JP4495866B2 - Cartridge for controlling chemical reactions - Google Patents

Abstract

A cartridge (20) for conducting a chemical reaction includes a body having at least one flow path formed therein. The cartridge also includes a reaction vessel (40) extending from the body for holding a reaction mixture for chemical reaction and optical detection. The vessel (40) comprises a rigid frame defining the side walls of a reaction chamber. The frame includes at least one channel connecting the flow path to the chamber. The vessel also includes flexible films or sheets attached to opposite sides of the rigid frame to form opposing major walls of the chamber. In addition, at least two of the side walls are optically transmissive and angularly offset from each to permit real-time optical detection of analyte in the reaction chamber.

Description

[0001]
(Technical field)
The present invention relates generally to the field of biochemical analysis, and more particularly to a new cartridge for controlling chemical reactions.
[0002]
(Background technology)
Analysis of clinical and environmental fluids generally involves a series of chemical, optical, electrical, mechanical, or thermal processing steps on a fluid sample. In recent years, there has been increasing interest in the development of disposable cartridges that analyze biological samples for various diagnostic and monitoring purposes. For example, Wilding, US Pat. No. 5,587,128 discloses an apparatus for performing a polynucleotide amplification reaction to amplify a preselected polynucleotide in a sample. U.S. Pat. No. 5,922,591 to Anderson et al. Describes a small integrated nucleic acid diagnostic system. In general, the apparatus can perform one or more sample acquisition and preparation operations in combination with one or more sample analysis operations.
[0003]
However, despite the above advances, there remains a need for a cartridge that can quickly heat-treat the reaction mixture and improve the sensitivity of detection of analytes in the mixture.
[0004]
(Disclosure of the Invention)
The present invention provides an apparatus and method for analyzing a fluid sample to determine the presence or absence of an analyte in the sample. The device has a cartridge that separates the desired analyte from the sample and places the analyte for chemical reaction and optical detection. The apparatus includes a device that receives a cartridge for sample processing. Desired analytes include, for example, organisms, cells, proteins, nucleic acids, carbohydrates, viral molecules, bacteria, chemicals and biochemicals. Preferably, the desired analyte comprises a nucleic acid and the chemical reaction performed uses, for example, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) Nucleic acid Amplification is good.
[0005]
In a preferred embodiment, the cartridge comprises a body having at least one flow path. The cartridge also includes a reaction vessel that extends from the body and contains a reaction mixture for chemical reaction and optical detection. This reaction vessel consists of a rigid frame that defines the side walls of the reaction chamber. This frame has at least one conduit connecting the flow path and the reaction chamber. The reaction vessel also has at least one flexible film or sheet. Films and sheets are attached to a rigid frame and form the main wall of the reaction chamber. The main wall is flexible enough to match the hot surface. The reaction vessel preferably has first and second flexible sheets attached to both sides of the rigid frame and forming opposing main walls of the reaction chamber. Furthermore, the at least two side walls are translucent and are offset from each other at an angle of approximately 90 degrees.
[0006]
The cartridge is preferably used in combination with an apparatus having opposed hot plates arranged to be accommodated with the reaction chamber in between. The apparatus also has a pressure source that increases the pressure in the reaction chamber. The pressure in the reaction chamber is increased enough to bring the main wall into contact with the inner surface of the plate, ensuring optimal heat transfer to the reaction chamber. The apparatus also places a thermal element on the plate for rapid heat treatment of the reaction mixture. The apparatus further includes at least one light source that excites the reaction mixture in the reaction chamber through the first of the translucent side walls and the second of the translucent side walls from the reaction chamber. And an optical system having at least one detector for detecting the emitted light.
[0007]
The cartridge of the present invention allows for very rapid heating and cooling of the reaction mixture, ensures optimal heat transfer between the mixture and heat or cooling elements, and provides real-time and sensitive optical detection and monitoring of reaction products. Do.
[0008]
The invention can be better understood with reference to the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings.
[0009]
(Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention)
The present invention provides an apparatus and method for analyzing a fluid sample. In a first embodiment, the present invention provides a cartridge for separating a desired analyte from a fluid sample and for holding an analyte for a chemical reaction. The fluid sample is a solution or a suspended matter. For special use, the sample is a human fluid (eg, blood, urine, saliva, sputum, semen, spinal fluid, mucus, or other human fluid). Alternatively, the sample is a solid that can be dissolved or a solid that is suspended in a liquid. Also, the sample is an environmental sample such as soil, sewage, soil extract, pesticide residue, or airborne seeds contained in the fluid. In addition, the sample is mixed with one or more chemicals, reagents, diluents, or buffers. The sample may be pre-treated or in an untreated form, for example by mixing chemicals, centrifuging, or rounding small.
[0010]
The desired analyte is typically intracellular material (eg, nucleic acid, protein, carbohydrate, lipid, bacteria, or intracellular parasite). In preferred use, the analyte is a nucleic acid that the cartridge separates from the fluid sample and retains for amplification (eg, using PCR) and optical detection. As used herein, the term “nucleic acid” refers to a nucleic acid such as a synthetic or naturally occurring DNA or RNA, which nucleic acid has any possible shape, ie, double-chromatid nucleic acid form, single It takes the form of chromatid nucleic acids, or any possible combination of these forms.
[0011]
FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a cartridge 20 of a preferred embodiment. The cartridge 20 is designed to separate nucleic acids from a fluid sample and is designed to hold nucleic acids for amplification and detection. The cartridge 20 has a top piece 22 and a central piece. 24 And a body with a bottom piece 26. An inlet for introducing a fluid sample into the cartridge is formed in the top piece 22 and is sealed by a cap 30. Six pressure ports 32 are formed in the top piece 22. The pressure port 32 is for accommodating a nozzle from a pressure source such as a pump or vacuum. The cartridge also has alignment legs 28 that extend from the bottom piece 26 for positioning of the cartridge 20 in the apparatus (described below in FIG. 10). The depressions or recesses 38A, 38B, 38C are formed in the top piece 22 and the central piece 22. This recess is for accommodating an optical sensor for detecting the flow of fluid in the cartridge 20. The cartridge 20 further has vents 34 and 36. It is preferable that each pressure port and each vent have a hydrophobic thin film that allows gas to pass into and out of the vent and pressure port but does not allow liquid to pass. Modified acrylic resin copolymer thin films are commercially available from, for example, Germanic Sciences (Ann Arbor, Michigan), and particle track corrosion polycarbonate thin films are commercially available from Politics, Inc. (Livermore, California). Yes.
[0012]
FIG. 2 is an isometric view showing the lower side of the cartridge 20. Nine holes 60 are formed in the bottom piece 26 to accommodate a valve actuator that opens and closes the valve of the cartridge 20. A hole 62 is also formed in the bottom piece 26 for receiving a transducer (discussed in detail in FIG. 5). The cartridge 20 also has a reaction vessel 40 that extends outwardly from the body of the cartridge. The container 40 has a reaction chamber 42 for holding a reaction mixture (for example, a nucleic acid mixed with a sensitizing reagent and a fluorescent sample) for chemical reaction or optical detection. One of the channels in the cartridge carries the reaction mixture to the reaction chamber 42 for chemical reaction and optical detection. The reaction vessel 40 extends outwardly from the main body of the cartridge 20 so that the reaction vessel 40 can heat a pair of opposing (heating reaction chambers 42) without having to remove the reaction vessel 40 from the remainder of the cartridge 20. Inserted between hot plates (for cooling). This greatly reduces the risk of at least one of contamination and spilling. The reaction vessel 40 can be formed integrally with the main body of the cartridge (for example, molded integrally with the central piece 24). However, it is currently preferred to manufacture the reaction chamber 40 as a separation element that is coupled to the body during manufacture of the cartridge.
[0013]
3 and 4 show exploded views of the cartridge. As shown in FIG. 3, the central piece 24 has a number of chambers therein. In particular, the central piece 24 includes a sample chamber 65 that holds a fluid sample introduced through the inlet port 64, a detergent chamber 66 that holds a detergent solution, a reagent chamber 67 that holds a lysis reagent, and a used sample. A waste water chamber 68 for containing a detergent, a neutralizing agent chamber 70 for holding a neutralizing agent, and a main mixture (for example, a sensitizing reagent and a fluorescent sample) are held to separate an analyte separated from a fluid sample. And a main mixing chamber 71 for mixing the sample and the reagent. The sample chamber 65 optionally includes a side chamber 155 having an outer wall slightly lower than the sample chamber 65. The side chamber 155 is for visually informing the user when a sufficient sample has been added to the sample chamber 65, ie when the liquid level in the sample chamber 65 is high enough to overflow into the side chamber.
[0014]
The top piece 22 has vents 34 and 36 and a pressure port 32 as described above. An elastomeric film or gasket 61 is positioned to be sandwiched between the pieces 22 and 24 to seal the various grooves and chambers formed in the top piece 22 and the central piece 24. The central piece 24 preferably has a plurality of sealing lips to ensure that the gasket 61 forms a sufficient seal. In particular, it is preferable to have a seal lip 73 surrounding each of the chambers 65, 66, 67, 68, 70, 71. The central piece 24 also has a surrounding support wall 75 and an intermediate seal lip 76. The seal lips 73 and 76 and the support wall 75 locally compress the gasket 61 to achieve a seal.
[0015]
As shown in FIG. 4, the central piece 24 is formed with various grooves on the lower side, and one of the grooves communicates with the melting chamber 86. The dissolution chamber 86 is aligned with the hole 62 in the bottom piece 26 and a transducer (eg, an ultrasonic horn) is inserted through the hole 62 to generate a pressure wave in the dissolution chamber 86. The central piece 24 also has nine valve seats 84 formed on the bottom surface. The valve seat 84 is aligned with the nine holes 60 of the bottom piece 26, and the valve actuator is inserted into the valve seat 84 through the hole 60.
[0016]
The elastomeric membrane or gasket 61 is positioned so as to be sandwiched between the central piece and the bottom piece 24, 26, and seals various channels, valve seats, and chambers formed in the central piece 24. The center piece 24 preferably has a number of sealing lips to ensure that the gasket 63 forms a sufficient seal. In particular, the center piece 24 preferably has a melting chamber 86, a valve seat 84 and a sealing lip 73 that surrounds various channels. The central piece 24 has a support wall 75 around it and an intermediate seal lip 76. The seal lips 73 and 76 and the support wall 75 locally compress the gasket 63 to complete the seal. In addition to sealing the various flow paths and chambers, the gasket 63 presses into the corresponding valve seat 84 when driven through one of the plurality of holes 60, thereby causing the central piece 24 to It also functions as a valve stem by closing one of the plurality of flow paths. This valve operation will be described in more detail later with reference to FIGS.
[0017]
The gasket 63 also forms a bottom wall of the lysis chamber 86, and a transducer is disposed in contact with the bottom wall to cause destruction of cells or viruses in the lysis chamber 86. Each of the gaskets 61 and 63 is preferably made of an elastomer. Suitable gasket materials are silicone rubber, neoprene, ethylene propylene diene monomer, or other elastic materials. Each of the gaskets 61 and 63 is preferably in the range of 0.005 to 0.125 inch (0.125 to 3.175 mm), more preferably in the range of 0.01 to 0.06 inch (0.25 to 1.5 mm). A presently preferred thickness is 0.31 inches (0.79 mm). The gasket thickness is sufficient for the gasket to seal the flow path and chamber, press into the valve seat 84 when force is applied, and spread out under pressure to contact the transducer. A thickness is selected that provides elasticity.
[0018]
As shown in FIG. 3, the central piece 24 has a slot 79, and the reaction vessel 40 is inserted into this slot when the cartridge is assembled. The reaction vessel 40 has two fluid ports 41 and 43 for adding fluid and removing fluid from the reaction vessel. When the top piece 22 is brought into close contact with the central piece 24 via the gasket 61, the fluid ports 41 and 43 are in fluid communication with the flow paths 80 and 81 (see FIG. 4) formed in the top piece 22, respectively. The gasket 61 seals the respective fluid interface between the fluid ports 41 and 43 and the flow paths 80 and 81. The top piece, center piece, bottom piece 22, 24, 26 are preferably injection molded parts made of a polymer material such as polypropylene, polycarbonate or acrylic. Molding is suitable for mass production, but machining of the top piece, center piece and bottom pieces 22, 24, 26 is also possible. The top piece, the center piece, and the bottom piece 22, 24, 26 may be coupled by screws or fasteners. Alternatively, the cartridge can be assembled using ultrasonic bonding, solvent bonding, or snap-fit design.
[0019]
FIG. 4 also shows filtering 88. This filtering 88 compresses and holds the stack of filters in the dissolution chamber 86. FIG. 6 shows an exploded view of the filter stack 87. The purpose of this filter stack 87 is to capture cells and viruses from the fluid sample as the sample fluid passes through the lysis chamber. The captured cells and viruses are destroyed (dissolved) in the lysis chamber 86. The cell may be an animal cell or plant cell, a spore, a bacterium, or a microorganism. The virus may be any type of infectious material having a protein coat surrounding the RNA or DNA nucleus.
[0020]
The filter stack 87 includes a gasket 93, a first filter 94, a gasket 95, a second filter 97 having a smaller hole than the first filter 94, a gasket 98, a third filter 100 having a smaller hole than the second filter 97, A gasket 101, a mesh 102, and a gasket 103 are provided. The filter stack preferably includes a first set of beads 96 disposed between the first and second filters 94 and 97 and a second set of beads 99 disposed between the second and third filters 97 and 100. have. Filtering 88 presses the filter stack 87 into the melting chamber 86 so that the gasket 93 presses the filter 94, the filter 94 presses the gasket 95, the gasket 95 presses the filter 97, and the filter 97 presses the gasket 98. The gasket 98 presses the filter 100, the filter 100 presses the gasket 101, the gasket 101 presses the mesh 102, the mesh 102 presses the gasket 103, and the gasket 103 is the outer peripheral portion of the bottom wall of the melting chamber 86. Press. The thickness of the gasket 95 is larger than the average diameter of the beads 96 so that the beads 96 move freely in the space between the filters 94 and 97. Similarly, the thickness of the gasket 98 is larger than the average diameter of the beads 99 so that the beads 99 move freely in the space between the filters 97 and 100. Sample fluid flowing into the lysis chamber 86 through the channel 106 first passes through the filter 94, then through the filter 97, then through the filter 100, and finally through the mesh 102. After passing through the filter stack 87, the sample fluid passes through the discharge rib (not shown in FIG. 6) through the flow rib 91 formed in the upper part of the dissolution chamber 86.
