EP1236031A1 - Absorbent dipper for solvent extraction - Google Patents

Absorbent dipper for solvent extraction

Info

Publication number
EP1236031A1
EP1236031A1 EP00976191A EP00976191A EP1236031A1 EP 1236031 A1 EP1236031 A1 EP 1236031A1 EP 00976191 A EP00976191 A EP 00976191A EP 00976191 A EP00976191 A EP 00976191A EP 1236031 A1 EP1236031 A1 EP 1236031A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
receptacle
absorbent portion
absorbent
pellet
solution
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP00976191A
Other languages
German (de)
French (fr)
Inventor
John William Gow
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
University of Glasgow
Original Assignee
University of Glasgow
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by University of Glasgow filed Critical University of Glasgow
Publication of EP1236031A1 publication Critical patent/EP1236031A1/en
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
    • G01N1/00—Sampling; Preparing specimens for investigation
    • G01N1/28—Preparing specimens for investigation including physical details of (bio-)chemical methods covered elsewhere, e.g. G01N33/50, C12Q
    • G01N1/40—Concentrating samples
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
    • B01L—CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL LABORATORY APPARATUS FOR GENERAL USE
    • B01L3/00—Containers or dishes for laboratory use, e.g. laboratory glassware; Droppers
    • B01L3/02—Burettes; Pipettes
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
    • B01L—CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL LABORATORY APPARATUS FOR GENERAL USE
    • B01L2300/00—Additional constructional details
    • B01L2300/06—Auxiliary integrated devices, integrated components
    • B01L2300/069—Absorbents; Gels to retain a fluid
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
    • B01L—CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL LABORATORY APPARATUS FOR GENERAL USE
    • B01L2400/00—Moving or stopping fluids
    • B01L2400/04—Moving fluids with specific forces or mechanical means
    • B01L2400/0403—Moving fluids with specific forces or mechanical means specific forces
    • B01L2400/0406—Moving fluids with specific forces or mechanical means specific forces capillary forces
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
    • G01N35/00—Automatic analysis not limited to methods or materials provided for in any single one of groups G01N1/00 - G01N33/00; Handling materials therefor
    • G01N35/10—Devices for transferring samples or any liquids to, in, or from, the analysis apparatus, e.g. suction devices, injection devices
    • G01N2035/1027—General features of the devices
    • G01N2035/1034—Transferring microquantities of liquid
    • G01N2035/1037—Using surface tension, e.g. pins or wires

