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A single-use disposable cartridge and reusable interrogation platform for interrogating particles in a fluid carrier medium. The cartridge includes a micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) embodied in a chip to perform electrical property interrogations of fluid flowing in a micro channel. Desirably

A single-use disposable cartridge and reusable interrogation platform for interrogating particles in a fluid carrier medium. The cartridge includes a micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) embodied in a chip to perform electrical property interrogations of fluid flowing in a micro channel. Desirably, the microchannel is sized to cause single-file particle flow past a sensor portion of the MEMS chip.

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1. A method for interrogating particles in a known volume of fluid using an electrical property-detecting sensor in a single-use, disposable cartridge with an interrogation platform structured to couple with the cartridge, the method comprising the steps of: providing a single-use, disposable microf

1. A method for interrogating particles in a known volume of fluid using an electrical property-detecting sensor in a single-use, disposable cartridge with an interrogation platform structured to couple with the cartridge, the method comprising the steps of: providing a single-use, disposable microfluidic test cartridge, comprising: a fluid receiving structure arranged to provide fluid communication of a fluid sample through a channel to a waste reservoir, said channel comprising an interrogation portion passing through a MEMS chip;a plurality of electrical contact pads that each are disposed in electrical communication with a selected electrode disposed in association with said interrogation portion;structure providing access to permit electrical coupling of an external device to said plurality of electrical contact pads;connection structure disposed in fluid communication with said channel and arranged to couple with an external fluid motive source effective to cause flow of at least a subset of said sample into said waste reservoir; andstructure arranged to permit evacuation of air from said cartridge along a vent path while resisting escape of fluid from said cartridge along said vent path, at least a portion of said vent path being non-coaxial with said channel;in combination with an interrogation platform, said platform comprising: alignment structure adapted to receive said cartridge in an installed substantially fixed interrogation orientation and to resist installation of said cartridge in another orientation;a plurality of electrical contacts individually configured for electrical coupling with a selected one of said plurality of electrical contact pads of an installed said cartridge;electronic interrogation circuitry adapted to apply an electric stimulation signal to one or more selected said electrical contacts and to receive a data signal from one or more of said electrical contacts and to output a modified signal for data analysis;a said fluid motive source configured to couple with said connection structure and operable to cause fluid flow through said channel; andbiased retaining structure adapted to resist inadvertent removal of an installed said cartridge; and thena) loading a sample of fluid into said cartridge;b) urging a quantity of said sample into a degassing chamber disposed along said channel and defining a known volume, said degassing chamber comprising a wall formed of hydrophobic material adapted to permit evacuation of entrained gas from said quantity while resisting escape of fluid from said degassing chamber therethrough to permit removal of bubbles from said quantity independently from urging motion of fluid from said degassing chamber and toward said waste reservoir; and applying a reduced pressure, compared to a pressure inside said degassing chamber, through said vent path and to a portion of said wall outside of said degassing chamber for a period of time sufficient to permit migration of gas bubbles from said quantity through said wall to form a known and degassed volume of test fluid;c) urging said volume of sample fluid to flow past said sensor for interrogation by said platform; andd) disposing of said cartridge. 2. A method for performing a serial analysis on first and second subsets of particles in a fluid sample using an electrical property sensor housed in a single-use, disposable cartridge with an interrogation platform structured to couple with the cartridge, the method comprising the steps of: providing a single-use, disposable microfluidic test cartridge, comprising: a fluid receiving structure arranged to provide fluid communication of said fluid sample through a channel to a waste reservoir, said channel comprising an interrogation portion passing through a MEMS chip;a plurality of electrical contact pads that each are disposed in electrical communication with a selected electrode disposed in association with said interrogation portion;structure providing access to permit electrical coupling of an external device to said plurality of electrical contact pads;connection structure disposed in fluid communication with said channel and arranged to couple with an external fluid motive source; andstructure arranged to permit evacuation of air from said cartridge along a vent path while resisting escape of fluid from said cartridge along said vent path, at least a portion of said vent path being non-coaxial with said channel;in combination with an interrogation platform, said platform comprising: alignment structure adapted to receive said cartridge in an installed substantially fixed interrogation orientation and to resist installation of said cartridge in another orientation;a plurality of electrical contacts individually configured for electrical coupling with a selected one of said plurality of electrical contact pads of an installed said cartridge;electronic interrogation circuitry adapted to apply an electric stimulation signal to one or more selected said electrical contacts and to receive a data signal from one or more of said electrical contacts and to output a modified signal for data analysis;a said fluid motive source configured to couple with said connection structure and operable to cause fluid flow through said channel; andbiased retaining structure adapted to resist inadvertent removal of an installed said cartridge; and thena) loading a sample of fluid into said cartridge;b) urging a quantity of said sample into a mixing chamber disposed at an intermediate position along said channel in said cartridge;c) applying one or more reagent to said quantity effective to form at least two subsets of particles;d) applying a force effective to restrain movement of a first subset of particles from said mixing chamber;e) urging a second subset of particles to flow past said sensor for interrogation by said platform;f) subsequently urging said first subset of particles to flow past a sensor for interrogation by said platform; andg) disposing of said cartridge. 