[0021]
Referring to FIG. 5, cells or viruses (not shown in FIG. 5 for clarity of illustration) trapped in the filter stack can be placed directly on the wall of the lysis chamber 86 with a transducer 92 (eg, an ultrasonic horn). It is dissolved by binding. In this embodiment, the wall of the melting chamber 86 is formed by the flexible gasket 63. The transducer 92 should be in direct contact with the outer surface of the wall. The “outer surface” means the surface of the wall that is the outer surface of the melting chamber 86. The transducer 92 is a vibration device that is operated in the melting chamber 86 to generate a pressure wave. This pressure wave shakes the beads 96, 99 (FIG. 6), and this movement of the beads ruptures the captured cells or viruses. In general, the transducer that contacts the wall of the melting chamber 86 may be an ultrasonic, piezoelectric, magnetostrictive, or electrostatic transducer. The transducer may be an electromagnetic device having a winding coil such as a voice coil motor or a solenoid device. The actuator is currently preferably an ultrasonic transducer such as an ultrasonic horn. Suitable horns are commercially available from Sonics and Materials, Inc., with offices at Church Hill 53, Newton, Connecticut, United States 06470-1614. Alternatively, the ultrasonic transducer may comprise a piezoelectric disk or any other type of ultrasonic transducer that is coupled to a container. It is currently preferred to use an ultrasonic horn because the horn structure is very reverberant and produces a reproducible and active excitation wave and a large movement of the horn tip.
[0022]
As already mentioned in FIG. 6, the filter stack has gaskets at both ends. As shown in FIG. 5, the central piece 24 of the cartridge has a sealing lip 90 against which the gasket at one end of the filter stack is compressed. The gasket at the other end of the filter stack is compressed by filtering 88 to form a seal. The gasket material may overhang the relief on the outside of the seal lip 90. The width of the seal lip 90 is narrow (usually 0.5 mm), and no extra force is required for sufficient sealing.
[0023]
The filtering 88 is held between the filter stack and the cartridge gasket 63. The cartridge gasket 63 is held by a sealing lip 406 between the central piece 24 and the bottom piece 26. Thus, the force is transferred from the bottom piece 26 through the gasket 63 to the filtering 88 and finally to the filter stack. Filtering 88 includes a contact lip 404 that contacts gasket 63. Although this contact lip 404 performs sealing, it is not a main seal lip but a single force transmission mechanism. The width of the contact lip 404 is larger than the width of the seal lip 90, so that the bending and sealing action occurs in the filter stack and does not occur when the cartridge gasket 63 is squeezed. The cartridge center piece 24 also has a sealing lip 406 surrounding the filtering 88. This seal lip is an effective sealed area that is not affected by the presence of the filtering 88. Thus, there is a gap 407 between the seal lip 406 and the contact lip 404 on the filtering 88. The gap 407 is provided so that the gasket 63 can protrude into the gap 407 when compressed by the seal lip 406 and the contact lip 404. If the contact lip 404 is at a different height than the seal lip 406, the seal is not affected by the gap 407 and the distance between the lips 404 and 406.
[0024]
Referring again to FIG. 6, the filter stack 87 is effective in capturing cells and viruses as the sample fluid passes through the stack 87 without clogging any of the filters 94, 97, 100 in the stack. is there. The first filter 94 (having the largest hole size) filters coarse particles such as salt crystals, cell debris, hair, and tissue. The second filter 97 (medium hole size is medium) captures cells and viruses in the sample fluid. The third filter 100 (having the smallest hole size) captures even smaller cells and viruses in the sample. Thus, the filter stack 87 allows simultaneous capture of sample components of different sizes without clogging the filter. The average pore size of the first filter 94 is small enough to filter out coarse particles (eg, salt crystals, cell debris, hair, tissue) from the sample fluid and the desired analyte. It is selected to be large enough to allow a target cell or virus containing (eg, nucleic acid or protein) to pass through. In general, the hole size of the first filter 94 is desirably in the range of about 2 to 25 μm, and the currently preferred hole size is about 5 μm.
[0025]
The average hole size of the second and third filters is selected according to the average size of the target cell or virus containing the desired analyte. For example, in one embodiment, the filter stack 87 is used to capture hemorrhoid (GC) and chlamydia (Ct) organisms to determine the presence of a disease in the sample fluid. The GC and Ct organisms have different average diameters, the GC organism is about 1-2 μm and the Ct organism is about 0.3 μm. In this embodiment, the second filter 97 has an average hole size of about 1.2 μm, while the third filter 100 has an average hole size of about 0.22 μm, so Most of the Ct organisms are captured by the second filter 97, while most of the Ct organisms are captured by the third filter 100. Thus, the filter stack allows simultaneous capture of target organisms of different sizes and does this without clogging the filter. The hole size of the filters 97, 100 can be selected to capture any size of desired cells or viruses, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to the specific examples described above.
[0026]
The filter stack 87 is effective for rupturing captured cells or viruses and releasing intracellular substances (for example, nucleic acids) from the cells. In this regard, the first and second sets of beads 96 and 99 serve two useful purposes. First of all, the beads are agitated by the pressure wave generated by the transducer. This movement of the bead ruptures the captured cell or virus. Second, the beads shear the nucleic acid released from the lysed cells or viruses and allow the nucleic acid strands (stained fractions) to pass through the filter and out of the lysis chamber 86 enough. Can be shortened. Suitable beads for rupturing cells or viruses include borosilicate glass, lime glass, silica, and polystyrene beads.
[0027]
The beads may be porous or non-porous, and preferably have an average diameter in the range of 1 to 200 μm. The average diameter of the beads 96,99 is selected according to the target cell or virus of interest to be ruptured by the beads. The average diameter of the first set of beads 96 may be the same as the average diameter of the second set of beads 99. Alternatively, if the first set of beads 96 is used to rupture a target cell or virus of a different type than the type of cell or virus to be ruptured by the second set of beads 99, It is advantageous to select the average diameter of the beads such that the average diameter of one set of beads 96 is different from the average diameter of the second set of beads 99. For example, if the filter stack is used to capture GC or Ct cells as described above, beads 96 are borosilicate glass beads with a diameter of 20 μm for rupturing GC organisms and beads 99 have Ct presence. Soda lime glass beads with a diameter of 106 μm for rupturing the airframe. Silicon gaskets 95 and 98 should be thick enough to provide space for beads 96 and 99 to move or to rupture cells or viruses, respectively.
[0028]
The net 102 serves two useful purposes. First, the net supports the filter stack 87. Second, the net ruptures the bubbles and allows the bubbles to be carried out of the dissolution chamber 86 via the flow ribs 91. In order to effectively burst the bubbles or to reduce the size of the bubbles, it is preferable that the mesh 102 has a fine mesh. A mesh woven with polypropylene having an average mesh size of about 25 μm is preferred. To ensure that the bubbles escape from the dissolution chamber 86, it is desirable to use the cartridge in a direction that allows liquid to flow (relative to gravity) through the filter stack 87 and the dissolution chamber 86. The upward flow through the dissolution chamber 86 helps bubbles to emerge from the dissolution chamber 86. Thus, the inlet port for liquid to enter the lysis chamber 86 should generally be at the lowest position of the lysis chamber, while the outlet should be at the highest position.
[0029]
Many different embodiments for the filter stack are possible. For example, in another embodiment, the filter stack only has two filters and a set of beads between the two filters. The mesh of the first filter is the largest (for example, 5 μm), and coarse substances such as salt crystals, cell debris, hair and tissue are filtered out. The mesh of the second filter is smaller than the first filter, and the target cell to be captured or Virus Slightly smaller than. Such a filter stack will be described later with reference to FIG. In another embodiment of the cartridge, the filter with the largest mesh size (for coarse material filtration) is placed in a filter chamber (not shown) located upstream of the lysis chamber 86. . One flow path connects the filter chamber to the dissolution chamber 86. In this embodiment, the target cell or Virus The sample fluid first passes through a coarse filter in the filter chamber and then through a second filter in the lysis chamber.
[0030]
In addition, the beads in the filter stack Virus Target cells in the sample fluid or to facilitate the capture of Virus It may have a binding affinity for. For example, antibodies or certain receptors may be applied to the surface of the beads to bind to the target cells in the sample. Furthermore, the lysis chamber 86 is used for target cells or Virus May contain two different types of beads that interact with each other. For example, the lysis chamber can be a target cell or Virus A first set of beads coated with antibodies or receptors to bind to the captured cells or Virus May contain a second set of beads (mixed with the first set of beads) that burst. The beads in the lysis chamber 86 are also ruptured cells or Virus It may have a binding affinity with an intracellular substance (for example, nucleic acid) released from the cell. Such beads serve to separate the nucleic acid of interest for subsequent separation and analysis. For example, the lysis chamber may have silica beads to separate DNA, and may contain cellulose beads with oligo dt to separate transfer RNA for RT-PCR. The lysis chamber 86 may also contain beads that remove unwanted substances (eg, proteins and peptides) or chemicals (eg, salts, metal ions, detergents) that interfere with PCR from the sample. For example, lysis chamber 86 may include ion exchange beads for removing proteins. Alternatively, beads having a metal ion chelator such as iminodiacetic acid remove metal ions from biological samples.
[0031]
21 and 22 show an outline of the reaction vessel 40. FIG. 21 shows a partially broken container 40, and FIG. 22 shows a front view of the container 40. The container 40 includes a reaction chamber 42 (in this embodiment, diamond-shaped) that contains the reaction mixture. The container 40 is designed so that heat transfer to and from the reaction mixture is optimized, and the reaction mixture can be visually observed efficiently. The thin shape of the container contributes to optimum thermodynamic properties by providing a large area for heat conduction and contact with the hot plate. In addition, the vessel wall provides a window into the reaction chamber 42 so that the entire reaction mixture can be visually inspected. More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 21 and 22, the reaction vessel 40 has a rigid frame 46 that partitions the side walls 57A, 57B, 59A, and 59B of the reaction chamber 42. The frame 46 also defines an inlet port 41 in the reaction chamber 42 and a flow path 52 that connects the inlet port to the reaction chamber 43. The inlet port 41 and the flow path 50 are used for adding liquid to the reaction chamber 42, and the flow path 52 and the outlet port 43 are used as an outlet for liquid from the reaction chamber 42. Alignment prongs 44A, 44B are used to accurately position container 40 during cartridge assembly.
[0032]
As shown in FIG. 21, the container 40 has thin flexible sheets attached to both sides of a rigid frame 46 to form opposing main walls of the reaction chamber. (Figure 21 Shows the main wall 48 disassembled from the rigid frame 46 for clarity of illustration. Thus, the reaction chamber 42 is defined by the rigid side walls 57A, 57B, 59A, 59B of the frame 46 and the opposing main wall 48. The opposing main walls 48 are sealed on both sides of the frame 46 so that the side walls 57A, 57B, 59A, 59B connect the main walls 48 to each other. The main wall 48 facilitates optimal heat transfer to the reaction mixture contained in the reaction chamber 42. Each main wall is sufficiently flexible and contacts the respective hot surfaces to provide optimum thermal contact and heat transfer between the hot surfaces and the reaction mixture contained in the reaction chamber 42. Furthermore, the flexible wall 48 continues to conform to the hot surface even if the shape of the surface changes due to thermal expansion or contraction during the course of the heat exchange action.
[0033]
As shown in FIG. 23, the hot surface contacting the flexible wall 48 is preferably formed by a pair of opposing plates 190A and 190B arranged so as to sandwich the reaction chamber 42 therebetween. When the reaction chamber 42 of the container 40 is inserted between the plates 190A, 190B, the inner surface of the plate contacts the wall 48 and the flexible wall matches the surface of the plate. The plates are preferably separated from each other by a distance equal to the thickness T of the reaction chamber 42 defined by the thickness of the frame 46. At this position, there is minimal or no gap between the plate surface and the wall 48. The plate is heated and cooled by various thermal elements, causing a temperature change in the reaction chamber 42 as will be described in detail later.
[0034]
The wall 48 is preferably a flexible film made of a polymeric material such as polypropylene, polyethylene, polyester, or other polymer. This film can be laminated, for example, as a laminate or can be made homogeneous. Laminated films are more preferred because they generally have better strength and structural integrity than homogeneous films. In particular, laminated polypropylene films are preferred at this time because they are not inhibitory to PCR (polymerase chain reaction). Alternatively, the wall 48 can be made from other materials that can be formed into a thin and flexible sheet that allows rapid heat transfer. In order to obtain good thermal conductivity, the thickness of each wall 48 is preferably approximately 0.003 to 0.5 mm, more preferably 0.01 to 0.15 mm, and most preferably 0.025 to 0.08 mm.
[0035]
Referring again to FIG. 22, the container 40 preferably has a viewing window for visual inspection of the reaction mixture in the reaction chamber 42 in place. In the preferred embodiment, the viewing window is the side wall 57A, 57B of the rigid frame 46. The side walls 57A and 57B are translucent so that the reaction mixture in the reaction chamber 42 can be excited through the side wall 57A and light emitted from the reaction chamber 42 can be detected through the side wall B. Arrow A indicates the irradiated light beam incident on the reaction chamber 42 via the side wall 42, and arrow B indicates the emitted light emitted through the side wall 57B (for example, emitted from a labeled analyte in the reaction mixture). Fluorescence).