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a device for, and a method of, removing solution from a receptacle, such as a microcentrifuge tube or micro-titre plate.
  • a receptacle such as a microcentrifuge tube or micro-titre plate.
  • Many life science experiments require the extraction and purification of DNA, RNA or proteins and the methods used in the extractions often include precipitation and centrifugation steps in order to pellet the DNA, RNA or proteins.
  • Conventional means of removing the solution after pelleting involves pouring the solution out of the centrifugation tube.
  • it is an object of the present invention is to provide a device for, and a method of removing solution from a receptacle, which is simple and economical.
  • a device for removing a solution from a receptacle comprising: a first portion comprising holding means; and a second substantially stiff absorbent portion adapted to allow insertion into the receptacle, a first end of which is connected to the first portion, and a second end of which is shaped to substantially prevent contact with a pellet formed in said receptacle when in use.
  • the holding means may be elongate for gripping by a user's fingers.
  • the holding means may be adapted to fit to a further device such as a typical pipettor (eg. Gilson pipette) known in the art.
  • a typical pipettor eg. Gilson pipette
  • the device may have a cylindrical holding means into which the end of a pipettor is inserted.
  • the second end of the absorbent portion is shaped to substantially prevent contact with a pellet which may be formed near the bottom of the receptacle.
  • a pellet which may be formed near the bottom of the receptacle.
  • the second end may be angled and/or channelled to allow the device to absorb any solution present at the bottom of the receptacle while substantially preventing contact with said pellet.
  • the second end may be in the form of a cone or truncated cone. When the receptacle is cylindrical in shape the cone or truncated cone may be similarly circular.
  • the tip of the device may be generally blunt (eg. a frusto- conical) or concave to prevent contact with said pellet.
  • the term "stiff" is intended to mean that the material of the absorbent portion is substantially resistant to compression or bending but is not necessarily rigid.
  • the absorbent portion may be shaped to form a substantially close fit with the internal walls of the receptacle.
  • the absorbent portion may be generally cylindrical or conical- shaped and may be hollow or solid.
  • the absorbent portion is typically elongate in order to reach the bottom of for example microcentrifuge tubes.
  • solution may encompass organic solvents, such as ethanol and the like, inorganic solvents, such as acids, and aqueous solutions, such as water which may or may not contain a salt.
  • the absorbent portion may be designed to absorb organic, inorganic and/or aqueous solvents separately, or may be designed to absorb any/all of the abovementioned solutions. That is, the aforementioned properties need not be mutually exclusive and, in fact, the same absorbent portion may absorb more than one of the above classes of solutions.
  • receptacle may encompass different sized tubes, microcentrifuge tubes, (for example 2ml, 1.5ml or 0.5ml microtubes) , multi-well microtitre plates and the like.
  • the abovementioned pellet may be, for example, a pellet formed from nucleic acids, for example DNA or RNA, or a pellet formed from polypeptides, for example proteins.
  • the absorbent portion may be composed of a material which is neutral or a material which is intended to repel the formed pellet, and therefore substantially prevent removal of the pellet should the absorbent portion contact the pellet.
  • the absorbent portion may be composed of a negatively charged material.
  • the absorbent portion may be composed of a positively charged material.
  • the absorbent portion of the device may be composed of non- ionic or non-polar materials, such as hydrophobic materials.
  • the device may also be colour-coded so that a user may easily identify whether the device is for example positively charged (eg. red) or negatively charged (eg. blue) .
  • the device, or more particularly the absorbent portion may be sterilisable by, for example, heat, gamma irradiation or the like.
  • the portions of the device may be formed of the same material or separate materials.
  • the device may be formed in one integral piece.
  • the portions may be made independent of one another and/or from different materials, which are eventually brought together to form the device.
  • the device may also be "double-ended". That is, with absorbent portions at either end and with one central portion acting as the holding means in use.
  • the device may be formed from, for example, chromatography paper since this possesses good absorbing capabilities.
