DE102006030379A1 - Device for controlling a temperature profile in a process chamber for a reaction chamber of an assay processor cartridge, comprises a double-side coated, flexible printed circuit board for heating and measuring - Google Patents

Abstract

The device for controlling a temperature profile in a process chamber for a reaction chamber of an assay processor cartridge, comprises a double-side coated, flexible printed circuit board for heating and measuring. The printed circuit board is a part of the process chamber and consists of plastic or plastic foil that contains separate heating structure and sensor structure. An independent claim is included for a procedure for controlling a temperature profile in a process chamber for a reaction chamber of an assay processor cartridge.

Description

The Invention refers to a temperature control and a method for controlling a temperature profile in a process space, primarily one Reaction chamber of an assay processor cartridge (AP cartridge), also referred to as biochar.

Of the Biochip, a fingernail-sized one Microlaboratory with numerous tiny reaction fields is the most important Future tool for the analysis of biological samples.

On a biochip lets within the shortest possible time Time a sample for the presence of a variety to be detected Check molecules.

To the Processing, the biochip is enclosed in the sample space of a cartridge, where he heated according to the investigations in a defined manner can be. The coupling and removal of heat in the reaction space can be done in different ways, such as by internal or external resistance heating, internal induction loops or Areas, by water cooling and heating, by friction, by irradiation with light, in particular IR light, over external microwave radiation, by air cooling and / or heating, through Friction, by thermal radiators and by Peltier elements bring.

To the faster cooling a heated process space, such as the reaction chamber an AP cartridge, various cooling devices are known.

Thus, the cooling of the reaction chamber via air flow (room air or compressed air), blown directly onto a wall of the reaction vessel, generated for example with 12V radial fan. Use among others in the biochip-equipped AP cartridges (Assay Processor) in the POC reader, as for example in the WO 05108604 A2 is described. The cooling of the process unit can preferably also be achieved by permanently tempering the space surrounding the process unit at a reduced temperature and thereby passively cooling the cartridge. Also known are the cooling by a good thermally conductive plate (ceramic or metal) applied to a reaction chamber by blowing with a fan (room air), the walls of the reaction chamber consist only of a thin Kuststofffolie (Cephied, SmartCycler).

Known are further cooling / heating a metal block with Peltier elements, wherein in the metal block a complete microtiter plate with tubes is inserted (individual tubes, Stripes). The conical tubes dive into correspondingly shaped Holes in the metal block for maximum possible Touchpad on. This technology can be found in most thermal cyclers (e.g. Eppendorf, Biometra, Labtech).

Analogous At RotorGene, the metal block with the tubes is air-flowed cooled. Cooling / heating can also by alternating pressing a metal block with tubes or microtiter plates to others different tempered metal blocks respectively. The metal blocks surrounding the block with the samples become according to the temperatures regulated for the biological processes are necessary.

Farther are in this context the cooling / heating of the sample liquid when flowing through of thin Capillaries, tubes or hoses, which are in different tempered environments (liquids, Air, metal blocks etc.).

disadvantage Some of these known devices are, inter alia, insufficient cooling rates, high technical and financial effort in the realization, high energy input and / or non-reproducible cooling rates.

The cooling down of a body passing by cooler Air is generally very sluggish, as by touch with a cooler solid body or liquid Medium.

To be similarly fast cool to be able to the air must be blown on the body at high speed and as frontally as possible (e.g., compressed air from nozzles).

The technical implementation of compressed air supply in a portable Device at aspired independence Compressed air home networks is associated with much higher cost than if other cooling principles would be used (e.g., Peltier elements).

This especially applies when temperatures below ambient temperature are sought, the compressed air therefore also be cooled would.

• – muss ein dauerhafter Kontakt des Probenraumes mit einem beheizbaren/kühlbaren Körper/Medium während des gesamten Prozesses hergestellt werden, um den zu temperierenden Körper abwechselnd exakt auf die unterschiedlichen benötigten Temperaturen zu heizen/kühlen, oder
• – es müssen mehrere exakt auf die verschiedenen Zieltemperaturen gebrachte Körper/Medien abwechselnd mit dem Probenraum in Berührung gebracht werden.

When cooling by contact with a cooler (actively cooled) body (or medium)

• - A permanent contact of the sample chamber with a heatable / coolable body / medium must be made during the entire process in order to heat / cool the body to be tempered alternately exactly to the different temperatures required, or
• - There must be several exactly on the different NEN target temperatures brought body / media are alternately brought into contact with the sample space.

at The first variant is needed because of the thermal inertia of the heatable / coolable body / medium and the permanent Change between heating and cooling a lot of energy to the desired To achieve dynamics.

