JP2007101460A - Capillary array - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve a problem wherein much time is required and much distress is imparted to a worker, because positions of 96 hollow electrodes are corrected in some case in a post process, since a plurality of hollow electrodes is precisely provided to form 8×12 of matrix at first in a conventional production flow of a load header, but since the positions of the hollow electrodes are changed in ultrasonic fusion in the post process to contact erroneously in work in the post process and to generate defective work such as bending because the positions are provided precisely initially. <P>SOLUTION: Structure of the load header for this capillary array used in an electrophoretic device is provided with a conductive sponge in an outside of the each hollow electrode, and the plurality of hollow electrodes is electrically connected therebetween. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for separating and analyzing nucleic acids, proteins and the like by electrophoresis, for example, a capillary electrophoresis apparatus.

  Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-365262 discloses a capillary electrophoresis apparatus. Here, the load header, which is the sample introduction part of the capillary array, has a solderless spring connection including a plurality of hollow electrodes and a conductive connection plate in spring contact with the outer surface. For example, the connecting plate forms a claw-like spring on SUS and is in spring contact. The connection plate may be made of conductive rubber.

  The production flow of the load header is also described. First, 96 hollow electrodes are bonded to the holder in an 8 × 12 matrix with high accuracy. Thereafter, conductive rubber is inserted and the lid is ultrasonically welded.

  In Japanese Patent Application No. 2002-361107, in order to eliminate gel deterioration due to temperature rise in the load header section and stabilize electrophoresis, a solid electrode is passed between the hollow electrode and each capillary. Alternatively, the load header has a structure filled with a heat transfer medium selected from liquid or gel. In order to realize this, after filling the capillary guide hole with the filling adhesive, pressure is applied to the filling adhesive to fill the gap with the filling adhesive.

JP 2002-365262 A Japanese Patent Application No. 2002-361107

  In the conventional load header production flow, first, a plurality of hollow electrodes are accurately produced in an 8 × 12 matrix. However, the position of the hollow electrode is changed by ultrasonic welding in the subsequent process. In addition, since the position is accurately obtained first, it is accidentally contacted in the work in the subsequent process, and a work defect such as bending is caused. Therefore, since the position is corrected while observing as many as 96 hollow electrodes manually in a later step, it takes a lot of time and causes great pain to the operator.

  In addition, the inside of the hollow electrode must be filled with a filling adhesive for migration stability, so the filling adhesive is filled from the capillary guide hole. The agent may enter a slight gap between the conductive rubber, which is the connection plate, and the hollow electrode, and some hollow electrodes may have high contact resistance, and there is concern that all 96 resistors are stable contact resistances. Is a state that remains.

  The present invention relates to a structure of a load header of a capillary array used in an electrophoresis apparatus, comprising a conductive sponge on the outside of a hollow electrode and electrically connecting a plurality of hollow electrodes.

  Preferably, an adhesive blotting sheet is provided on the conductive sponge.

  According to the present invention, the positioning accuracy of the plurality of hollow electrodes of the load header is simple, and manual correction work is eliminated.

  Further, the resistance between the plurality of hollow electrodes can be made uniform.

  The above and other novel features and benefits of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, the drawings are for explanation only, and do not limit the scope of the present invention.

  FIG. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of the electrophoresis apparatus. FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the capillary head. FIG. 3 shows a schematic sectional view in the vicinity of the polymer filling block. FIG. 4 shows a schematic flow diagram of the analysis procedure. The outline of the electrophoresis apparatus will be described below with reference to these drawings.

  The electrophoresis apparatus in the present embodiment (hereinafter referred to as “this apparatus”) uses a plurality of capillaries filled with an electrophoresis medium, introduces a sample into each capillary, and separates and analyzes the sample components in the sample. To do. For example, 384 samples of DNA-containing samples can be analyzed simultaneously to analyze the base sequence.

  The basic configuration of this apparatus is a capillary array, an irradiation optical unit, a detection optical unit, an autosampler unit, an electrophoresis medium filling unit, a power supply unit, and a temperature control unit.