  • absorbent materials may also be suitable such as hydrogel like materials, cotton, absorbent celluloses such as carboxy methyl cellulose, activated charcoal, nylon, other textiles or composite materials and the like.
  • the absorbent material should not shed any fibres and the like which may contaminate the pellet.
  • the device holding said device by the holding means, inserting the substantially stiff absorbing portion into said receptacle in an orientation so as to substantially avoid contact between said absorbent portion and a pellet formed in said receptacle, leaving said absorbent portion in the said receptacle for a time sufficient to substantially remove said solution, and removing said absorbent portion from said receptacle while substantially avoiding contact between said absorbent portion and said pellet.
  • the device may thereafter be allowed to touch the pellet, when the absorbent material and the pellet are similar charged, as the absorbent material and the pellet will repel each other.
  • Figure 1 is a side perspective elevation of a device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention
  • Figure 2 is a front view of a device as illustrated in Figure 1 placed in a microcentrifuge tube;
  • Figure 3 is a front view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention placed in a microcentrifuge tube.
  • Figure 4 is a front view of a further embodiment of the present invention placed inside a microcentrifuge tube.
  • the device 10 embodying the invention comprises a generally three dimensional cylindrical-shaped body 12, an
  • SUBSTTTUTE SHEET (RULE 26) asymmetrical conical shaped tip 14 and holding means 16.
  • the device 10 is formed from a flat, two-dimensional template which is subsequently rolled into a tube with flat holding means 16 at the top. The point of the device is constructed to form an asymmetric tip 14.
  • the device 10 is placed within a microcentrifuge tube 18 and the asymmetrical conical shaped tip 14 is orientated in order to avoid contact with pellet 20.
  • Pellets may form on walls of centrifuge tubes depending on the angle of the tube during centrifugation.
  • the pellet 20 of Figure 2 is commonly formed by fixed angle centrifugation where the angle of the tube orientation is approximately 45 degrees from the vertical. Removal of the solution from the microcentrifuge tube 18 occurs when the absorbent portion comes into contact with the solution which is absorbed by the absorbent portion as a result of capillary action. The device 10 is then removed from the microcentrifuge.
  • the device 10 may be manufactured in a single article from materials such as Whatman cellulose/cotton blotting and chromatography paper (3MM) catalogue no. 3030917 (Whatman International, 20/20 Maidstone, Kent, ME16 0LS, United Kingdom) .
  • the device 10 can be inserted with reasonable force without the risk of contacting pellet 20.
  • SUBSTTTUTE SHEET (RULE 26) A second embodiment 10b of the present invention is illustrated in Figure 3.
  • Device 10b has a tip 14b shaped to form a blunt or concave end in order to avoid contact with pellet 20b which has formed at the base of the microcentrifuge tube.
  • Pellets are commonly formed at the base of centrifuge tubes when swing-arm rotors are used. These allow the tube to assume a substantially horizontal position during centrifugation.
  • Device 10c has a symmetrically rounded or convex tip 14c.
  • the sides of absorbent portion of device 10c are not intended to form a close fit with microcentrifuge tube 18. Instead, the device 10c is inserted down the centre of the tube 18 to contact the base of the tube 18 and thereby avoid pellet 20c formed on the wall at the base of tube 18.
  • the device substantially reduces the risk of contaminating the sample with for example fibre deposits which may arise from using paper tissue.
  • the absorbent portion of a device having an asymmetrically formed tip as illustrated in Figure 1
  • the angled tip may be turned around to touch the sample in order to dry the sample as well as the tube. Since the dipper has a similar charge as the sample, they will repel one another and so the sample will not stick to the dipper. This may also apply to the device depicted in Figure 4.
  • the device may be manufactured from two separate materials, each corresponding to the holding means and the absorbing means, which are then brought together to form the complete device.
  • the principal advantage of the present invention is that the device substantially reduces the time, labour and expense required for removal of residual solution in a receptacle.
  • the devices can be sterilised and can therefore reduce or even eliminate contamination of the sample. Moreover, since the device is intended to be used once, this further reduces any possibility of contamination.

