JP2002131220A - Microarray chip - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To inexpensively and highly accurately form a transparent substrate to be used for a microarray chip, to prevent adjacent specifically coupling substances from coupling with one another, when a large number of the specifically coupling substances are applied in a high-density matrix onto the transparent substrate, and to prevent test specimens from being supplied to the different specifically coupling substances, when the test specimens are dropped by a pipette, etc., to each specifically coupling substance. SOLUTION: In the microarray chip, in which a large number of the known specifically coupling substances 12 to be coupled with the test specimens 15 which emit light by exciting light, are arranged on the transparent substrate 11, the transparent substrate is constituted of a plastic material, of which the light emission by the excitation light is low. Housing parts 13 for separating and housing each of the known specifically coupling substances are provided in the transparent substrate.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a microarray chip used for DNA analysis, immunological analysis, and the like, and in particular, a known specific binding substance that binds to an analyte that emits light by excitation light is provided on a transparent substrate. The present invention relates to a microarray chip having a large number of arrays.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, the technology in the field of genetic engineering has been rapidly developed, and for example, the human genome project aimed at decoding the base sequence of the human genome, which is considered to reach 100,000, has been developed. As one of the methods, a microarray technology using a microarray chip has attracted attention.

In this microarray technology, as shown in FIG. 1, a transparent substrate 1 such as a slide glass is used.
a) a microarray chip 1 in which specific binding substances 1b, such as different kinds of cDNA, which have already been decoded, are applied as dots at predetermined intervals in a matrix at a high density.
Is used.

[0004] The microarray chip 1 on which the specific binding substance 1b is coated at a high density in the form of a matrix, for example, an analyte such as DNA which emits light by excitation light using a fluorescent dye. Is dropped by using a pipette or the like, and the specimen is hybridized with an appropriate specific binding substance 1b provided on a microarray chip.

Thereafter, the microarray chip 1 is scanned and irradiated with excitation light for exciting the above-mentioned fluorescent dye, and the fluorescence at the position where the subject is hybridized with the known specific binding substance 1b is detected by a photodetector. The detection is performed to detect at which position on the microarray chip 1 the specific binding substance 1b has bound to the analyte, thereby identifying the analyte.

Here, as a transparent substrate 1a of such a microarray chip 1, a slide glass or the like has generally been used in the past.

However, in the case of the slide glass, there are problems that the material cost is high, the molding is difficult, and the thickness tends to vary.

In the conventional microarray chip 1, when a large number of specific binding substances 1b are applied as dots at high density in a matrix at predetermined intervals on the transparent substrate 1a as described above, adjacent specific bonding substances 1b are applied. Binding substance 1b
Binds to each other, and DN binds to each specific binding substance 1b.
When the sample such as A is dropped by a pipette or the like, there is a problem that the sample is supplied to a different specific binding substance 1b.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems in a microarray chip in which a large number of known specific binding substances to be bound to an analyte emitting light by excitation light are arranged on a transparent substrate. That is the task.

That is, according to the present invention, a transparent substrate used for a microarray chip can be formed at low cost and with high precision, and when a large number of specific binding substances are applied in a matrix at a high density on a transparent substrate, adjacent substrates can be formed. It is possible to reliably prevent the analyte from being supplied to a different specific binding substance when a matching specific binding substance is bound or when the analyte is dropped onto each specific binding substance with a pipette or the like. It is an object to do so.

[0011]

In the microarray chip according to the present invention, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a known specific binding substance 12 to be bound to a subject 15 which emits light by excitation light is provided on a transparent substrate 11. In the microarray chip in which a large number is arranged, the transparent substrate 11 is made of a plastic material which emits light with low excitation light.

When the transparent substrate 11 is made of a plastic material that emits a low amount of light due to excitation light that causes the subject 15 to emit light, as in the microarray chip of the present invention, the portion where the specific binding substance 12 and the subject 15 are bound The luminescence in other regions is suppressed, and the luminescence in the portion where the specific binding substance 12 and the analyte 15 are bound is appropriately detected.

When a plastic material is used for the transparent substrate 11 as described above, the material cost of the transparent substrate 11 is lower than that of glass, and the molding accuracy is higher.
A highly accurate microarray chip with little thickness variation can be obtained.

Further, when a plastic material is used for the transparent substrate 11 as described above, a housing 13 for separately storing the known specific binding substances 12 may be provided when the transparent substrate 11 is molded. It will be easy to do.

By providing the accommodating portions 13 for separately accommodating the known specific binding substances 12 on the transparent substrate 11 as described above, a large number of specific binding substances 12 are applied in a matrix at a high density. In this case, the specific binding substances 12 adjacent to each other are prevented from binding, and when the test substance 15 is dropped on each specific binding substance 12 with a pipette or the like, the test substance 15 may be different from the next specific binding substance 12. Supply to the binding substance 12 can also be prevented.