[0036]
The side walls 57A, 57B are preferably offset in angle with respect to each other. It is generally preferred that the side walls 57A, 57B be offset from each other by an angle of approximately 90 °. The 90 ° angle between the excitation light path and the detection light path ensures that the minimum amount of excitation radiation incident through the side wall 57A exits through the side wall 57B. In addition, the 90 ° angle allows for the maximum amount of emitted light (eg, fluorescence) to be collected through the sidewall 57B. The side walls 57 </ b> A and 57 </ b> B are preferably connected to each other so as to form a “V” -shaped intersection at the bottom of the reaction chamber 42. Alternatively, the angled side walls 57A, 57B need not be directly connected to each other, and may be intermediate to other walls or various mechanical or fluid features that do not impair the thermal and optical performance of the container. Can be separated by parts. For example, the side walls 57A and 57B can be connected by a port that leads to another processing region such as an integrated capillary electrophoresis region communicating with the reaction chamber. In this embodiment, a positioning tab 58 extends from the frame 46 below the intersection of the side walls 57A and 57B. The tab 58 is used to appropriately position the container 40 in the heat exchange module described later with reference to FIG.
[0037]
Optimal optical sensitivity is achieved by maximizing the light flux that excites the labeled analyte in the reaction mixture and the path length of the detected emitted light as shown in the equation below.
I ₀ / I _i = C * L * A
Where I ₀ Is the output illuminance of synchrotron radiation such as photons displayed in volts, C is the concentration of the analyte to be detected, I _i Is the input illuminance, L is the optical path length, and A is the intrinsic absorbance of the dye used to label the analyte.
[0038]
The thin and flat reaction vessel 40 of the present invention optimizes detection sensitivity by providing the maximum optical path length per unit volume of the analyte. Referring to FIGS. 23 and 27, in the container 40, the length L of each side wall 57A, 57B, 59A, 59B of the reaction chamber 42 is 1 to 15 mm, the width W of the reaction chamber is 1.4 to 20 mm, and the thickness of the reaction chamber. It is preferable that T is 0.5 to 5 mm, and the ratio of the width W of the reaction chamber to the thickness T is 2: 1. These parameters have a relatively large average path length of 1-15 mm on average through the reaction chamber and provide a container that is thin enough to allow very rapid heating and cooling of the reaction mixture contained therein. So it is preferred at the moment. The average optical path length of the reaction chamber 42 is a length obtained by adding the distance from the center of the reaction chamber 42 to the center of the side wall 57B to the distance from the center of the side wall 57A to the center of the reaction chamber 42.
[0039]
More preferably, in the container 40, each side wall 57A, 57B, 59A, 59B of the reaction chamber 42 has a length L in the range of 5 to 12 mm, a width W in the range of 7 to 17 mm, and a range of 0.5 to 2 mm. The ratio of the width W to the thickness T of the reaction chamber is at least 4: 1. These ranges can be achieved with longer average optical path lengths (ie, 5-12 mm) and volume capacities in the range of 12-100 μl, while keeping the vessel thin enough to allow very rapid heating and cooling of the reaction chamber. It is more preferable because a container having A relatively large volume capacity increases the detection sensitivity of low concentrations of analytes such as nucleic acids.
[0040]
In a preferred embodiment, the reaction vessel 40 has a diamond-shaped reaction chamber 42 defined by side walls 57A, 57B, 59A, 59B, each side wall being defined by a width of approximately 14 mm and the thickness of the frame 46. Having a thickness T of 1 mm and a volume capacity of approximately 100 μl. This reaction vessel provides a relatively long average optical path length of 10 mm through the reaction chamber 42. In addition, the thin reaction chamber allows for very rapid heating and / or cooling of the reaction mixture contained therein. The diamond-shaped reaction chamber 42 helps prevent bubbles from forming in the reaction chamber as the reaction chamber is filled with the reaction mixture and also aids in visual inspection of the reaction mixture.
[0041]
Referring to FIG. 22 again, the frame 46 is preferably made of a light-transmitting material such as polycarbonate or transparent polypropylene so that the side walls 57A and 57B are light-transmitting. As used herein, the term translucency means that light of one or more wavelengths passes through the sidewall. In a preferred embodiment, the translucent side walls 57A, 57B are substantially transparent. Furthermore, one or more optical elements can be provided on the translucent side walls 57A and 57B. The optical element can, for example, maximize the total volume of the solution irradiated by the light source, focus the excitation light on a specific area of the reaction chamber 42, or as much as possible from the largest possible part of the reaction chamber. It is designed to collect fluorescent signals. In an alternative embodiment, the optical element can be composed of a (diffraction) grating that selects a specific wavelength, a filter that passes only a specific wavelength, or a color lens that performs a filter function. The surface of the sidewall can be made of or coated with a material such as liquid crystal that increases the absorption of specific wavelengths. In this preferred embodiment, the translucent side walls 57A, 57B are flat windows that are substantially transparent and have a thickness of approximately 1 mm.
[0042]
The side walls 59A and 59B are preferably provided with a reflection surface 56 that reflects inward light that is about to exit the reaction chamber 42 through the side walls 59A and 59B. The reflecting surfaces 56 are arranged such that adjacent surfaces are offset from each other by an angle of approximately 90 °. Further, the frame 46 defines an empty space between the side walls 59 </ b> A and 59 </ b> B and the support rib 53. This empty space is occupied by ambient air having a different refractive index than the frame material (eg plastic). The reflection surface 56 effectively reflects inward light that is about to exit from the reaction chamber through the side walls 59A and 59B due to the difference in refractive index, and increases detection of optical signals through the side walls 57A and 57B. Preferably, the translucent side walls 57a, 57B define the diamond-shaped bottom and the retro-reflective side walls 59A, 59B define the top of the reaction chamber.
[0043]
A preferred method for manufacturing the reaction vessel 40 will be described with reference to FIGS. The reaction vessel 40 is made by first molding a rigid frame 46 using known injection molding techniques. The frame 46 is preferably molded as a single piece made of a polymer material such as transparent polypropylene. After the frame 46 is made, a thin and flexible sheet is cut to a predetermined size and sealed on both sides of the frame 46 to form the main wall 48 of the reaction chamber 42. The main wall 48 is preferably made by pouring or extruding a polymer material, such as a polypropylene film, which is cut to a predetermined size and attached to the frame 46 using the following procedure. The first film is placed so as to cover one side of the frame 46. The frame 46 preferably has a tack bar 47 that aligns the top edges of the film. The film is placed over the bottom of the frame 46 so that it completely covers the bottom of the lower frame 46 from the tack bar 47 and the top edge of the film is aligned with the tack bar 47. The film is larger than the bottom of the frame 46 so that it can be easily held and stretched flat across the frame. The film then matches the outline of the frame by clamping the portion of the film covering the frame to the frame and cutting away the film portion that extends outward beyond the outer periphery of the frame, for example using a laser or a die. Cut to dimensions. The film is then tack welded to the frame, preferably using a laser.
[0044]
The film is then sealed to the frame 46, preferably by heat sealing. Heat sealing is used in this embodiment because it can create a strong seal without introducing potential contaminants into the container, such as when using adhesive or solvent bonding techniques. Heat sealing is simple and inexpensive. The heat sealing is performed using, for example, a heating platen. The same procedure is used to cut and seal the second sheet on the opposite side of the frame 46 to complete the reaction chamber 42. Many variations of this manufacturing procedure are possible. For example, in an alternative embodiment, the film is stretched across the bottom of the frame 46 and sealed to the frame before cutting the film to a predetermined dimension. After the film is sealed to the frame, the film portion that extends outward beyond the outer periphery of the frame is cut away using, for example, a laser or a die.
[0045]
In the present embodiment, the frame 46 is molded as a single piece, but the frame can be made from a plurality of pieces. For example, the side walls 57A and 57B forming the optical windows forming the angles are made by molding polycarbonate with good transparency, while the rest of the frame is inexpensive and compatible with PCR (polymerase chain reaction) It can be made by molding a flexible polypropylene. For example, the side walls 57A and 57B are attached to the remaining portion of the frame 46 by press fitting or gluing. The flexible wall 48 is then attached to both sides of the frame 46 as described above.
[0046]
Referring again to FIG. 3, the gasket 61 is used in the present embodiment in order to seal the ports 41 and 43 of the reaction vessel 40 to the corresponding flow paths 80 and 81 (FIG. 4) in the cartridge body. Alternatively, fluid sealing can be performed using a luer fit, an interference fit, or a swaging fit. In another embodiment, the cartridge body and the frame of the reaction vessel 40 are molded as a single member, and the main wall of the reaction vessel is heat sealed to both sides of the frame.
[0047]
Referring again to FIG. 22, the reaction chamber 42 is filled by forcing a liquid (eg, reaction mixture) into the reaction chamber 42 via the port 41 and the flow path 50. The liquid can be forced into the reaction chamber 42 using differential pressure (ie, pushing the liquid through the inlet port 41 or applying a vacuum to the outlet port 43 to suck out the liquid). When the liquid fills the reaction chamber 42, the liquid replaces the air in the reaction chamber. The air to be replaced is discharged through the flow path 52 and the port 43. In order to optimally detect the analyte in the reaction chamber 42, the reaction chamber should not contain bubbles. In order to prevent bubbles from being trapped in the reaction chamber 42, the connection between the reaction chamber 42 and the outlet channel 52 must be at the highest position (relative to gravity) in the reaction chamber 42. This allows the bubbles in the reaction chamber 42 to escape outside without being trapped. Therefore, the container 40 is designed to be used vertically as shown in FIG.
[0048]
FIG. 25 shows another reaction vessel 206 designed to be used horizontally. The reaction vessel 206 includes an inlet port 41 and an inlet channel 50 that connects the inlet port 41 to the bottom of the reaction chamber 42. The reaction vessel also has an outlet port 43 and an outlet channel 52 that connects the outlet port 43 to the top of the reaction chamber 42. Thus, all the bubbles in the reaction chamber 42 escape to the outside through the outlet channel 52 without being trapped. FIG. 26 shows another container 207 having two inlet ports 41, 45 and one outlet port 43. The inlet channels 50 and 54 connect the respective inlet ports 41 and 45 to the reaction chamber 42, and the outlet channel 52 connects the reaction chamber 42 to the outlet port 43. Many different embodiments of the reaction vessel are possible. In each embodiment, it is preferable to evacuate the reaction chamber 42 from the highest point (relative to gravity) and introduce liquid from a lower point into the reaction chamber.
[0049]
15A and 15B show two types of valves used in the carriage. As shown in FIG. 15A, there are two basic concepts of valve operation, and thus there are two types of valves. The first valve uses a conical or conical valve seat 160 formed in the central piece 24 of the carriage case. The valve seat 160 is a recess, a recess, or a hole molded or machined in the central piece 24. The valve seat 160 communicates with the reaction chamber 167 via a port or flow path 157 that intersects at the center of the conical valve seat 160. As shown in FIG. 15B, the valve actuator 164 having a spherical surface is pressed against the elastic member 63 and is seated on the valve seat 160, and an annular contact is established between the membrane 63 and the valve seat 160. This kinematic principle is that of a sphere seated on a cone. The circular seal formed by the membrane 63 and the valve seat 160 prevents flow between the channel 157 (and thus the reaction chamber 167) and the side channel 158 extending from the side of the valve seat 160. The side flow path 158 is defined by the membrane 63 and the central piece 24 of the cartridge.
[0050]
As shown in FIG. 15A, another type of valve controls the flow between the flow path 158 and the other side flow path 159 formed between the membrane 63 and the central piece 24 of the cartridge. In this case, the annular contact is not effective. Instead, the second valve is constituted by a recess, a recess or a hole 161 formed in the central piece 24 of the cartridge. Hole 161 separates channels 158 and 159 from each other. The end of the channel 158 is disposed on one side of the hole 161, and the end of the channel 159 is disposed on the other side of the hole 161. The hole 161 is formed between the first curved surface 162A located near the end of the flow channel 158, the second curved surface 162B located near the end of the flow channel 159, and the first and second curved surfaces 162A, 162B. It is partitioned by the third surface 162. As shown in FIG. 15B, the curved surface includes two valve seats that are the basic contact areas of the membrane 63 for sealing the flow between the flow path 158 and the flow path 159. This kinematic principle is the principle of the sphere (or the spherical end of the valve actuator) supported at three contact points, the upward force acting on the actuator, and the two valve seats 162A, 162B.
[0051]
As shown in FIG. 16A, the first curved surface 162A and the second curved surface 162B are preferably concentric spherical surfaces. The valve actuator 164 also has a spherical surface that presses the membrane 63 tightly against the curved surface 162A and the curved surface 162B. Furthermore, each curved surface 162A, 162B preferably has a radius of curvature R1 equal to the combined radius of the radius of curvature R2 of the valve actuator 164 plus the thickness T of the membrane 63. For example, if the curvature radius R2 of the curved surface of the valve actuator 164 is 0.094 inches and the thickness T of the film 63 is 0.094 inches, the curvature radii of the curved surfaces 162A and 162B are 0.125 inches. In general, the size and radius of curvature of the valve seat depends on the size of the flow path in the cartridge. The valve is preferably large enough to effectively seal the flow path and is made to minimize wasted space in the cartridge.
[0052]
As shown in FIG. 16B, the third surface 163 has a gap 166 formed between the membrane 63 and the third surface 163 when the membrane 63 is pressed against the first and second surfaces 162A, 162B. It is made indented from the first and second surfaces. In other words, the first surface 162A and the second surface 162B are raised or raised from the third surface 163. The gap 166 ensures that the membrane 63 is essentially in contact with the valve seats 162A, 162B rather than the entire surface of the recess 161 so that maximum pressure is applied to the valve seats 162A, 162B by the membrane 63. This provides a very strong seal with minimal actuator force.