3. The method according to claim 2, wherein: said sample comprises whole blood;step c) comprises mixing a quantity of antigen-bound magnetic beads with said sample operably to bind said beads to certain white blood cells; andstep d) comprises applying a magnetic field to said magnetic beads. 4. The method according to claim 3, wherein: step f) comprises adjusting structure associated with said cartridge to cause flow of said first subset for analysis through a second sensor that is differently structured from said first sensor. 5. The method according to claim 2, wherein: said card further comprises a degassing chamber associated with said mixing chamber, said degassing chamber comprising a wall formed of hydrophobic material adapted and arranged to permit evacuation, through said vent path, of entrained gas from a portion of said sample while resisting escape of fluid from said degassing chamber therethrough to permit removal of bubbles from said portion of said sample independently from urging motion of fluid from said degassing chamber and toward said waste reservoir. 6. A method for particle analysis, comprising the steps of: a) providing a particle detector capable of detecting particles entrained in a fluid based upon interrogation of electrical impedance through a portion of said fluid;b) providing a one-time use cartridge structured according to claim 1 and configured and arranged to cooperate with said detector effective to permit interrogation, by said detector, of particles entrained in a fluid sample carried by said cartridge;c) applying a quantity of antibody bound beads to a portion of said fluid sample to permit binding of beads to receptive particles; andd) operating said detector to perform said analysis. 7. The method according to claim 6, wherein: step c) comprises applying a quantity of antibody bound latex beads effective to form a first population of bound particles having a larger particle size in combination than a second population of unbound particles; andstep d) comprises operating said detector to characterize at least one of said first population and said second population. 8. The method according to claim 6, wherein: step c) comprises: i) applying a quantity of antibody hound magnetic beads effective to form a first population of bound particles having a different magnetic property in combination compared to a second population of unbound particles; andii) applying a magnetic field to resist movement of said first population while separating said second population from said first population; andstep d) comprises operating said detector to characterize at least one of said first population and said second population. 9. A method for interrogating particles in a known volume of fluid using an electrical property-detecting sensor in a disposable cartridge with an interrogation platform structured to couple with the cartridge, the method comprising the steps of: providing a disposable microfluidic test cartridge, comprising: a fluid receiving structure arranged to provide fluid communication of a fluid sample through a channel to a reservoir in which to receive processed fluid, said channel comprising an interrogation portion passing through a MEMS chip;a plurality of electrical contact pads, certain of said contact pads being disposed in electrical communication with one or more cooperating electrode disposed in said interrogation portion effective to permit electronic interrogation circuitry of said interrogation platform to apply an electric stimulation signal to one or more selected electrical contact pads and to receive a data signal from one or more of said electrical contact pads and to output a modified signal for data analysis;structure providing access to permit electrical coupling of said interrogation platform to said plurality of electrical contact pads;connection structure disposed in fluid communication with said channel and arranged to couple with a fluid motive source effective to cause flow of at least a subset of said fluid sample into said reservoir; andstructure arranged to permit evacuation of air from said cartridge along a vent path, at least a portion of said vent path being non-coaxial with said channel;alignment structure adapted to couple said cartridge with said interrogation platform to locate said cartridge in an installed substantially fixed interrogation orientation and to resist installation of said cartridge in another orientation; and thena) loading a sample of fluid into said cartridge;b) urging a quantity of said sample into a degassing chamber disposed along said channel and defining a known volume, said degassing chamber comprising a wall formed of hydrophobic material adapted to permit evacuation of entrained gas from said quantity while resisting escape of fluid from said degassing chamber therethrough to permit removal of bubbles from said quantity independently from urging motion of fluid from said degassing chamber and toward said reservoir; and applying a reduced pressure, compared to a pressure inside said degassing chamber, through said vent path and to a portion of said wall outside of said degassing chamber for a period of time sufficient to permit migration of gas bubbles from said quantity through said wall to form a known and degassed volume of test fluid;c) urging said volume of sample fluid to flow past said sensor for interrogation by said platform; andd) disposing of said cartridge. 10. The method according to claim 9, wherein: said cartridge is adapted for only a single-use prior to disposal.