APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR TRAPPING BEAD BASED REAGENTS WITHIN MICROFLUIDIC ANALYSIS SYSTEMS

摘要

The present invention provides an on-chip packed reactor bed design that allows for an effective exchange of packing materials such as beads at a miniaturized level. The present invention extends the function of microfluidic analysis systems to new applications including on-chip solid phase extraction (SPE) and on-chip capillary electrochromatography (CEC). The design can be further extended to include integrated packed bed immuno- or enzyme reactors. The system comprises two weirs (6, 7) in a channel to trap packing material (12). The packing material might be introduced through a side channel to the chamber formed between the two weirs (6, 7). A plug is positioned in the side channel to close it.