At the Heating and cooling with Peltier elements that means, if the desired speed at all because of the additional inertia the Peltiers at Umpolen is reached, an extremely high power consumption.

at Variant 2 is the cooling with a target temperature controlled body at the beginning though quickly, but gets slower, the closer the actual temperature approaches the target temperature, the lower the so Temperature difference of the two bodies is. Until the target temperature So in fact is reached many seconds have passed, which is usually the case only seconds holding time per temperature step and the many repetitions in some biological processes quickly summed up to minutes.

The Temperature control elements of a sample chamber are because of the used Materials (silicon, etc.) and the structure very expensive. The structure of the sample chamber made of cover glass, seal and silicon heating element is very expensive.

task The present invention is therefore a temperature control and to create a procedure with which the cost of a new assay processor drops significantly, which is flexible in installation, and a method of temperature control of the sample space used To create regulator.

The object is achieved by the use of a flexible printed circuit board (embodiment according to 1 ), wherein the heating can be realized via an ohmic resistance of a very thin conductor cable. In a special embodiment, a double-sided coated flexible printed circuit board is used, in which the heat distribution components are integrated.

In Advantageously, the heating current is simultaneously for measurement the temperature of the sample space used.

The flexible PCB is not attached to the sample room from the outside, but it is part of the sample room.

The flexibility The circuit board also has an advantageous effect on the design the outer mold and structural design, and in its installation and the so-called Pounding with Cooling or Tempering, which is the subject of further inventions of Applicants are.

The Chamber wall of the sample room is held instead of the previous expensive Silicon chip with elaborately manufactured separate heating and sensor structures formed by a specially designed flexible printed circuit board. This consists, as usual, in one execution from a very thin one Plastic film (e.g., 0.1 mm thick, polyimide material or the like) with a or two superimposed ones Copper layers.

In the copper layer facing away from the sample space is a meander-shaped structure from very thin Conductor tracks etched, the second layer on the sample chamber side is a continuous copper layer for better heat distribution (this may also be omitted).

By A specially developed electronics will meander the meander as well as heating also used as a sensor and targeted after a calibration heated certain temperatures.

With The flexible PCB allows even better cooling rates and you can e.g. continue to heat up against a pressed-on cooling plunger, at the same time less heating of the cooling plunger behind the pressure surface.

In addition, will e.g. significantly less power for the pestle to Image acquisition needed, which also drives a Kühlstempels or a tempering can be made smaller and cheaper. In addition, there is a much lower risk of breakage.

In inventive way can by the use of the flexible circuit board be measured and heated simultaneously. It will not be additional Measuring interval with own measuring current needed. The heating current is at the same time used as measuring current. It has only a low heat absorption, lower heat capacity of the sample space and therefore better cooling rates.

she is also variable with regard to the outer shape and in the form of the heater and finally customizable for the specific installation. The thermal contact with the sample can be improved.

The invention also includes a method for controlling the temperature of the sample space by means of the flexible printed circuit board. In 2 the algorithm for measuring the temperature of the sample space is given.

Of the Algorithm is in principle also for use in classical Method suitable with a silicon chip.

Claims (6)

Device for controlling a temperature profile in a process space, in particular for reaction chambers of an assay processor cartridge, characterized in that for heating and measuring a flexible printed circuit board is used, which is part of the process space. Device for controlling a temperature profile in a process space, in particular for reaction chambers of an assay processor cartridge Claim 1, characterized in that the flexible printed circuit board Made of plastic or a plastic film, the separate Contains heating and sensor structures. Device for controlling a temperature profile in a process space, in particular for reaction chambers of an assay processor cartridge the claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the flexible printed circuit board a double-sided printed circuit board is. Method for controlling a temperature profile in a process space, in particular for reaction chambers of an assay processor cartridge, characterized in that for heating the process space and measurement the process space temperature a flexible printed circuit board is used. Method for controlling a temperature profile in a process space, in particular for reaction chambers of an assay processor cartridge after Claim 4, characterized in that heating and measuring the Process chamber temperature simultaneously. Method for controlling a temperature profile in a process space, in particular for reaction chambers of an assay processor cartridge, characterized in that the measurement and control of the process space temperature according to a special algorithm according to 2 he follows.