[0053]
Referring again to FIG. 15B, in both types of valves, each kinematic principle defines the position of the mating member. In both the concept of a sphere in a cone and the concept of a sphere in contact with two spheres, the sphere or spherically formed valve actuator may attempt to achieve its own position when pressed against the valve seat. It becomes possible. Between the valve actuator and the hole in the bottom piece 26 of the carriage, a well-conceived gap (e.g., 0.01 to 0.03 inches) is provided so that the actuator moves so that only the action of the valve seat determines the position of the fitting piece. is there.
[0054]
The valve actuator can be controlled by various mechanisms. 17 to 19 show such a mechanism. As shown in FIG. 17, the valve actuator 172 has a spherical surface that pushes the gasket 63 into the valve seat. The actuator 172 also has a flange 177 at the bottom. The cartridge includes an elastic body such as a spring that abuts against the protrusion of the bottom piece 26 of the cartridge and biases the valve actuator toward the gasket 63. The spring 174 is strong enough to close the valve unless a contemplated force acts to depress the actuator 172. The valves in the carriage are thus kept closed for transport and storage before use of the carriage. In this way, the carriage is pre-filled with the necessary reagents and detergents for analyzing the sample liquid during manufacture, and these filled liquids do not leak during transportation or storage.
[0055]
The mechanism for depressing the actuator is usually provided in an apparatus in which the carriage is placed for sample analysis (one such apparatus will be described in detail below with reference to FIG. 10). The push-down mechanism includes a slide guide 175 that rotates a pivoted push-down member 180 having a jaw 181 that receives the flange 177 of the actuator 172. As shown in FIG. 18, the slide guide 175 rotates the pivoted push-down member 180 until the flange 177 is positioned in the jaw 181. As shown in FIG. 19, the solenoid 146 depresses the push-down member 180, and thus the valve actuator 172, so that the gasket 63 is released from the valve seat, the valve is opened, and liquid flows between the flow path 170 and the flow path 171. .
[0056]
FIG. 20 shows how the fluid is controlled to flow into and out of the sample chamber, detergent chamber, neutralization chamber, and reagent chamber in the cartridge. Each of these chambers is covered with a hydrophobic membrane 410 that allows gas to pass but not liquid, as shown by chamber 414 in FIG. A hydrophobic membrane 410 is positioned between the chamber 414 and the pressure port 32. A pressure port 32 is provided in the top piece 22 of the cartridge and is located above the chamber 414. The film 410 holds the liquid in the chamber 414 even if the carriage is inverted during transportation and storage of the carriage. The pressure port 32 is dimensioned to accommodate a pressure nozzle 812, which is connected to a pressure source (eg, a vacuum pump or a pneumatic pump) typically provided in an external device. The nozzle 182 has an O-ring 184 and a flange 415. Spring 185 abuts flange 415 to force nozzle 182 against pressure port 32 and O-ring 184 establishes a seal around pressure port 32. In operation, positive air pressure or vacuum is applied to the chamber 414 via the pressure port 32 to force liquid into or out of the chamber 414.
[0057]
A conical valve seat 160 (already described with reference to FIGS. 15A and 15B) is the central piece 24 of the cartridge below the chamber 414 to control the flow of liquid between the chamber 414 and the connecting channel 411. Is provided inside. The valve is opened and closed by a valve actuator 188 having a flange 187 and a spring 188 that abuts the flange and holds the valve closed until a downward force is applied to the actuator 186. The downward force is preferably applied by a solenoid that depresses the actuator 186 to open the valve. The valve actuator 186 and the solenoid are provided in the aforementioned device.
[0058]
7 and 8 show a top view and a bottom view of the cartridge, respectively. FIG. 9 is a schematic block diagram of the cartridge. As shown in any of FIGS. 7 to 9, the cartridge includes a sample chamber 65 having a port for adding a fluid sample to the cartridge, and a sample channel extending from the sample chamber 65. The sample channel extends from the sample chamber 65 and enters the channel 106 through the valve 107. The flow path 106 has a sensor area, and the flow path 106 in the sensor area has a flat bottom portion that can easily visually detect the presence of liquid in the flow path. The sample flow path enters the dissolution chamber 86 from the flow path 106 and passes through the filter stack 87. The sample channel is a channel for fluid to exit from the dissolution chamber 86, a channel 110 having a flat bottom detection zone 137, a valve 111, a flow leading to a waste liquid chamber 68 having a vent hole through the valve 114. Road 112.
[0059]
The cartridge also has a detergent chamber 66 for holding a detergent solution and a reagent chamber 67 for holding a lysine reagent. The detergent chamber 66 is connected to the dissolution chamber 86 via the valve 115, the channel 117 and the channel 106. The reagent chamber 67 is connected to the lysis chamber 86 through the valve 119, the channel 117, and the channel 106. Sample components (e.g., cells or Virus ) Is captured by the filter stack 87, dissolved in the dissolution chamber 86, and the target analyte (for example, nucleic acid) is released from the sample components. The cartridge also has an analyte flow path for carrying the analyte separated from the fluid sample to the reaction vessel 40 for extending from the lysis chamber 86 for chemical reaction and optical detection. The analyte flow path extends from the dissolution chamber 86 and passes through the flow path 109, the flow path 110, and the valve 111. The analysis object flow path passes through the valve 111 and then branches off from the sample flow path. The sample channel enters the waste liquid chamber 68 via the channel 112, while the analyte channel branches to the U-shaped channel 122. Next, the analyte flow path flows into the neutralization chamber 70 via the valve 124 and then flows out. The analyte flow path flows into the main mixing chamber 71 through the valve 126 and then flows out. The analyte flow path extends from the main mixing chamber 71 along the flow path 122 and enters the reaction vessel 40 through the valve 127, the flow path 80, and the port 41.
[0060]
The reaction vessel 40 has a port 41 for adding a reaction mixture to the reaction vessel and a port 43 for withdrawing a fluid (eg, air or excess reaction mixture) from the reaction vessel. The cartridge has a flow path 81 that communicates with the port 43. The flow path 81 has a flat bottom detection area 130 for detecting the presence of liquid in the flow path. The flow path 81 is connected to the flow path 131 (the flow path 131 extends straight downward in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface of the top view of FIG. 7). The flow path 131 is connected to the flow path 132, and the flow path 132 is connected to the flow path 134 through the valve 133 (the flow path 134 extends straight upward in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface of the top view of FIG. 7). The The channel 134 leads to a vent 36 having a hydrophobic membrane that allows gas to escape from the cartridge but not liquid. The flow path, vent, and valve located downstream of the reaction vessel 40 are used to pressurize the reaction chamber 42 of the reaction vessel, as will be described later in the operation section.
[0061]
The cartridge also includes a first pressure port 105 located above the sample chamber 65, a second pressure port 116 located above the detergent chamber 66, and a third pressure port 118 located above the reagent chamber 67; It has a fourth pressure port 123 located above the neutralization chamber 70, a fifth pressure port 125 located above the main mixing chamber 71, and a sixth pressure port 128 located above the U-shaped flow path 122. . The cartridge further includes sensor chambers 120 and 121 communicating with the waste liquid chamber 68. The sensor chambers 120 and 121 display when a predetermined volume of liquid is stored in the waste liquid chamber 68, as will be described in detail later.
[0062]
Referring to FIG. 10, the cartridge is preferably used in combination with an apparatus 140 designed to contain one or more cartridges. For clarity of illustration, the device 140 shown in FIG. 10 contains only one cartridge. However, it should be construed that the device can be designed to process multiple cartridges simultaneously. The device 140 has a cartridge nest in which cartridges are placed for processing. The device 140 includes a transducer 92 (eg, an ultrasonic horn) that generates a pressure wave in the dissolution chamber of the cartridge, nine valve actuators 142 that move nine valves in the cartridge, and nine corresponding solenoids 146 that depress the valve actuators. And six pressure nozzles 145 for connection to corresponding six pressure ports formed in the carriage. In addition, the apparatus is connected to or has one or more regulated pressure sources that supply pressure to the cartridge via the pressure nozzle 145. Suitable pressure sources have an oil pump, compressed air source, pneumatic pump or connection means to an external pressure source. The apparatus has three slotted optical sensors 143 and three reflective optical sensors 144.
[0063]
FIG. 13 shows a slotted optical sensor 143 provided for detecting the liquid in the sensor chambers 120 and 121 and the reagent chamber 67. Each sensor 143 has a built-in LED (light emitting diode) and a photodiode disposed on the opposite side of the sensor. An LED emits a light beam that is detected by a photodiode if it is not substantially refracted. Such slotted optical sensors are commercially available from several manufacturers. The cartridge is shaped such that a slotted optical sensor fits around chambers 67, 120, 121. The operation of each sensor is as follows. If there is no liquid in the chamber surrounding the sensor, the light flux from the LED is substantially refracted by the air in the chamber, bent at the inner wall of the chamber, and only a weak signal, if any, is detected by the photodiode. This is because air has a refractive index far from that of a plastic cartridge. However, when liquid is present in the room, the light flux from the LED is not refracted slightly or at all, and a very strong signal detected by the photodiode is generated. This is because the liquid has a refractive index that approximates that of a plastic cartridge. Accordingly, the optical sensor 143 is useful for determining whether liquid is present in the chambers 67, 120, 121.
[0064]
FIG. 14 shows a schematic cutaway side view of the sensor chamber 120 communicating with the waste liquid chamber 68 and surrounded by the slotted optical sensor 143. The sensor chamber 120 and the sensor 143 are used to indicate when a predetermined volume of liquid exists in the waste liquid chamber 68. The sensor chamber 120 is partially separated from the waste liquid chamber 68 by a wall 151 having an overflow rim 152. The height of the wall is selected so that when a predetermined volume of liquid is contained in the waste liquid chamber 68, the liquid flows over the overflow rim 152 into the sensor chamber 120. The liquid in the sensor chamber 120 is detected by the sensor 143.
[0065]
Referring again to FIG. 13, the carriage has a second sensor chamber 121 that communicates with the waste liquid chamber 68. The second sensor chamber 121 is also separated from the waste liquid chamber 68 by a wall 153 having an overflow rim. Wall 153 is higher than wall 152 so that fluid passes over wall 153 until a predetermined second volume of fluid is contained in waste chamber 68 in addition to the predetermined first volume of fluid. So that it does n’t overflow. Sensor chambers 120, 121 and optical sensor 143 help to control the operation of the cartridge. The height of the wall 152 is selected such that when a predetermined volume of sample fluid from the sample chamber 65 flows into the waste liquid chamber 68 through the sample flow path, the sample fluid overflows into the sensor chamber 120 and is detected. preferable. Detection of the sample fluid in the sensor chamber 120 causes the detergent solution to be released from the detergent chamber 66, and this detergent solution flows into the waste liquid chamber 68 through the sample flow path. When the volume of the detergent solution stored in the waste liquid chamber 68 increases, the fluid flows over the wall 153 into the sensor chamber 121 and is detected. When liquid is detected in the sensor chamber 121, release of the lysine reagent from the reagent chamber 67 is caused. When the sensor 143 surrounding the reagent chamber 67 indicates that the reagent chamber 67 is empty, the start of lysis (lysis) by ultrasonic waves is caused. In this and alternative embodiments, the cartridge has two waste chambers for sample and detergent, and each waste chamber has a respective sensor chamber connected to it.
[0066]
The in-line reflective optical sensor 144 is used to determine the presence or absence of liquid in the detection areas 130, 136, and 137 where the bottoms of the flow paths 81, 106, and 110 are flat (FIG. 7). Each sensor 144 has a built-in emitter and a detector positioned above the flat bottom detection zone. The emitter emits a light beam that is reflected by the cartridge and detected by the detector. The sensor detects a change in signal as the air / liquid boundary passes through the detection zone. Optionally, a double emitter reflective optical sensor can be used to make the detection operation more reliable. The two types of reflective optical sensors are well known in the art and are commercially available.
[0067]
Referring again to FIG. 10, the apparatus 140 includes a heat exchange module 147 with a slot 148 for receiving a cartridge reaction vessel. The heat exchange module 147 will be described later in detail with reference to FIG. The device 140 has a latch mechanism 149 that latches the lid 150 above the cartridge. The cartridge nest 141 has an alignment hole 401 for receiving the cartridge legs. Alignment hole 401 ensures proper positioning of the cartridge within the nest so that pressure nozzle 145, transducer 92 and valve actuator 142 fit into corresponding ports in the carriage, and the reaction vessel is slotted. Mates to 148. The transducer 92 must be positioned in the device 140 to contact the bottom wall of the dissolution chamber 86 as shown in the cutaway view of FIG. Further, the apparatus has a mechanism such as a spring that urges the transducer 92 to abut against the wall of the melting chamber 86.
[0068]
Apparatus 140 includes various conventional equipment not shown in FIG. 10, including a main logic board with a microcontroller that controls the operation of solenoid 146, transducer 92, heat exchange module 147, and optical sensors 143,144. The device includes or is connected to a power source that supplies power to the device and the pneumatic pump that supplies air pressure through the nozzle 145. Device 140 is preferably computer controlled using, for example, a microcontroller programmed to perform the functions described below in the operations section. Alternatively, the device may be controlled by a separate computer or a combination of a separate computer and an on-board microcontroller.
[0069]
FIG. 11 shows an isometric view of cartridge 20 mounted on apparatus 140 for processing. FIG. 11 shows a partial cutaway view of the device 140 with the lid 150 open. Referring again to FIG. 11, a memory or microprocessor chip is optionally integrated as part of the cartridge 20. The chip stores information such as cartridge type, program information such as specific protocols for processing cartridges, tolerances for loading and unloading, serial numbers and lot codes for quality tracking, and processing results. It is preferable to have a means. An electronic memory integrated into the cartridge 20 allows the device 140 to be set up quickly, easily and without error for various protocols of fluid processing. When the cartridge 20 is inserted into the device 140, the device electronically calls the memory on the cartridge and sets a suitable command to control the time sequence of fluid processing to be performed on the inserted cartridge. Automatically receive. The device 140 simply searches and executes each step in the cartridge memory in turn, or downloads the contents in the memory so that the user can edit the sequence using, for example, a controller computer.
