JP2006069547A - Container for biological sample - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a container capable of carrying and/or conserving a biological sample such as biological tissues without exposing it to atmospheric air. <P>SOLUTION: The container for the biological sample consists of a substrate and a cover made of polydimethyl siloxane (PDMS), and it is characterized by that the cover made of PDMS has at least one space part for storing the biological sample, and the space part is sealed by the substrate. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a biosample container. More particularly, the present invention relates to a container for transporting or storing a biosample without exposure to the atmosphere.

  Biosamples (eg, cells, proteins, DNA, etc.) collected from humans or animals are transported to a laboratory or laboratory in a state where they are placed or applied on the surface of a glass plate, for example. For example, in order to perform an ELISA method as described in Patent Document 1, a sample is applied to the surface of a glass plate, and the glass plate is transported to an appropriate laboratory for inspection. If the biosample is exposed to the atmosphere during this transportation, the sample will be altered or dried. To prevent this, the resin container is joined to the glass plate with adhesive or tape, or vinyl tape. Alternatively, a cellophane tape or the like has been coated.

  However, in this method, for example, a living tissue (cell) collected by a biopsy method (biopsy) cannot be transported or stored in a living state. The living tissue must be transported to a laboratory or laboratory while maintaining a state in which it is always in contact with physiological saline or other culture solution. For this reason, conventionally, vials and tubes with lids have been used for transporting such living tissue, but these are bulky, and the sample in the container must be taken out with a pipette, etc. Was very bad.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 6-11335

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a user-friendly container that can transport and / or store a biosample such as a living tissue without being exposed to the atmosphere.

  As a means for solving the above-mentioned problems, the invention according to claim 1 comprises a substrate and a cover made of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), and the PDMS cover has at least one space for accommodating a biosample. And the space is hermetically sealed by the substrate.

  Since the PDMS cover self-adsorbs with the substrate, it can be easily detached from the substrate and exhibits high adhesion. Therefore, after placing the biosample on the substrate, cover the cover so that the sample is located in the space of the cover, pierce the micropipette tip from the top of the cover, inject liquid into the space, The biosample can be transported and / or stored while immersed in the liquid. Thereby, the biosample can be maintained in the quality state immediately after collection.

  As means for solving the above-mentioned problems, the invention according to claim 2 is the biosample container according to claim 1, wherein the PDMS cover has a plurality of spaces.

  Thereby, the container for biosamples can be used as, for example, a sealed microtiter plate.

  As a means for solving the above-mentioned problems, the invention according to claim 3 is the biosample container according to claim 2, characterized in that the plurality of spaces are connected to each other by microchannels. .

  Thereby, by injecting the liquid into one space part, the liquid can be simultaneously supplied to the other space parts.

  According to the biosample container of the present invention, a biosample collected by biopsy or the like can be transported and / or stored without alteration, and can be inspected at the time of collection at any time. Unlike conventional vials and containers with lids, it is not bulky and is easy to use because it can be immediately inspected if the cover is peeled off. Also, since the pipette tip is not contaminated, it can be reused any number of times and is economical.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the container of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an example of a biosample container of the present invention. The biosample container 1 of the present invention basically comprises a cover 3 and a substrate 5 made of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). A space portion 7 having a predetermined size is formed in the cover 3, and the space portion 7 is sealed by covering the substrate 3 with the cover 3.

  The material of the substrate 5 must be capable of self-adsorption with the PDMS cover 3 and does not adversely affect the biosample. From such a viewpoint, the substrate 5 is preferably made of, for example, silicon glass, quartz glass, polycarbonate resin, acrylic resin, or the like.

  The number of spaces 7 provided in the PDMS cover 3 is not limited to the illustrated one. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of space portions 7 can be provided. The biosample container 1A of FIG. 2 can also be used as a sealed microtiter plate.

  Further, like the biosample container 1 </ b> B shown in FIG. 3, the space portions 7 can be communicated with each other through the microchannel 9. According to this, by injecting the liquid into one space portion 7, it is possible to supply the liquid to other space portions 7 at the same time.

  FIG. 4 is an explanatory view illustrating an example of a method for using the biosample container of the present invention. As shown in step (A), when the biosample 11 such as a biological tissue collected by biopsy is placed on the substrate 5, the sample 11 is accommodated in the space 7 of the PDMS cover 3. Then, cover 3 is placed on substrate 5. The PDMS cover 3 is self-adsorbed to the substrate 5 and the airtightness of the space 7 is maintained. Next, as shown in step (B), a micropipette tip 13 is installed at the tip of a known and commonly used dispenser such as a micropipette, and this tip 13 is pierced from the top of the PDMS cover 3 into the space 7. . Thereby, the crack part 15 arises in a PDMS film | membrane, and the crack part 15 is diameter-expanded as the chip | tip 13 descend | falls. When injecting the liquid 17 from the chip 13, the air in the space 7 is released from the gap existing between the chip 13 and the crack 15, so that a certain amount of air can be obtained without providing a special opening for venting air. Liquid can be injected. Instead of the tip 13, a syringe needle can be used. When the liquid injection is completed, the chip 13 is raised and pulled out from the space portion 7 as shown in step (C). Since the PDMS rubber is elastic, when the chip 13 is pulled out, the crack portion 15 is naturally closed and the sealing property is secured again. Thereafter, as shown in step (D), after being transported to a suitable place such as a laboratory or a laboratory, the PDMS cover 3 is peeled off from the substrate 5 and unnecessary liquid in the space 7 is discarded. Leave only sample 11 for inspection.

  Thus, the biosample 11 collected by biopsy or the like can be inspected as it is collected without altering it. Further, since the pipette tip 13 is not contaminated, it can be reused any number of times and is economical. The method of use shown in FIG. 4 can be equally applied to the biosample containers 1A and 1B shown in FIGS.

  The shape of the PDMS covers 3, 3A and 3B can take any shape such as a columnar shape, a cubic shape, a rectangular parallelepiped shape or the like. The thickness and size can be appropriately determined according to the use of the cover.

  The PDMS covers 3, 3A and 3B shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 can be easily manufactured by a known and commonly used photolithography method described in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-157855. it can. Such a manufacturing method by photolithography is well known to those skilled in the art and need not be described in detail.

  The biosample container of the present invention can be suitably used in various fields such as medicine, veterinary medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, life science, food, agriculture, and fisheries. In particular, the biosample container of the present invention is an optimal instrument for fluorescent antibody method, in situ hybridization, etc., such as immunological disease test, cell culture, virus fixation, pathological test, cytology, biopsy histology, blood test, bacteria It can be used inexpensively and conveniently in a wide range of areas such as testing, protein analysis, DNA analysis, and RNA analysis.

It is outline | summary sectional drawing of an example of the container for biosamples of this invention. It is a general | schematic sectional drawing of another example of the container for biosamples of this invention. It is an outline sectional view of other examples of the container for biosamples of the present invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the usage method of the container for biosamples of this invention shown by FIG.

Explanation of symbols

1, 1A, 1B Biosample container of the present invention 3, 3A, 3B PDMS cover 5 Substrate 7 Space 9 Microchannel 11 Biosample 13 Pipette tip 15 Crack 17 Liquid

Claims (3)

It comprises a substrate and a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) cover, and the PDMS cover has at least one space for accommodating a biosample, and the space is sealed by the substrate. Biosample container to be used. The biosample container according to claim 1, wherein the PDMS cover has a plurality of spaces. The biosample container according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of spaces are connected to each other by microchannels.

Images