US Patent 7252928 - Reducing microchannel adsorption using colloidal material flow

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7252928.html

When using microfluidic devices to analyze biological materials such as proteins a problem can occur of the material being adsorbed in the microchannel walls. This patent from Caliper Life Sciences teaches adding a colloidal material flow which binds to the biological material reducing the adherence to the channel walls. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method of reducing adsorption of one or more materials to an interior surface of a microchannel, the method comprising flowing the one or more macromolecules in a fluid in the microchannel, and concomitantly flowing a colloidal material through the fluid in the microchannel at a sufficient concentration to bind to the one or more materials and thereby prevent the materials from binding to the interior surface of the microchannel.