[0070]
Intermediate and final results based on the sample introduced into the cartridge if the cartridge includes a suitable memory such as a writable memory (eg UV erasable PROM (EPROM) or electrical erasable PROM (EEPROM)) Can be written to the memory of the cartridge, which is a storage means provided with the processed physical sample, by the above-mentioned apparatus. This is particularly advantageous in applications such as forensics where it is necessary to store samples and results. In addition, other information may be stored in the cartridge memory in a form that cannot be changed (or changed). For example, cartridge serial numbers, production lot information, and related information can be programmed in advance and cannot be changed. User data, technical identification numbers, test dates, test locations, and instrument serial numbers can be written to the cartridge so that they cannot be changed. This makes it possible to facilitate identification by the “management chain” when handling samples. Those skilled in the field of data storage will recall memory means such as optically addressed printed areas (eg, ink jet or thermal) and magnetic tape other than electronic memory means.
[0071]
FIG. 28 shows the heat exchange module of the above apparatus into which the reaction vessel 40 is inserted for heat treating and optically detecting the analyte in the reaction mixture. The heat exchange module 147 preferably includes a housing 208 that holds the various components of the module. The module 147 includes the above-described hot plate 190. The housing 208 has a slot (not shown in FIG. 28) above the hot plate 190 so that the reaction chamber of the reaction vessel 40 can be inserted between the hot plates via the slot. The heat exchange module 147 preferably has a cooling system such as a fan 212. The fan 212 is positioned to send cooling air past the surface of the hot plate 190 to cool the hot plate and thus the reaction mixture in the reaction vessel. The housing 208 preferably defines a flow path that directs cooling air beyond the hot plate 190 and out of the module 147.
[0072]
The heat exchange module 147 further includes an optical excitation assembly 216 and an optical inspection assembly 218 that optically inspects the reaction mixture contained in the reaction vessel 40. Excitation assembly 216 has a first circuit board 220 for holding its electronic components, and optical inspection assembly 218 has a second circuit board 222 for holding its electronic components. Excitation assembly 216 has one or more light sources (eg, LEDs, lasers, or bulbs) for exciting fluorescently labeled analytes in the reaction vessel. Excitation assembly 216 includes one or more lenses that collimate light from the light source and a filter that selects the relevant excitation wavelength region. The detection assembly 218 has one or more detectors (eg, photodiodes, photomultiplier tubes or CCDs) that detect light emitted from the reaction vessel 40. The detection assembly 218 has one or more lenses that collect and collimate the emitted light and a filter that selects the relevant emission wavelength region. Suitable optical excitation and detection assemblies used in heat exchange module 147 are described in International Publication No. WO 99/60380 (International Application No.PCT / US99 / 11182) published on November 25, 1999. The disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
[0073]
The optical assemblies 216, 218 are such that when the reaction chamber of the reaction vessel 40 is inserted between the hot plates 190, the excitation assembly 216 is in optical communication with the reaction chamber 42 via the translucent side wall 57A (see FIG. 22). The detection assembly is arranged in the housing 208 so as to be in optical communication with the reaction chamber through a light-transmitting side wall 57B (see FIG. 22). In a preferred embodiment, the optical assemblies 216, 218 simply place the optical assemblies 216, 218 in a hot plate so that when the reaction chamber of the reaction vessel is inserted between the hot plates, the optical assemblies 216, 218 are in direct contact with or in close proximity to the side walls. Positioning adjacent the bottom edge of 190 provides optical communication with the translucent sidewall.
[0074]
FIG. 34 shows a partially broken isometric view of the reaction chamber of the reaction vessel inserted between the hot plates 190A, 190B (the top of the reaction vessel is cut away). The reaction vessel has an angled (eg triangular) bottom formed by translucent side walls 57A, 57B. Each hot plate 190A, 190B has a correspondingly shaped bottom. The bottom of the first hot plate 190A has a first bottom edge 250A and a second bottom edge 250B. Similarly, the bottom of the second hot plate 190B has a first bottom edge 252A and a second bottom edge 252B. The first and second bottom edges of each hot plate are preferably offset from each other by the same angle as the angle at which the sidewalls 57A, 57B are offset from each other (eg, 90 °). Further, it is preferable that the hot plates 190A and 190B are disposed so as to sandwich the reaction chamber of the reaction vessel, and as a result, the first side wall 57A is substantially in the vicinity of each first bottom edge 250A and 250B. The second side wall 57B is located substantially in the vicinity of each second bottom edge 252A, 252B and in parallel therewith. This arrangement provides easy optical access to the translucent side walls 57A, 57B and thus to the reaction chamber of the reaction vessel. Gel or fluid is optionally used to establish or improve the optical communication between each optical assembly and the sidewalls 57A, 57B. The gel or fluid must have a refractive index that is close to the refractive index of the elements to be joined.
[0075]
Referring again to FIG. 28, the optical assemblies 216, 218 are preferably arranged to provide a 90 ° angle between the excitation and detection optical paths. The 90 ° angle between the excitation light path and the detection light path ensures that the minimum amount of excitation radiation incident through the first side wall of the reaction chamber exits through the second side wall. The 90 ° angle also allows the maximum amount of emitted radiation to be collected via the second sidewall. In a preferred embodiment, the reaction vessel 40 is a positioning tab 58 (see FIG. 22) that fits into a slot formed between the optical assemblies 216, 218 to ensure proper positioning of the reaction vessel 40 for optical detection. Have In order to improve detection, the heat exchange module 147 is provided over the top of the reaction vessel 40 and has a light-shielding lid (not shown) that shields the housing 208 after the reaction vessel is inserted between the hot plates 190. .
[0076]
In this embodiment, the optical assemblies 216, 218 are provided adjacent to the bottom edge of the hot plate 190, but other arrangements are possible. For example, optical communication between the optical assemblies 216, 218 and the side walls of the reaction vessel can be established by devices such as optical fibers, light pipes, waveguide members, and the like. One advantage of these devices is that the optical assemblies 216, 218 need not be in physical proximity to the hot plate 190. This can improve cooling by leaving more space around the hot plate and circulating cooling air or refrigerant in this space.
[0077]
The heat exchange module 147 includes a PC board 226 that holds the electronic components of the module, and an edge connector 224 that connects the module 147 to the device 140 (FIG. 10). The heating elements and temperature sensors on the hot plate 190 and the optical boards 220, 222 are connected to the PC board 226 by flexible cables (not shown in FIG. 28 for clarity of illustration). The heat exchange module 147 has a ground trace 228 for shielding the optical detection circuit. The heat exchange module 147 may optionally be provided with an indicator such as an LED that displays to the user the current status of the module, such as “heating”, “cooling”, “completion”, “failure”.
[0078]
The housing 208 can be molded from a rigid, high performance plastic or other conventional material. The main function of the housing 208 is to provide a frame for holding the hot plate 190, the optical assemblies 216, 218, the fan 212 and the PC board 226. The housing 208 preferably has a flow path and a port for directing cooling air from the fan 212 across the surface of the hot plate 190 and out of the housing. In a preferred embodiment, the housing 208 is a complementary piece of material that fits together and surrounds the components of the heat exchange module 147 (only one piece is shown in the schematic side view of FIG. 28). Have
[0079]
Referring again to FIG. 23, the hot plates 190A, 190B can be made of various thermally conductive materials including ceramics and metals. Suitable ceramic materials are aluminum nitride, aluminum oxide, beryllium oxide and silicon nitride. Other materials from which the hot plate can be made include, for example, gallium arsenide, silicon, silicon nitride, silicon oxide, quartz, glass, diamond, polyacrylic acid, polyamide, polycarbonate, polyester, polyimide, vinyl polymer and polytetrafluoro. It is a halogenated vinyl polymer such as ethylene. Other possible materials for the hot plate are chrome / aluminum, superalloy (heat-resistant alloy), zinc alloy, aluminum, steel, gold, silver, copper, tungsten, molybdenum, tantalum, brass, sapphire or others in the field There are various ceramic, metal or polymer materials available.
[0080]
In this embodiment, the inner surface can be conveniently processed to a very high smoothness, high wear resistance is obtained, high chemical resistance and good thermal conductivity to the flexible wall of the reaction vessel are obtained, A ceramic plate is used. The ceramic plate can be made very thin, preferably about 0.6 to 1.3 mm, and can provide a very rapid temperature change by reducing the heat capacity. Since the plate made of ceramic is a good heat conductor and electrical insulator, the temperature of the plate can be well controlled by a resistance heating element connected to the plate.
[0081]
Various thermal elements can be used to heat or cool the hot plates 190A, 190B, and thus can control the temperature of the reaction mixture in the reaction chamber 42. In general, elements suitable for heating a plate are heat conduction heaters, convection heaters or radiant heaters. An example of a heat conduction heater is a resistance heating element or an induction heating element connected to a plate. Suitable convection heaters are forced air heaters or fluid heat exchangers for fluids that flow through the plate. Suitable radiant heaters are infrared heaters or microwave heaters. Similarly, various cooling elements can be used to cool the plate. For example, a fan, a Peltier element, a refrigeration apparatus, or a jet nozzle for cooling fluid that flows through the surface of a plate. Alternatively, various thermally conductive cooling elements such as a heat sink such as a cooled metal block that is in direct contact with the plate can be used.
[0082]
Referring to FIG. 24, each plate 190 preferably has a resistive heating element 206 disposed on the outer surface. The resistive heating element 206 is a thick or thin film and is screen printed directly onto each plate 190, in particular a plate made of a ceramic material such as aluminum nitride or aluminum oxide. Screen printing has high reliability and a small cross-sectional area to efficiently transfer heat in the reaction chamber. In order to provide more uniform heating, thick or thin film resistors with altered geometric patterns, for example by placing the resistors densely at the tip and sparsely in the middle, can be Laminated on the side. Although it is presently preferred to laminate the heating elements on the outer surface of each plate, alternatively, the heating elements can be provided inside each plate, especially if the plates are ceramic. The heating element 206 can be made of metal, tungsten, polysilicon, or other material that is heated when a potential difference is applied. The heating element 206 has two ends connected to a respective contact 204, which is connected to a voltage source (not shown in FIG. 24) to energize the heating element. Each plate 190 also preferably has a temperature sensor 192, such as a thermocouple, thermistor, or RTD, which is connected to a contact 204 by two traces 202, respectively. The temperature sensor 192 is used to monitor the temperature of the plate 190 in a controlled feedback loop.
[0083]
The plate has a small heat capacity to allow rapid heating and cooling of the plate. In particular, each plate has a heat capacity of 5 J / ° C. or less, preferably 3 J / ° C. or less, and most preferably 1 J / ° C. or less. As used herein, the term heat capacity of a plate is defined as the product of the mass of the plate and the specific heat of the plate. In addition, each plate should be large enough to cover each main wall of the reaction chamber. In the presently preferred embodiment, each plate has a width X in the range of 2 mm to 22 mm, a length Y in the range of 2 mm to 22 mm, and a thickness in the range of 0.5 mm to 5 mm, for example. The width X and length Y of each plate are selected to be slightly larger than the width and length of the reaction chamber. Furthermore, each plate preferably has a bottom portion that forms an angle that matches the outer shape of the bottom portion of the reaction chamber, as described above with reference to FIG. In a preferred embodiment, each plate is made of aluminum nitride having a specific heat of 0.75 J / g ° C. The mass of each plate is preferably in the range of 0.005 g to 5.0 g, so that each plate has a heat capacity in the range of 0.00375 J / ° C to 3.75 J / ° C.
[0084]
The opposing plates 190 are arranged so as to sandwich and accommodate the reaction chamber of the reaction vessel 40 so that the flexible main wall of the reaction chamber is in contact with and coincides with the inner surface of the plate. It is currently preferred that the plates 190 are held against each other, for example, by using brackets, supports, or holders. Alternatively, the plates 190 may be spring biased toward each other as described in WO 98/38487, the disclosure of which is disclosed herein. Is incorporated as a reference. In another embodiment of the invention, one of the plates is held in a fixed position and the second plate is biased towards this first plate. If one or more springs are used to bias the plates closer together, the springs will force the plates against the flexible walls of the container with sufficient force so that the walls are aligned with the inner surfaces of the plates. Should be hard enough to ensure that
[0085]
29 and 30 show a preferred support structure 209 for holding the plates 190A, 190B opposite each other. FIG. 29 shows an exploded view of the support structure, and FIG. 30 shows an assembly view of the support structure. For clarity of illustration, support structure 209 and plates 190A, 190B are shown with the normal orientation in the heat exchange module of FIG. 28 reversed. Referring to FIG. 29, the support structure 209 has a mounting plate 210 having a slot 148 formed therein. The slot 148 is large enough to allow the reaction chamber of the reaction vessel to be inserted. The spacing posts 230A and 230B extend from the mounting plate 210 on both sides of the slot 148. The spacing posts 230A have indentations 232 (only one side is visible in the isometric view of FIG. 29) formed on both opposing surfaces, and the spacing posts B are indentations 234 (see FIG. 29 isometric view, only one side is visible). The recesses 232, 234 in the spacing posts are for accommodating the ends of the plates 190A, 190B. To assemble the above structure, the plates 190A, 190B are placed on either side of the spacing posts 230A, 230B so that the edges of the plates are located in the recesses 232,234. The edge of the plate is then held in the recess using appropriate holding means. In a preferred embodiment, the plate is held by holding clips 236A, 236B. Alternatively, the plates 190A, 190B can be held by adhesives, screws, bolts, clamps, or other suitable means.