Landscapes

  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Analytical Chemistry (AREA)
  • Biochemistry (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Immunology (AREA)
  • Pathology (AREA)
  • Clinical Laboratory Science (AREA)
  • Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
  • Investigating Or Analysing Biological Materials (AREA)
  • Apparatus Associated With Microorganisms And Enzymes (AREA)

Abstract

A device for removing a solution from the receptacle comprising holding means and a substantially stiff absorbent portion adapted to allow insertion into the receptacle, the end of which is shaped to substantially prevent contact with a pellet formed in said receptacle is disclosed. Also disclosed is a method of removing the solution from a receptacle employing the aforementioned device.

Description

ABSORBENT DIPPER FOR SOLVENT EXTRACTION The present invention relates to a device for, and a method of, removing solution from a receptacle, such as a microcentrifuge tube or micro-titre plate. Many life science experiments require the extraction and purification of DNA, RNA or proteins and the methods used in the extractions often include precipitation and centrifugation steps in order to pellet the DNA, RNA or proteins. Conventional means of removing the solution after pelleting involves pouring the solution out of the centrifugation tube. However, there is typically a residual solution left in the centrifugation tube following centrifugation (typically approximately 50 - 100 microlitres in a 1.5ml microcentrifuge tube) and this usually has to be removed prior to the next procedure. Standard techniques for removing the solution include lyophilisation to remove the remaining solution or a paper tissue may be used to wipe the inside of the tube. However, lyophilisation is generally time consuming, labour intensive and moreover requires specialist equipment, while removal of solution with a paper tissue can lead to damage or even removal of the pelleted sample by the paper tissue. Moreover, contamination of the sample by the paper tissue can also occur as a result of fibres from the tissue falling onto the sample or where different corners of the same paper tissue is used to remove the excess solution. In addition, paper tissues are not usually sterile, or have not been otherwise treated in order to ensure that DNases and the like which, may be present on the tissue, have been inactivated.
It is an object of the present invention to obviate and/or mitigate at least one of the aforementioned disadvantages. For example it is an object of the present invention is to provide a device for, and a method of removing solution from a receptacle, which is simple and economical.
According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a device for removing a solution from a receptacle, the device comprising: a first portion comprising holding means; and a second substantially stiff absorbent portion adapted to allow insertion into the receptacle, a first end of which is connected to the first portion, and a second end of which is shaped to substantially prevent contact with a pellet formed in said receptacle when in use.
The holding means may be elongate for gripping by a user's fingers. Alternatively the holding means may be adapted to fit to a further device such as a typical pipettor (eg. Gilson pipette) known in the art. In this manner the device may have a cylindrical holding means into which the end of a pipettor is inserted.
Preferably the second end of the absorbent portion is shaped to substantially prevent contact with a pellet which may be formed near the bottom of the receptacle. For example, if a pellet is formed on a side of the receptacle near the bottom, the second end may be angled and/or channelled to allow the device to absorb any solution present at the bottom of the receptacle while substantially preventing contact with said pellet. For example the second end may be in the form of a cone or truncated cone. When the receptacle is cylindrical in shape the cone or truncated cone may be similarly circular. Alternatively, if a pellet is formed at the base of the receptacle, the tip of the device may be generally blunt (eg. a frusto- conical) or concave to prevent contact with said pellet. It is to be understood that the term "stiff" is intended to mean that the material of the absorbent portion is substantially resistant to compression or bending but is not necessarily rigid.
Preferably, at least part of the absorbent portion may be shaped to form a substantially close fit with the internal walls of the receptacle. In particular, the absorbent portion may be generally cylindrical or conical- shaped and may be hollow or solid.
The absorbent portion is typically elongate in order to reach the bottom of for example microcentrifuge tubes. It is to be understood that the term "solution" may encompass organic solvents, such as ethanol and the like, inorganic solvents, such as acids, and aqueous solutions, such as water which may or may not contain a salt. The absorbent portion may be designed to absorb organic, inorganic and/or aqueous solvents separately, or may be designed to absorb any/all of the abovementioned solutions. That is, the aforementioned properties need not be mutually exclusive and, in fact, the same absorbent portion may absorb more than one of the above classes of solutions.
It is also to be understood that the term "receptacle" may encompass different sized tubes, microcentrifuge tubes, (for example 2ml, 1.5ml or 0.5ml microtubes) , multi-well microtitre plates and the like.
The abovementioned pellet may be, for example, a pellet formed from nucleic acids, for example DNA or RNA, or a pellet formed from polypeptides, for example proteins. The absorbent portion may be composed of a material which is neutral or a material which is intended to repel the formed pellet, and therefore substantially prevent removal of the pellet should the absorbent portion contact the pellet. For example, when the pellets are formed from negatively charged compounds, such as DNA or RNA, the absorbent portion may be composed of a negatively charged material. Alternatively, when the pellets are formed from positively charged compounds, the absorbent portion may be composed of a positively charged material. Furthermore, for pellets formed of ionic or polar material in general, the absorbent portion of the device may be composed of non- ionic or non-polar materials, such as hydrophobic materials. The device may also be colour-coded so that a user may easily identify whether the device is for example positively charged (eg. red) or negatively charged (eg. blue) .