Here, in the microarray chip according to the present invention, as a plastic material which emits light from the subject 15 used for the transparent substrate 11 and emits light with low excitation light, for example, hydrogen atoms of polymethyl methacrylate are replaced by fluorine atoms. Fluorine-based plastic materials such as fluorinated polymethyl methacrylate can be used.

[0017]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a microarray chip according to an embodiment of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The microarray chip 10 of this embodiment
In FIG. 1, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the transparent substrate 11 is molded by injection molding or the like using a plastic material that emits light with low excitation light that causes the subject 15 to emit light. , A large number of partition walls 14 are provided laterally at a required interval, and a large number of storage sections 13 are provided on the transparent substrate 11 so that different types of known specific binding substances 12 are separated from each other in the storage sections 13. And housed.

As shown in FIG. 2, each of the accommodating portions 13 accommodating the known specific binding substance 1 as described above,
A test object 15 provided with a fluorescent dye so as to emit light by excitation light such as ultraviolet light is supplied by a pipette (not shown) or the like.

When the specimen 15 is supplied to each of the storage sections 13 as described above, the specimen 15 is hybridized with the known specific binding substance 12 stored in the appropriate storage section 13.

Then, the non-hybridized analyte 15 is removed such that only the analyte 15 hybridized with the known specific binding substance 12 remains.

Thereafter, the microarray chip 10
Is irradiated with the excitation light for exciting the above-mentioned fluorescent dye, and the fluorescence in the portion where the subject 15 to which the fluorescent dye is added is hybridized with the known specific binding substance 12 is detected by a photodetector (FIG. (Not shown) to detect which known specific binding substance 12 contained in the containing portion 13 of the microarray chip 10 and the subject 15 have bound,
Thus, the subject 15 is specified.

Here, when the test substance 15 to which the fluorescent dye has been applied as described above detects the fluorescence in the portion hybridized with the known specific binding substance 12 with the photodetector, the microarray chip 10 of this embodiment is used. Since the transparent substrate 11 is made of a plastic material that emits a low amount of light due to the excitation light that causes the subject 15 to emit light as described above, the portion where the subject 15 is hybridized with the known specific binding substance 12 is used. Of the specimen 1
5 can appropriately detect a portion hybridized with the known specific binding substance 12.

As shown in FIG. 4, a transparent substrate 11 is provided so that it is possible to easily confirm in which receiving section 13 of the microarray chip 10 fluorescence has been detected.
The columns a, b, c,
. Can be numbered 1, 2, 3, 4,... In the rows.

In the microarray chip 10 of this embodiment, a large number of partition walls 14 are provided on the transparent substrate 11 vertically and horizontally at a required interval, and a large number of accommodation sections 13 are provided on the transparent substrate 11. However, as shown in FIG. 5, it is also possible to provide a housing 13 comprising a large number of recesses on the transparent substrate 11 at required intervals in the vertical and horizontal directions. Is not particularly limited, and for example, can be formed in a square shape, a circular shape, or the like.

[0026]

As described in detail above, in the microarray chip according to the present invention, the transparent substrate is made of a plastic material that emits light with low excitation light that emits light from the subject. The emission of light at the part where is bonded to the substrate is properly detected, and the material cost of the transparent substrate is lower than that of glass so that the transparent substrate can be manufactured at a low cost. It has become possible to obtain a high-precision microarray chip with little variation or the like.

Further, when the transparent substrate is made of a plastic material as described above, it is possible to easily provide the accommodating portions for separately accommodating the known specific binding substances on the transparent substrate.

By providing the accommodating portions for separately accommodating the known specific binding substances on the transparent substrate as described above, when a large number of specific binding substances are applied in a matrix at a high density, adjacent specific binding substances can be placed adjacent to each other. The specific binding substances that match each other can be reliably prevented from binding to each other, and when the analyte is dropped on each specific binding substance with a pipette or the like, the analytes are placed next to different specific binding substances. Is also prevented, and accurate detection can be performed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a conventional microarray chip.

FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of a microarray chip according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the microarray chip according to the same embodiment.

FIG. 4 shows a microarray chip according to the same embodiment in which a,
FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged explanatory view showing a state where reference numerals b, c,... are assigned numbers 1, 2, 3, 4,.

FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing a modified example of a housing provided on a transparent substrate in the microarray chip according to the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 10 Microarray chip 11 Transparent substrate 12 Specific binding substance 13 Housing 15 Subject

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. In a microarray chip in which a number of known specific binding substances 12 to be bound to a subject 15 which emits light by excitation light are arranged on a transparent substrate 11, the transparent substrate 11 is moved by the excitation light. A microarray chip comprising a plastic material having low light emission. 2. The microarray chip according to claim 1, wherein said transparent substrate 11 is provided with storage portions 13 for separately storing known specific binding substances 12.