[0086]
The mounting plate 210 and the spacing posts 230A, 230B are preferably made as a single molded piece of plastic as a whole. The plastic should be a high temperature plastic such as polyethylimide that does not melt and deform when the plates 190A, 190B are heated. The holding clips 230A and 230B are preferably made of stainless steel. The mounting plate 210 may optionally include a recess 240A, 240B for supporting each flexible cable 238A, 238B, which is disposed on the heating element and the plates 190A, 190B. The temperature sensor is connected to the PC board 226 of the heat exchange module 147 (FIG. 28). The portion of the flexible cable 238A near the plate 190A is held in the recess 240A by a piece of tape 242A, and the portion of the flexible cable 238B near the plate 190B is held in the recess 240B by a piece of tape 242B. .
[0087]
FIG. 31 is an isometric view of the assembled support structure 209. The mounting plate 210 preferably has tabs 246 extending from both sides thereof for securing the support structure 209 to the housing of the heat exchange module. Referring again to FIG. 28, the housing 208 preferably includes a slot for holding the tab to securely hold the mounting plate 210 in place. Alternatively, the mounting plate 210 can be attached to the housing 208 using, for example, adhesives, screws, bolts, clamps, or other suitable means.
[0088]
Referring back to FIG. 29, the support structure 209 preferably supports the plates 190A, 190B such that the inner surfaces of the plates 190A, 190B are tilted at a very slight angle. In a preferred embodiment, the spacing posts 230A, 230B have slightly tapered walls 244 that cause the inner surfaces of the plates to slightly tilt relative to each other when the plates 190A, 190B are pressed against opposite sides of the walls. As best shown in FIG. 23, the inner surfaces of the plates 190A, 190B are inclined with respect to each other to form a slightly V-shaped slot into which the chamber 42 is inserted. The amount by which the inner surfaces are inclined with respect to each other is very small and is preferably inclined approximately 1 ° from parallel. Both inner surfaces are tilted so that the bottom of the plate is slightly closer to each other than the top of the plate before the reaction chamber 42 is inserted between the plates 190A, 190B. This slight inclination of the inner surface allows the reaction chamber 42 of the reaction vessel to be more easily inserted between the plates and the reaction chamber 42 of the reaction vessel to be more easily extracted from between the plates. Alternatively, the inner surfaces of the plates 190A and 190B can be parallel to each other, but at this time, the insertion and removal of the reaction vessel 40 becomes more difficult.
[0089]
In addition, the inner surfaces of the plates 190A, 190B are preferably separated from each other by the same distance as the thickness of the frame 46. In embodiments in which the inner surfaces are tilted with respect to each other, the centers of the inner surfaces are preferably separated from each other by the same distance as the thickness of the frame 46 and the bottoms of the plates are initially separated by a distance slightly less than the thickness of the frame 46. . When the chamber 42 is inserted between the plates 190A, 190B, the rigid frame 46 forces the bottoms of the plates away from each other so that the reaction chamber 42 is firmly sandwiched between the plates. The distance that the plates 190A and 190B are separated from each other by the frame 46 is very small. For example, if the thickness of the frame is 1 mm and the inner surfaces are inclined by 1 °, the distance is approximately 0.035 mm.
[0090]
Referring again to FIG. 30, the retaining clips 236A, 236B must be flexible enough to allow this slight outward movement of the plates 190A, 190B, but during insertion or removal of the reaction vessel, the spacing posts 230A , 230B must be stiff enough to hold the plate in the recess. The pushing of the reaction vessel between plate 190A and plate 190B provides an initial preload to the reaction chamber and achieves good thermal contact with the inner surface of the plate when the flexible main wall of the reaction chamber is compressed Guarantee that.
[0091]
Referring again to FIG. 28, a stop is molded into the housing of the optical assembly 216, 218 to limit the amount that the plate 190 separates due to the pressurization of the container 40. As shown in FIG. 32, the housing 249 of the optical assembly 218 includes claw-like stops 247A and 247B extending outward from the housing. As shown in FIG. 33, the housing 249 is arranged such that the bottom edges of the plates 190A and 190B are inserted between the stop portions 247A and 247B. In this manner, the stop portions 247A and 247B prevent the plates 190A and 190B from further spreading from the predetermined maximum distance. Although not shown in FIG. 33 for the sake of clarity, the optical assembly 216 (see FIG. 28) has been adapted to prevent the plate pieces from spreading apart from each other beyond a predetermined maximum distance. It has a housing with a stop. Referring to FIG. 23 again, the maximum distance at which the inner surfaces of the plates 190A and 190B are spaced from each other by the stop must match the thickness of the frame 46. Preferably, the maximum distance between the inner surfaces of the plates 190A, 190B is slightly larger than the thickness of the frame 46 to accommodate for tolerance changes in the container 40 and the plates 190A, 190B. For example, the maximum distance is preferably about 0.1 to 0.3 mm larger than the thickness of the frame 46.
[0092]
FIG. 35 is a schematic block diagram of the electrical components of the heat exchange module 147. The module includes a connector 224 or flexible cable for connection to the main logic board of the device. The module also includes hot plates 190A, 190B, each plate having the resistance heating element described above. The hot plates 190A and 190B are wired in parallel to receive the power input 253 from the device. The hot plates 190A and 190B also include temperature sensors 192A and 192B that output digital signals to the analog-to-digital transducer 264. The transducer 264 converts analog signals to digital signals and sends them to the microcontroller via connector 224.
[0093]
The heat exchange module also includes a cooling system, such as a fan 212, for cooling the hot plates 190A, 190B and the reaction mixture in a vessel inserted between the hot plates. The fan 212 is activated by turning on a power switch 272, which in turn is controlled by a control logic block 270 that receives control signals from the microcontroller. The module further includes four light sources, such as LEDs 200, to excite labeled analytes in the reaction mixture, and four detections, preferably photodiodes, to detect fluorescence emission from the reaction mixture. And 198. The module also includes an adjustable current source 225 to vary the brightness of the LEDs to provide a variable current amount (eg, in the range of 0-30 mA) to each LED. A digital-to-analog transducer 260 is connected between the adjustable current source 255 and the microcontroller, which digitally adjusts the current source.
[0094]
The adjustable current source 255 is preferably used to have approximately the same brightness when each LED is activated. Due to manufacturing variations, many LEDs have different brightness even when the same amount of current is applied. Therefore, it is currently desirable to perform a brightness test during manufacture of the heat exchange module and store calibration data in the module's memory 268. The calibration data indicates the correct amount of current to be applied to each LED. The microcontroller reads the calibration data from the memory 268 and controls the current source 255 accordingly.
[0095]
The module includes a signal conditioning / gain selection / offset adjustment block 262, which comprises an amplifier, a switch, an electronic filter, and a digital-analog transducer. Block 262 adjusts the signal from detector 198 to increase gain, offset, and reduce noise. The microcontroller controls the block 262 through the digital output register 266. Output register 266 receives data from the microcontroller and outputs a control voltage to block 262. The block 262 outputs the adjusted detector signal to the microcontroller via the analog-to-digital transducer 264 and the connector 224. The module also preferably includes a memory 268, such as a serial EEPROM, to store module specific data such as LEDs, calibration data for the hot plates 190A, 190B and temperature sensors 192A, 192B.
[0096]
The operation of the cartridge and apparatus will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, the fluid sample to be analyzed is added to the sample chamber 65 through the sample port, and the cap 30 is screwed into the port 64 to seal the port. Referring to FIG. 10, the cartridge 20 is then placed in the cartridge nest 141 of the device 140 for processing. Initially, all valves in the cartridge 20 are closed when the cartridge is placed in the device 140. When the cartridge is placed in the apparatus, the transducer 92 contacts the outer surface of the flexible gasket 63 that forms the bottom wall of the dissolution chamber 86, as shown in FIG.
[0097]
Referring again to FIG. 10, preferably device 140 is computer controlled to perform the functions described below. For example, the valve actuator 142 is used to open and close the valve in the cartridge, the cartridge is pressurized via the nozzle 145, the transducer 92 is activated, the presence or absence of liquid using the optical sensor 143, 144 and the detection of the liquid level, This is the control of the replacement / optical detection module 147. To perform these functions based on the description below, a programmer with ordinary knowledge in the art can program either or both the microcontroller and the computer.
[0098]
Referring to FIG. 9, the liquid is preferably forced to flow through the cartridge using differential pressure. In order to control the liquid flow in the cartridge, positive pressure is described here, but negative pressure (vacuum) may be used. Typically, the maximum positive pressure that can be applied is limited by a hydrophobic membrane that can reach a liquid breakthrough pressure of 30 pounds per square inch (30 psi) or greater. The lower pressure limit is limited by the need to move the sample and other liquids through the cartridge sufficiently quickly to meet the analytical goal. For example, below 1 psi, the sample may not flow sufficiently through the filter stack 87. In general, pressures in the range of 6-20 psi are appropriate. The sample flow rate through the cartridge is preferably in the range of 10-30 ml / min. The detergent flow rate is lower and the detergent flow rate is, for example, 6-18 ml / min to effectively clean the dissolution chamber 86.
[0099]
In order to illustrate the operation of the cartridge, a specific protocol is described with reference to FIG. It should be understood that this is only one example of one possible protocol and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. First, before the fluid sample is forced to flow from the sample chamber 65, a detergent solution is injected into the cartridge. To inject into the cartridge, valves 111 and 115 are opened and a pressure of 10 psi is applied to chamber 66 through the pressure port for about 2 seconds. A small amount of the detergent solution flows through the flow paths 117 and 106, the dissolution chamber 86 and the flow paths 109 and 110 into the U-shaped flow path 122 and reaches the hydrophobic membrane below the pressure port 128.
[0100]
Following injection, valve 115 and pressure port 116 are closed and valves 107 and 114 are opened. At the same time, a pressure of 20 psi is applied to the sample chamber 65 via the pressure port 105 for about 15 seconds. As a result, the sample is forced to flow through the flow path 106, through the filter stack 87 in the chamber 87, through the flow paths 110, 111, 112 and into the ventilated waste water chamber 68. Since the sample passes through the sensor area 136 in the flow path 106, the optical sensor 144 (FIG. 13) can be used to determine when the sample chamber 65 is empty. When the sample liquid flows through the filter stack 87, target cells in the sample or Virus Is captured. When a predetermined amount of sample reaches the waste water chamber 68, the liquid overflows into the sensor chamber 120 and triggers the next step in the protocol. Instead of using the feedback from the optical sensor as an incentive instead, set a predetermined protocol step in time, for example, apply a predetermined pressure for a predetermined time. Move a known amount at a known flow rate.
[0101]
In the flow-through design of the lysis chamber 86, target cells from a relatively large sample volume and Virus Is concentrated to a much smaller volume and amplified and detected. This is important for detecting low concentration analytes in a sample such as nucleic acids. In particular, the ratio of the volume of the sample that forces the dissolution chamber to flow through the chamber 86 is preferably at least 2: 1 and more preferably at least 5: 1. The volume of the sample that forces the chamber 86 to flow is preferably at least 100 μL, more preferably at least 1 μL. In the presently preferred embodiment, a sample volume of 5 milliliters forces flow through the lysis chamber 86, which has a containment volume of about 0.5 milliliters. The ratio is therefore 10: 1. In addition, the lysis chamber 86 is sonicated (eg, using an ultrasonic horn coupled to the chamber walls) as the sample is forced through the chamber. Sonication of the chamber 86 prevents clogging of the filter stack 87 and makes the flow through the chamber 86 more uniform. In particular, the sound waves help prevent certain substances or beads in the filter from clogging the filter.
[0102]
In the next step, valves 111, 114, 115 are opened and a pressure of 20 psi is applied to the detergent chamber 66 for approximately 7 seconds to force the detergent liquid through the flow channels 117, 106 into the dissolution chamber 86. The detergent solution cleans the PCR-inhibiting substance and contaminants from the dissolution chamber 86 and moves the contaminants through the channels 109, 110, 112 to the waste water chamber 68. For this purpose, various suitable detergent solutions with different pH, solute components or ionic strength are used and these detergent solutions are well known in the art. For example, a suitable detergent reagent is 80 mM potassium acetate solution, 8.3 mM Tris HCl, 40 μM EDTA at pH 7.5, 55% ethanol. While the detergent solution is forced to flow through the chamber, the dissolution chamber 86 is sonicated (eg, using an ultrasonic horn coupled to the chamber walls). As described above, the ultrasonic treatment of the chamber 86 prevents the filter stack 87 from being clogged, and allows the fluid to flow through the chamber 86 more uniformly. In addition, the sound wave encourages the material to be loosened and washed away. As the volume of the detergent liquid increases, it reaches the waste water chamber 68 and a portion of the liquid overflows into the sensor chamber 121 and triggers the next step in the protocol.
[0103]
In the next step, valve 115 is closed and valve 119 is opened. A pressure of 15 psi is applied to reagent chamber 67 via pressure port 118 for approximately 3 seconds. The pressure is forced to flow from the dissolution chamber 67 through the flow paths 117 and 106 into the dissolution chamber 86 and further into the flow path 110. Chamber 86 is thus filled with liquid. Suitable lysis reagents include, for example, solutions containing disturbing salts such as guanidine hydrogen chloride, guanidine thiocyanate, guanidine isothiocyanate, sodium iodide, urea, sodium perchlorate, potassium bromide and the like. In the presently preferred embodiment, a lysis reagent that does not inhibit PCR is used. The lysis reagent was 10 mM Tris, 5% Tween-20, 1 mM Tris (2 carboxyphosphine hydrochloride), 0.1 mM ethylene glycol bis (b aminoethyl ether) -N, N, N ′, N ′ tetracetic acid. Have After the lysis chamber 86 is filled with lysis reagent, valves 111 and 114 are closed. Valve 119 remains open and a pressure of 20 psi is applied to pressure port 118. Therefore, the cells captured by the filter stack 87 or Virus In the preparatory stage of melting the static pressure in the melting chamber 86 increases to 20 psi.