Preferably, the device, or more particularly the absorbent portion may be sterilisable by, for example, heat, gamma irradiation or the like.
The portions of the device may be formed of the same material or separate materials.
Preferably, the device may be formed in one integral piece. Alternatively, the portions may be made independent of one another and/or from different materials, which are eventually brought together to form the device.
The device may also be "double-ended". That is, with absorbent portions at either end and with one central portion acting as the holding means in use.
Conveniently, the device may be formed from, for example, chromatography paper since this possesses good absorbing capabilities. However, other absorbent materials may also be suitable such as hydrogel like materials, cotton, absorbent celluloses such as carboxy methyl cellulose, activated charcoal, nylon, other textiles or composite materials and the like. However, it is understood that the absorbent material should not shed any fibres and the like which may contaminate the pellet. According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of removing solution from a receptacle employing a device according to the present invention, said method comprising the steps of:
SUBSTTΠΠΈ SHEET(RULE 26) holding said device by the holding means, inserting the substantially stiff absorbing portion into said receptacle in an orientation so as to substantially avoid contact between said absorbent portion and a pellet formed in said receptacle, leaving said absorbent portion in the said receptacle for a time sufficient to substantially remove said solution, and removing said absorbent portion from said receptacle while substantially avoiding contact between said absorbent portion and said pellet. Optionally, the device may thereafter be allowed to touch the pellet, when the absorbent material and the pellet are similar charged, as the absorbent material and the pellet will repel each other.
These and other aspects of the present invention will become apparent from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
Figure 1 is a side perspective elevation of a device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 is a front view of a device as illustrated in Figure 1 placed in a microcentrifuge tube;
Figure 3 is a front view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention placed in a microcentrifuge tube; and
Figure 4 is a front view of a further embodiment of the present invention placed inside a microcentrifuge tube.
Referring firstly to Figure 1 of the drawings, the device 10 embodying the invention comprises a generally three dimensional cylindrical-shaped body 12, an
SUBSTTTUTE SHEET (RULE 26) asymmetrical conical shaped tip 14 and holding means 16. The device 10 is formed from a flat, two-dimensional template which is subsequently rolled into a tube with flat holding means 16 at the top. The point of the device is constructed to form an asymmetric tip 14.
As illustrated in Figure 2, the device 10 is placed within a microcentrifuge tube 18 and the asymmetrical conical shaped tip 14 is orientated in order to avoid contact with pellet 20. Pellets may form on walls of centrifuge tubes depending on the angle of the tube during centrifugation. For example, the pellet 20 of Figure 2 is commonly formed by fixed angle centrifugation where the angle of the tube orientation is approximately 45 degrees from the vertical. Removal of the solution from the microcentrifuge tube 18 occurs when the absorbent portion comes into contact with the solution which is absorbed by the absorbent portion as a result of capillary action. The device 10 is then removed from the microcentrifuge.
The device 10 may be manufactured in a single article from materials such as Whatman cellulose/cotton blotting and chromatography paper (3MM) catalogue no. 3030917 (Whatman International, 20/20 Maidstone, Kent, ME16 0LS, United Kingdom) .
As a result of the close fitting between the sides of the absorbent portion 12 of the device 10 and the internal walls of microcentrifuge tube 18, the device 10 can be inserted with reasonable force without the risk of contacting pellet 20.
SUBSTTTUTE SHEET (RULE 26) A second embodiment 10b of the present invention is illustrated in Figure 3. Device 10b has a tip 14b shaped to form a blunt or concave end in order to avoid contact with pellet 20b which has formed at the base of the microcentrifuge tube. Pellets are commonly formed at the base of centrifuge tubes when swing-arm rotors are used. These allow the tube to assume a substantially horizontal position during centrifugation.
A further embodiment of the invention is illustrated in Figure 4. Device 10c has a symmetrically rounded or convex tip 14c. However, the sides of absorbent portion of device 10c are not intended to form a close fit with microcentrifuge tube 18. Instead, the device 10c is inserted down the centre of the tube 18 to contact the base of the tube 18 and thereby avoid pellet 20c formed on the wall at the base of tube 18.
It is to be appreciated that the device substantially reduces the risk of contaminating the sample with for example fibre deposits which may arise from using paper tissue. When the absorbent portion of a device having an asymmetrically formed tip, as illustrated in Figure 1, is formed from a material having a similar ionic charge as a sample, the angled tip may be turned around to touch the sample in order to dry the sample as well as the tube. Since the dipper has a similar charge as the sample, they will repel one another and so the sample will not stick to the dipper. This may also apply to the device depicted in Figure 4. The charge of the material used for the device
SUBSTTTUTE SHEET (RULE 26) would be dependant upon the usage.
It will be appreciated that various modifications may be made to the embodiment hereinbefore described without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the device may be manufactured from two separate materials, each corresponding to the holding means and the absorbing means, which are then brought together to form the complete device. It will be appreciated that the principal advantage of the present invention is that the device substantially reduces the time, labour and expense required for removal of residual solution in a receptacle. Furthermore, the devices can be sterilised and can therefore reduce or even eliminate contamination of the sample. Moreover, since the device is intended to be used once, this further reduces any possibility of contamination.
As a result of their simple design, devices may be manufactured economically and in quantity.
SUBSTTTUTE SHEET (RULE 26)

