrays for robust and large-scale production of embryoid bodies.

Lab on a chip·2023

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Oct 2, 2025

Capillary-based Centrifugal Microfluidic Device for Size-controllable Formation of Monodisperse Microdroplets
08:20

Capillary-based Centrifugal Microfluidic Device for Size-controllable Formation of Monodisperse Microdroplets

Published on: February 22, 2016

10.5K

A hand-powered microfluidic system for portable and low-waste sample discretization.

Tengbao Xie1, Ping Wang2, Lei Wu3

  • 1Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Technology and Systems, Ministry of Education, Defense Key Disciplines Lab of Novel Micro-Nano Devices and System Technology, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, China. gang_li@cqu.edu.cn.

Lab on a Chip
|February 28, 2022
PubMed
Summary

This study introduces an equipment-free system for rapid sample discretization into thousands of volumes using a water-soluble film and syringe. This innovative method simplifies digital PCR and other bioassays.

More Related Videos

A Microfluidic Platform for Precision Small-volume Sample Processing and Its Use to Size Separate Biological Particles with an Acoustic Microdevice
11:32

A Microfluidic Platform for Precision Small-volume Sample Processing and Its Use to Size Separate Biological Particles with an Acoustic Microdevice

Published on: November 23, 2015

14.0K
Reduced-gravity Environment Hardware Demonstrations of a Prototype Miniaturized Flow Cytometer and Companion Microfluidic Mixing Technology
13:59

Reduced-gravity Environment Hardware Demonstrations of a Prototype Miniaturized Flow Cytometer and Companion Microfluidic Mixing Technology

Published on: November 13, 2014

13.9K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Oct 2, 2025

Capillary-based Centrifugal Microfluidic Device for Size-controllable Formation of Monodisperse Microdroplets
08:20

Capillary-based Centrifugal Microfluidic Device for Size-controllable Formation of Monodisperse Microdroplets

Published on: February 22, 2016

10.5K
A Microfluidic Platform for Precision Small-volume Sample Processing and Its Use to Size Separate Biological Particles with an Acoustic Microdevice
11:32

A Microfluidic Platform for Precision Small-volume Sample Processing and Its Use to Size Separate Biological Particles with an Acoustic Microdevice

Published on: November 23, 2015

14.0K
Reduced-gravity Environment Hardware Demonstrations of a Prototype Miniaturized Flow Cytometer and Companion Microfluidic Mixing Technology
13:59

Reduced-gravity Environment Hardware Demonstrations of a Prototype Miniaturized Flow Cytometer and Companion Microfluidic Mixing Technology

Published on: November 13, 2014

13.9K

Area of Science:

  • Biotechnology
  • Microfluidics
  • Analytical Chemistry

Background:

  • Conventional sample discretization methods often rely on complex and expensive equipment like syringe pumps or vacuum systems.
  • There is a need for simpler, more accessible methods for high-throughput sample partitioning in various biological applications.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop and demonstrate a simple, equipment-free system for rapid sample discretization into a large number of discrete volumes.
  • To showcase the system's utility in digital polymerase chain reaction (digital PCR).

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a microfluidic device with a high-density microchamber array sealed by a water-soluble film.
  • Employed a hand-operated syringe to create negative pressure, facilitating sample partitioning.
  • Leveraged the dissolution-triggered gating mechanism of the water-soluble film for controlled sample entry.

Main Results:

  • Successfully discretized aqueous samples into tens of thousands of isolated chambers within seconds.
  • Demonstrated the system's effectiveness for digital PCR applications.
  • Achieved rapid partitioning without the need for specialized pumping equipment.

Conclusions:

  • The developed system offers a simple, cost-effective, and rapid alternative for sample discretization.
  • This technology has significant potential for applications in digital bioassays, single-cell analysis, and point-of-care diagnostics.