[0104]
Referring back to FIG. 5, pressurization of the lysis chamber 86 is important as it ensures a secure and effective connection between the transducer 92 and the flexible wall 63 of the lysis chamber 86. Cells in lysis chamber 86 or Virus To collapse, the transducer 92 is actuated (ie, set to vibrate). The flexible wall 63 of the dissolution chamber 86 transmits the vibration of the transducer 92 to the liquid in the chamber 86 by a slight deflection without creating a high pressure in the wall. As described above, the wall 63 is formed of an elastomer film. Instead, the wall is a polymer film or sheet (e.g. a pre-propylene film) with a thickness preferably in the range of 0.025 to 0.1 mm. The transducer 92 is preferably an ultrasonic horn for sonicating the chamber 86. Chamber 86 is preferably sonicated for 10-40 seconds at a frequency in the range of 20-60 kHz. In the exemplary protocol, the chamber is sonicated for 15 seconds at a frequency of 47 kHz. The amplitude of the horn tip is preferably in the range of 20-25 μm (measured between peaks).
[0105]
As the top of transducer 92 vibrates, it repeatedly impacts flexible wall 63. In the forward stroke (upward in FIG. 6), the top of the transducer 92 presses against the wall 63 and generates a pressure pulse or pressure wave in the chamber 86. With a retract stroke (downward in FIG. 5), the top of the transducer 92 typically leaves the flexible wall 63 and the flexible wall 63 cannot move at the same frequency as the transducer. In the next forward stroke, the transducer and the wall again interact with each other, and the top of the transducer 92 strikes the wall 63 while head-on. Since transducer 92 and wall 63 separate when transducer 92 vibrates, the effective advance stroke of the transducer is less than the peak-to-peak amplitude. The effective advance stroke determines the level of sonication within the dissolution chamber 86. Therefore, it is important to increase the static pressure in the decomposition chamber 86, and when the top of the transducer 92 is retracted, the flexible wall 63 is forcibly pushed outward and comes into contact with the top. The static pressure in the chamber 86 must be sufficient to ensure that pressure pulses or pressure waves are generated in the chamber by the effective forward stroke of the transducer 92. Currently, it is preferred to increase the static pressure in chamber 86 to at least 5 psi above the ambient pressure outside the cartridge, and more preferably to a pressure in the range of 15-25 psi above ambient pressure. .
[0106]
With each forward stroke, the transducer 92 imparts velocity to the liquid in the chamber and generates a velocity pulse that quickly sweeps through the chamber 86. The beads in filter stack 87 (FIG. 6) are agitated by pressure pulses in chamber 86. The pressure pulse moves the beads vigorously in the chamber 86, and the beads Virus Are mechanically destroyed to release substances (eg, nucleic acids) from them. Certain cells, such as blood cells, are relatively fragile and can be disrupted using only pressure waves without the use of beads. Other cells (especially spores) have very resistant cell walls and generally require beads for effective lysis.
[0107]
Referring to FIG. 9, cells and Virus Following collapse, valves 111 and 124 are opened and 12 psi of pressure is supplied to reagent chamber 67 through the pressure port for approximately 4 seconds. This pressure forces the lysis reagent to elute the nucleic acid from the filter stack 87 and flow into the neutralization chamber 70 along with the nucleic acid. The lysis chamber 86 can be sonicated (eg, using an ultrasonic horn coupled to the chamber walls) to elute the nucleic acids. The ultrasonic treatment of the chamber 86 prevents clogging of the filter stack 87 as described above. Chamber 420 is partially filled (eg, half filled) with a neutralizing agent such as a detergent to neutralize the lysis reagent. Neutralizing agents are optional if lysis reagents that are non-inhibiting for PCR are used.
[0108]
In the next step, valve 124 is closed and lysis reagent, analyte, and neutralizing agent are contained in chamber 70. Valve 114 is opened and a pressure of 15 psi is applied for about 3 seconds through pressure port 128 to force the liquid in U-shaped flow path 122 into waste chamber 68. Valves 124 and 126 are then opened and a pressure of 15 psi is applied through pressure port 123 at the top of neutralizer chamber 70 for about 5 seconds. Forcibly by this pressure, the neutralized lysis reagent and nucleic acid in the chamber 70 flow into the flow path 122 and into the main mixing chamber 71. At that time, the valve 126 of the main mixing chamber 71 is closed. The main mixing chamber 71 contains a PCR reagent and a fluorescent probe in which a neutralized lysis reagent and a nucleic acid are mixed to form a reaction mixture.
[0109]
In the next step, flow path 112 is cleared by opening valve 144 to waste water chamber 68 and a pressure of 15 psi is applied to pressure port 128 for approximately 1 second. In the next step, the reaction mixture formed in the main mixture chamber 71 is moved to the reaction vessel 40 as follows. That is, valves 126, 127, 133 are opened and a pressure of 15 psi is applied to pressure port 125 at the top of main mixture chamber 71 for about 6 seconds, causing the reaction mixture to be forced through flow path 122, valve 127, and flow path 80. To the reaction chamber 40 via the port 41. The reaction mixture replaces room air and fills the chamber 42 of the vessel, and the air exits through the outlet channel 52. The air exiting through the outlet channel 52 moves in the channel 81 and passes through the sensor area 130 and enters the channel 131. Air flows from flow path 131 into flow path 132, through valve 133 and flow path 134, and exits the cartridge through vent 36. A sufficient volume of the reaction mixture to fill the chamber 42 flows into the container, and the excess reaction mixture exits the container via the outlet channel. Excess reaction mixture flows into channel 81 and is optically detected in sensor zone 130. When the reaction mixture is detected, the valve 133 is closed and the pressure from the pressure port is applied to pressurize the reaction chamber 42.
[0110]
Referring again to FIG. 23, pressurizing the interior of the chamber 42 causes the flexible main wall of the container to expand. In particular, the pressure forces the main wall 48 to come into contact with the inner surfaces of the plates 190A, 190B to match. This ensures the best heat transfer between the plates 190A, 190B and the reaction mixture in the chamber. It is presently preferred to pressurize chamber 42 to a pressure 2-30 psi above atmospheric pressure. This pressure range is presently preferred, generally 2 psi is sufficient pressure to match between the wall 48 and the surfaces of the plates 190A, 190B. Above 30 psi, the wall 48 may be ruptured, the frame 46 and the plates 190A and 190B may be deformed, or the film in the cartridge may be ruptured. More preferably, the chamber 42 is pressurized to a pressure 8-15 psi above the atmospheric pressure. This pressure range is more preferable because it is safely within the practical limits described above. When chamber 42 is pressurized, the reaction mixture in vessel 40 is thermally processed and an optical response command signal is sent that determines the presence or absence of the target analyte in the mixture.
[0111]
Referring to FIG. 35, the reaction mixture is thermally processed between plates 190A and 190B using standard proportional integral derivative (PID) control using the target temperature and feedback signals from temperature sensors 192A and 192B. Is done. Proportioning is done by changing the ratio of “on” time to “off” time, or preferably using a proportional analog output. The proportional analog output reduces the average power supplied to the heating elements or fans 212 of the plates 190A, 190B as the actual temperature of the plates 190A, 190B approaches the desired set temperature. The PID control is a combination of a proportional mode and an automatic reset function (integrating a deviation signal with respect to time) and a ratio process (rate action, summing up product signals and moving a proportional band). Standard PID control is well known in the art and need no further explanation here. Alternatively, the reaction mixture may be thermally treated using a modified version of PID control as described in International Publication No. WO 99/48608 (Application No. PCT / US99 / 06628). The disclosure content of the above document is incorporated herein by reference.
[0112]
The reaction mixture undergoes a thermal cycle between plates 190A and 190B to amplify one or more target nucleic acid sequences in the mixture. The mixture is optically transmitted with a response command signal, preferably at the lowest temperature point of each thermal cycle. The optical command response activates each light emitting diode (LED) 200 continuously, excites analytes labeled with different fluorescence in the mixture, and light emitted from the chamber 42 using the detector 198. This is done by detecting. Referring again to FIG. 22, preferably the excitation beam is transmitted into the chamber 42 through the translucent side wall 57A, while the emitted fluorescence is detected through the side wall 57B.
[0113]
One of the advantages of the cartridge of the present invention is that internal cellular material can be separated from a relatively large volume of fluid sample, for example several milliliters or more, and can be concentrated to a much smaller volume of reaction solution, for example 100 milliliters or less. The cartridge provides an exceptional concentration ratio by efficiently extracting material from a milliliter volume of fluid sample. In particular, the sample chamber 65 preferably has a storage volume of 100 μl to 12 ml. More preferably, the sample chamber 65 has a storage volume of at least 1 milliliter. The lower limit of 1 milliliter is preferred because at least 1 milliliter of sample must be analyzed to detect low concentrations of analytes such as nucleic acids. The upper limit of 12 milliliters is preferred because samples larger than 12 milliliters require much larger cartridges and the filter stack is prone to clogging. In the presently preferred embodiment, the sample chamber has a capacity of 5.5 milliliters to hold 5 milliliters of sample.
[0114]
The detergent chamber 66 has a storage volume proportional to the volume of the dissolution chamber 86. In particular, the detergent chamber 66 preferably has a detergent volume at least 1 to 2 times the volume of the lysis chamber 86, and there is sufficient detergent solution to wash out PCR inhibitors and debris from the chamber 86. Guarantee to do. In the presently preferred embodiment, the volume of the dissolution chamber is about 0.5 milliliters and the volume of the detergent chamber 66 is 2.5 milliliters to hold the detergent solution. The volume of the lysis chamber 66 of 0.5 milliliters is large enough to avoid clogging the filter stack 87, and large enough to concentrate the analyte to a small volume for improved amplification and detection. A compromise between small size.
[0115]
The reagent chamber 67 has a capacity for accommodating a lysis reagent volume at least 1 to 2 times the volume of the lysis chamber 86 so that sufficient lysis reagent exists to pressurize the chamber and extract nucleic acid from the chamber. Is preferred. In the presently preferred embodiment, chamber 67 has a receiving volume of 1.5 milliliters to accommodate about 1 to 1.5 milliliters of lysis reagent. The waste water chamber 68 has a sufficient storage volume and stores a sample, a detergent solution, and an unused dissolution reagent. Waste water chamber 68 is sized in the preferred embodiment to a capacity of about 9.5 milliliters.
[0116]
Since the neutralizing agent in the chamber 70 neutralizes the volume of the lysis reagent filled in the lysis chamber 86, the size of the neutralization chamber 70 depends on the volume of the lysis chamber 86. It is presently preferred that the dissolution chamber has a volume of 0.5 milliliters, and chamber 70 has a capacity of 1.0 milliliters to accommodate about 0.5 milliliters of neutralizing agent. The neutralizing agent is mixed with 0.5 milliliters of lysis reagent and the eluted analyte. The accommodation volume of the main mixture chamber 71 should be sufficient to produce the reaction mixture, and fills the container 40 and the channels 122 and 127 leading to the container. In a presently preferred embodiment, the main mixture chamber has a capacity of 200 μl to accommodate 100 μl of main mixture for initial loading. To this main mixture, 100 μl of neutralized lysis reagent and eluted analyte are added to form a reaction mixture.
[0117]
The flow path in the cartridge has a substantially D-shaped cross section (the gasket forms the flat side surface of the flow path), and preferably 1/64 to 1/8 inch (0.4 to 3). .2 mm) width or diameter, more preferably 1/32 to 1/16 inch (0.8 to 1.6 mm). These ranges are currently preferred to prevent the channel from becoming narrow (flow is restricted) and to prevent the channel from becoming too wide (unused liquid stagnating in the channel). Is.
[0118]
Many variations on the structure and operation of the cartridge and apparatus are possible in alternative embodiments. For example, amplification by PCR is currently preferred, but the cartridge and device can be used to amplify nucleic acid sequences using any amplification method, including both thermal cycling and isothermal amplification methods. Suitable thermal cycling methods include polymerase chain reaction (PCR, US Pat. No. 4,683,202, US Pat. No. 4,683,195, US Pat. No. 4,965,188), reverse transcriptase PCR ( RT-PCR), DNA ligase chain reaction (LCR, International Patent Application No. WO89 / 09835), transcription-based amplification (DY Kwoh et al. 1989, Proc. Nt. Acad. Sci. USA 86, 1173-1177). However, it is not limited to these. Isothermal amplification methods useful and suitable for practicing the present invention include, but are not limited to, rolling circle amplification, strand displacement amplification (SDA, Walker et al. 1992, Proc, Nati, Acad. Sci. USA 89, 392). -396), Q beta replicase (Lizardi et al. 1998, Bio / Technology 6, 1197-1202), nucleic acid based sequence amplification (NASBA, R. Sooknanan and L. Malek 1995, Bio / Technology 13, 563-65) Self-sustaining sequence replication (3SR, Guatelli et al. 1990, Proc. Nati. Acad. Sci. USA 87, 1874-1878).
[0119]
Furthermore, the cartridge and device can be used to perform chemical reactions other than nucleic acid amplification. Also, fluorescence excitation and emission detection are preferred for detecting analytes in the cartridge, but optical detection methods used for direct absorption and / or transmission with on-axis geometries are available. May be used. Another possible detection method is the time decay fluorescence method. Furthermore, the cartridge is not limited to detection based on fluorescent labels. For example, detection may be based on a phosphorescent label or a chemiluminescent label or an electrochemiluminescent label.