Claims

C IMS
1. A device for removing a solution for a receptacle comprising: a first portion comprising holding means; and a second substantially stiff absorbent portion adapted to allow insertion into the receptacle, a first end of which is connected to the first portion, and a second end of which is shaped to substantially prevent contact with a pellet formed in said receptacle when in use.
2. A device according to claim 1 wherein the second end of said second substantially stiff absorbent portion is shaped to substantially prevent contact with the pellet formed near the bottom of the receptacle.
3. A device according to claim 2 wherein the tip of the second end of the absorbent portion is angled and/or channelled to allow the device to absorb solution present at the bottom of the receptacle while substantially preventing contact with said pellet.
4. A device according to claim 2 wherein the second end of said absorbent portion is blunt or concave to allow the device to absorb any solution present in the receptacle while substantially preventing contact with a pellet formed at the base of the receptacle.
5. A device according to any preceding claim wherein at least part of the absorbent portion is shaped to form a substantially close fit with the internal walls of the receptacle.
6. A device according to claim 5 wherein the absorbent portion is generally cylindrical or conical- shaped.
7. A device according to claim 5 wherein the absorbent portion is hollow or solid.
8. A device according to any preceding claim wherein the absorbent portion is designed to absorb at least one selected from the group consisting of organic solvents, inorganic solvents and aqueous solvents.
9. A device according to any preceding claim wherein said receptacle is selected from the group consisting of 2ml microcentrifuge tubes, 1.5ml microcentrifuge tubes, 0.5ml microcentrifuge tubes and multi-well microtitre plates.
10. A device according to any preceding claim wherein said absorbent portion is composed of a material which is neutral or a material which is intended to repel the pellet formed.
SUBSTTTUTE SHEET (RULE 26)
11. A device according to claim 10 wherein said absorbent portion is composed of a negatively charged material when it is intended to be used with negatively charged compounds.
12. A device according to claim 10 wherein said absorbent portion is composed of a positively charged material when it is intended to be used with positively charged compounds.
13. A device according to claim 10 wherein said absorbent portion is composed of non-ionic or non-polar materials when it is intended to be used with ionic or polar charged pellets, respectively.
14. A device according to any preceding claim wherein said absorbent portion is sterilised.
15. A device according to claim 14 wherein said absorbent portion is sterilised by gamma irradiation.
16. A device according to any preceding claim wherein said first portion and said second portion are formed of the same material.
17. A device according to claim 16 wherein said device is formed in one integral piece.
SUBSTTTUTE SHEET (RULE 26)
18. A device according to any of claims 1 to 15 wherein said first portion and said second portion are formed of separate materials.
19. A device according to claim 18 wherein said separate portions are eventually brought together to form the device.
20. A device according to any preceding claim wherein said device comprises absorbent portions at either end with a central portion acting as the holding means in use.
21. A device according to any preceding claim wherein said device is formed from a material selected from the group consisting of chromatography paper, hydrogel-like materials, cotton, absorbent celluloses, activated charcoal and nylon.
22. A method of removing solution from a receptacle employing a device according to claims 1 - 21 wherein said method comprises the steps of: holding said device by the holding means, inserting the substantially stiff absorbing portion into said receptacle in an orientation so as to substantially avoid contact between said absorbent portion and a pellet formed in said receptacle, leaving said absorbent portion in said receptacle for a time sufficient to substantially remove said solution, and removing said absorbent portion from
SUBSTTTUTE SHEET (RULE 26) said receptacle when substantially avoiding contact between said absorbent portion and said pellet.
EP00976191A 1999-11-19 2000-11-20 Absorbent dipper for solvent extraction Withdrawn EP1236031A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB9927267 1999-11-19
GBGB9927267.6A GB9927267D0 (en) 1999-11-19 1999-11-19 Absorbent dipper
PCT/GB2000/004407 WO2001036935A1 (en) 1999-11-19 2000-11-20 Absorbent dipper for solvent extraction

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP1236031A1 true EP1236031A1 (en) 2002-09-04

Family

ID=10864733

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP00976191A Withdrawn EP1236031A1 (en) 1999-11-19 2000-11-20 Absorbent dipper for solvent extraction

Country Status (4)

Country Link
EP (1) EP1236031A1 (en)
AU (1) AU1406801A (en)
GB (1) GB9927267D0 (en)
WO (1) WO2001036935A1 (en)

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP2150346A4 (en) 2007-05-30 2012-08-01 Ge Healthcare Bio Sciences Ab DEVICE AND METHOD FOR SEPARATING PROTEINS AND OTHER BIOMOLECULES

Family Cites Families (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4952518A (en) * 1984-10-01 1990-08-28 Cetus Corporation Automated assay machine and assay tray
GB2236123A (en) * 1989-04-19 1991-03-27 Pall Corp Diagnostic device with porous, absorbent fabric
JPH08178926A (en) * 1994-10-25 1996-07-12 Sumitomo Pharmaceut Co Ltd Immunoassay plate and its use
ZA959940B (en) * 1994-11-28 1996-06-10 Akzo Nobel Nv Sample collection device
DE69816663T2 (en) * 1997-10-27 2004-04-15 Idexx Laboratories, Inc. DEVICE FOR DETERMINING ANALYTES IN SOLUTIONS

Non-Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
See references of WO0136935A1 *

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
WO2001036935A1 (en) 2001-05-25
AU1406801A (en) 2001-05-30
GB9927267D0 (en) 2000-01-12

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