[0120]
The fluid sample is introduced into the cartridge manually or automatically by various means. In manual addition, a measured amount of material is placed in the receiving area of the cartridge through the inlet port, and then a cap is placed over the port. Instead, more sample material is added to the cartridge than is required for analysis, and the mechanism within the cartridge can accurately measure and aliquot the sample required for a given protocol. For example, it is desired that a sample such as a cell biopsy material, soil, feces, exudates, or other composites is mounted on another device or appendage, and then the auxiliary device or appendage is mounted in a cartridge. For example, a piece of cell is placed in the lumen of the secondary device and functions as a cap for the inlet port of the cartridge. When the cap is pressed into the port, the cells are forced through the mesh, and the mesh slices or divides the cells.
[0121]
When the sample is introduced automatically, the cartridge addition design feature is used, often giving the sample augmentation function directly to the cartridge. In the case of certain samples, movement of the sample to the cartridge can be dangerous, for example if the operator or environment, such as a human retroviral pathogen, is at risk. Thus, in one embodiment, an injector is incorporated into the device to provide a means for moving an external fluid sample directly into the cartridge. Instead, a venipuncture needle and a suction blood tube are attached to the cartridge to form an assembly that is used to collect a blood sample. After collection, the tube and needle are removed and discarded. The cartridge is then placed in the instrument and processed. The advantage of this method is that the operator or environment is not exposed to pathogens.
[0122]
The inlet port can be designed taking into account appropriate human factors as a function of the intended sample properties. For example, a respiratory sample can be obtained from the low respiratory tract as coughing mucus or as a sample collected with a cotton swab or brush from behind the throat or nasal cavity. In the former case, the inlet port is designed so that the patient can cough directly into the cartridge, otherwise the sputated sample can be easily spit into the cartridge. For a brush or swab sample, the sample is placed in the inlet port, and the features of the port and closure allow the end of the swab or brush to be easily folded or held within the cartridge receiving area.
[0123]
In another embodiment, the cartridge has an inlet tube and an outlet tube disposed in a very large volume sample pool, such as a water stream, and the sample material flows through the cartridge. Instead, the hydrophilic core functions as a reaction area so that the entire cartridge is directly immersed in the sample, and a sufficient amount of the sample is absorbed into the core. The cartridge is then removed and transported to the laboratory or analyzed directly using a portable instrument. In another embodiment, using tubing, one end of the tube is in direct communication with the cartridge to provide a fluid interface with at least one reaction zone, and the other end of the tube can be in contact with the external environment as a sample receiver. Function. The tube is then placed in the sample and functions as a straw. Also, the cartridge itself functions as an actual sample collection device, which simplifies handling and reduces inconvenience. For samples involved in legal disputes and criminal investigations, bringing the test substance directly into the fluid cartridge is an advantage because a series of protected states are conveniently and reliably maintained.
[0124]
Referring to FIG. 9, the reagent is introduced into the cartridge from the outside before use, for example, through a sealable opening of the reagent chamber 67, the neutralizing agent chamber 70, and the main mixture chamber 71. Alternatively, a reagent, such as an aqueous solution or a dried reagent that requires reconstitution, may be placed in the cartridge during manufacture. A particular format is selected based on various parameters such as the intrinsic thermal stability of the reagent, the reconstitution rate, the reaction rate, including whether the reaction is liquid or solid phase. Reagents containing compounds that are thermally unstable when in solution can be stabilized by drying using techniques such as lyophilization. Additives such as single alcohol sugar, methylcellulose, bulking protein may be added to the reagents before drying to increase stability or reconstitution.
[0125]
Referring again to FIG. 21, the reaction vessel 40 does not require two flexible sheets that form the opposed main walls 48 of the reaction chamber 42. For example, in an alternative embodiment, the reaction vessel 40 has only a flexible sheet that forms the main wall of the reaction chamber 42. The rigid frame 46 forms not only the side wall of the chamber, but also the other main wall of the chamber. In this embodiment, the main wall formed by the frame has a minimum wall thickness of about 0.05 inches (1.25 mm), which is the typical practical minimum wall thickness in injection molding, while the wall thickness of the flexible sheet. Thickness is 0.0005 inch (0.0125 mm). The advantage of this embodiment is that the production of the reaction chamber 40 is simplified and therefore less expensive since it is only necessary to attach a single flexible sheet to the frame 46. The disadvantage is that the rate of heating and cooling of the reaction mixture is slow, which is probably because the heat transfer rate cannot be increased as a flexible sheet with a thinner main wall formed by the frame 46. It is.
[0126]
Referring to FIG. 28, the heat exchange module 147 only requires one hot surface for contacting the flexible wall of the reaction vessel 40 and one heat element for heating and cooling the hot surface. It is. The advantage of using one hot surface and one thermal element is that the device can be manufactured cheaper. The disadvantage is that the heating and cooling rates are likely to be about twice as slow. Furthermore, it is currently preferred that the hot surfaces be formed by thermally conductive plates 190, but each hot surface is provided with a rigid structure having a contact area for contacting the wall of the container 40. May be. The hot surface preferably comprises a material with high thermal conductivity, such as ceramic or metal. Furthermore, the hot surface may comprise the surface of the thermal element itself. For example, the hot surface may be the surface of a thermoelectric device that contacts the wall to heat or cool the chamber.
[0127]
It is currently preferred to incorporate the transducer into the device 140. However, in other embodiments, the transducer is incorporated into the cartridge. For example, a piezoelectric disk may be incorporated into the cartridge to sonicate the dissolution chamber. Alternatively, a speaker or an electromagnetic coil device may be incorporated in the cartridge. In these embodiments, the cartridge includes a suitable electrical connection device to connect the transducer to a power source. In embodiments where the transducer is incorporated into the cartridge, the transducer must be prevented from coming into direct contact with the fluid sample, for example, the transducer must be covered with a thin plate to separate the sample at the chamber wall. In addition, cells or Virus Is dissolved using a heater instead of a transducer, or in combination with a heater and a transducer. This heater is a resistance heating element and is part of the cartridge. Alternatively, the heater may be incorporated into an instrument that houses the cartridge. In this embodiment, the cell or cell is crushed by heating the decomposition chamber to a high temperature (eg, 95 ° C.) and crushing the cell wall. Virus Will collapse.
[0128]
Although the foregoing description includes many features, these features should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention and should be understood as merely examples of some preferred embodiments. I must. Many modifications and substitutions may be made to the apparatus and methods described above without departing from the scope of the present invention.
[0129]
Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be determined by the following claims and their equivalents.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a cartridge for analyzing a fluid sample of a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an isometric view of the lower portion of the cartridge of FIG.
FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the cartridge of FIG.
FIG. 4 is another exploded view of the cartridge of FIG.
5 is a partial cutaway view of an ultrasonic horn connected to a wall of a dissolution chamber provided in the cartridge of FIG. 1;
6 is an exploded view of the filter stack provided in the melting chamber of the cartridge of FIG. 1. FIG.
7 is a plan view of the cartridge of FIG. 1. FIG.
8 is a bottom view of the cartridge of FIG. 1. FIG.
FIG. 9 is a schematic block diagram of the cartridge of FIG.
FIG. 10 is an isometric view of an apparatus for loading the cartridge of FIG. 1 for processing.
11 is an isometric view of the cartridge of FIG. 1 in the apparatus of FIG.
12 is a partial cutaway view of the cartridge of FIG. 1 in the apparatus of FIG.
13 is a schematic plan view of an optical sensor for detecting a liquid level in the cartridge of FIG. 1. FIG.
14 is a schematic partial cutaway side view of an optical sensor inserted to detect the liquid level in the sensor chamber of the cartridge of FIG. 1. FIG.
FIG. 15A is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the main body of the cartridge of FIG. 1, showing two different types of valves within the cartridge. FIG. 15B is a cross-sectional view of the valve of FIG. 15A in the closed state.
FIG. 16A is another cross-sectional view of one of the valves of FIG. 15A in the open state. 16B is a cross-sectional view of the valve of FIG. 16A in a closed state.
17 illustrates a valve actuation system that opens and closes the valve of FIG. 15A.
18 illustrates a valve actuation system that opens and closes the valve of FIG. 15A.
FIG. 19 illustrates a valve actuation system that opens and closes the valve of FIG. 15A.
20 is a cross-sectional view of an alternative valve actuator that opens and closes the valve in the cartridge of FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 20 also shows the pressure supply nozzle sealed to the pressure port in the cartridge of FIG.
21 is a partially exploded isometric view of the reaction vessel of the cartridge of FIG.
22 is a front view of the container of FIG. 21. FIG.
23 is a side view of the container of FIG. 21 inserted between two hot plates.
24 is a front view of one of the hot plates in FIG. 23. FIG.
FIG. 25 is a front view of an alternative reaction vessel of the present invention.
FIG. 26 is a front view of another reaction vessel of the present invention.
FIG. 27 is another front view of the container of FIG. 21.
28 is a front view of the container of FIG. 21 inserted into the heat exchange module of the apparatus of FIG.
29 is an exploded view of a support structure that holds the plate of FIG. 23. FIG.
30 is an assembly view of the support structure of FIG. 29. FIG.
31 is an assembly view of the support structure of FIG. 29. FIG.
32 is an isometric view showing the outer surface of one of the optical assemblies in the heat exchange module of FIG. 28. FIG.
FIG. 33 is an isometric view of the plate of FIG. 23 in contact with the optical assembly of FIG. 32;
34 is a partially broken isometric view of the reaction vessel of FIG. 21 inserted between the plates of FIG. Only the lower part of the container is included in the figure.
35 is a schematic block diagram of an electronic device of the heat exchange module of FIG. 28. FIG.

Claims (26)

In a cartridge that is mounted on an apparatus and controls a chemical reaction, the cartridge is
a) a body having at least first and second flow paths formed therein;
b) a reaction vessel extending from the main body , the apparatus has a hot surface, and a housing portion for housing the reaction vessel, the reaction vessel comprising:
i) a rigid frame defining a plurality of side walls of the reaction chamber and having an inlet channel and an outlet channel;
ii) at least one sheet or membrane attached to the rigid frame to form a main wall in the reaction chamber that is sufficiently flexible and coincides with the hot surface;
iii) an inlet port connected to the reaction chamber via the inlet channel and supplying a fluid to the reaction chamber;
iv) having an outlet port connected to the reaction chamber via the outlet channel and discharging fluid from the reaction chamber;
A cartridge in which an inlet port of the reaction container is connected to a first flow path in the main body, and an outlet port of the reaction container is connected to a second flow path in the main body.   2. The cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the main body further has a vent communicating with the second flow path to allow gas to escape.   3. The cartridge according to claim 1, further comprising a differential pressure source for sending the fluid in the first flow path of the main body to the reaction chamber through the inlet port of the reaction vessel. The cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the reaction container comprises:
i) A cartridge having first and second flexible sheets or membranes attached to the rigid frame to form two opposing main walls of the reaction chamber.   5. The cartridge according to claim 4, wherein the first and second flexible sheets or films are each made of a polymer film.   6. The cartridge according to claim 4 or 5, wherein at least two of the side walls are translucent for transmitting light into the reaction chamber and for detecting light emitted from the reaction chamber, and at a predetermined angle. Cartridges that are adjacent to each other.   7. The cartridge according to claim 6, wherein the angle is 90 degrees.   8. The cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the ratio of the width to the thickness of the reaction chamber is at least 2: 1.   The cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the reaction chamber has a thickness of 5 mm or less.   The cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the reaction chamber has a thickness in the range of 0.5 to 5 mm.   8. The cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the ratio of the width to the thickness of the reaction chamber is at least 4: 1.   12. The cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 7 or 11, wherein the reaction chamber has a thickness in a range of 2 mm or less.   13. The cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 7 or 11 to 12, wherein the reaction chamber has a thickness in the range of 0.5 to 2 mm.   14. The cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the cartridge separates nucleic acid from a fluid sample and holds the nucleic acid for amplification and detection, and the body is connected to the inlet port of the reaction vessel. A cartridge connected via a first flow path and further having a mixing chamber for mixing the nucleic acid with an amplification reagent. 15. The cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the main body is formed inside.
i) a sample flow path;
ii) A cartridge having a separation region in the sample flow path connected to the inlet port via the first flow path to separate a desired analyte from the sample fluid. 16. The cartridge according to claim 15, wherein the separation region in the main body is
a) a lysis chamber provided in the sample flow path for lysing cells or viruses in the sample and releasing substances from these cells or viruses;
b) A cartridge having at least one solid carrier provided in the lysis chamber for capturing the cells or viruses to be lysed. An apparatus comprising the cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is
a) at least one hot surface in contact with the sheet or membrane;
b) means for increasing the pressure in the reaction chamber such that an increase in pressure in the reaction chamber is sufficient to bring the sheet or membrane into contact with the hot surface;
c) an apparatus further comprising at least one thermal element for heating or cooling the hot surface to cause a temperature change in the reaction chamber.   7. The apparatus having the cartridge according to claim 6, wherein the apparatus includes at least one light source that excites a reaction mixture in the reaction chamber through a first side wall of the translucent side walls, and the reaction chamber. And an optical system comprising at least one detector for detecting light emitted through a second of the translucent side walls.   17. The cartridge according to claim 1, wherein each side wall of the reaction chamber has a length of 1 to 15 mm.   The cartridge according to claim 6, wherein the reaction container has an optical path length of 1 to 15 mm passing through the reaction chamber.   The cartridge according to claim 6, wherein the reaction container has an optical path length of 5 to 12 mm passing through the reaction chamber.   The cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 16 or 19 to 21, wherein the reaction chamber has a volume capacity of 100 µL or less.   The cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 16 or 19 to 21, wherein the reaction chamber has a volume capacity of 12 to 100 µL.   24. The cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 16 or 19 to 23, wherein at least one of the reaction chamber walls has a thickness of 0.5 mm or less.   25. The cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 16 or 19 to 24, wherein at least one of the walls of the reaction chamber has a thickness of 0.003 to 0.5 mm.   25. The cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 16 or 19 to 24, wherein the width or diameter of the first and second flow paths in the main body is 0.4 to 3.2 mm.

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