  The capillary array 101 is a detachable exchange member composed of a plurality of capillaries 102, and is exchanged for a new one when the quality deteriorates due to a predetermined number of analyzes and the separation performance decreases. When the measurement technique is changed, the length of the capillaries 102 can be adjusted by exchanging the capillaries 102 with capillaries 102 having different lengths. The capillary array 101 includes a sample introduction unit 104 that introduces a sample into the capillary 102, an irradiation unit 103 that irradiates the separated sample with excitation light, and a capillary head 107 that bundles a plurality of capillaries.

  The capillary 102 is a thin tube having an inner diameter of several tens to several hundreds of microns and an outer diameter of several hundreds of microns, and the surface is coated to improve the strength. The electrophoresis path is formed by filling the inside of the capillary 102 with the electrophoresis medium. By applying a voltage to both ends of the electrophoresis path, the sample can be electrophoretically separated.

  In this embodiment, a quartz vip having an overall length of 40 cm, an outer diameter of 360 μm, and an inner diameter of 50 μm is used so that the light generated in the capillary 102 propagates through the inside. In the irradiation unit 103 that is about 30 cm away from the sample introduction unit 104, the fluorine coating is removed in order to efficiently irradiate the sample in the capillary 102 with the laser beam 122. A capillary array 101 is formed by bundling 384 capillaries 102. The number of capillaries 102 is not limited to 384, and may be 1, 8, 16, 96, 192, or the like. If necessary, the capillary 102 may be coated with polyimide.

  The sample introduction unit 104 has the sample introduction end 105 of the capillary 102 arranged in alignment with the well of the sample container 147, and can introduce a plurality of samples held in each well into the migration path.

  In this embodiment, the sample introduction end 105 is formed by inserting the tip of the capillary 102 into the hollow electrode 106, and the sample introduction end 105 is arranged in 24 rows and 16 columns to constitute the sample introduction portion 104. At the sample introduction end 105, the tip of the capillary 102 protrudes slightly from the hollow electrode 106. The hollow electrode 106 composed of a stainless steel pipe is electrically connected to a high voltage power source 162. By immersing the sample introduction end 105 in the sample and applying a voltage, the sample can be electrophoresed and introduced into the capillary. The sample introduction method is not limited to electrophoresis, and the sample may be introduced into the electrophoresis path by pressure or dispensing.

  The irradiation unit 103 is a part that irradiates the electrophoresis medium filled in the capillary 102 with the laser light 122 that is excitation light, and can irradiate the sample component subjected to electrophoretic separation with excitation light. The phosphor labeled on the sample component emits light having a wavelength depending on the sample component.

  In this embodiment, 384 capillaries 102 are divided into 4 sets of 96, and 96 capillaries 102 are arranged on 4 glass substrates to form 4 sets of capillary arrays. On each glass substrate, the capillaries 102 are arranged substantially parallel to each other and substantially parallel to the glass substrate. In addition, the removed portions of the fluorine film in each capillary 102 are arranged in a straight line. Here, that the capillaries 102 are substantially parallel to each other and parallel to the glass substrate means that the capillaries have a degree of parallelism that falls within an accuracy error. The eight laser beams 122 irradiated from both sides of each glass substrate by the irradiation optical unit propagate through the polyimide film removal portions in the plurality of capillaries 102, respectively, and excite the samples in the capillaries 102 simultaneously. Although four sets of capillary arrays are formed, the present invention is not limited to this, and one set, two sets, three sets, etc. may be used.

  The capillary head 107 holds a plurality of capillaries in a bundle and can be attached to and detached from the apparatus main body. As shown in FIG. 2, the capillary head 107 of this embodiment holds the end portions 108 of the capillaries in a matrix of 64 rows and 6 columns. A part of the fluorescence generated from the sample component in the irradiation unit 103 is totally reflected on the inner surface of the capillary 102 and propagates through the capillary 102, is emitted from the terminal unit 108, and is detected by the detection optical unit. Further, the capillary head 107 can be connected to the polymer filling block 152 in a pressure-resistant and airtight manner. Then, a new electrophoresis medium can be filled into the capillary 102 from the end portion 108 by the electrophoresis medium filling unit. Note that the terminations 108 may be arranged in a matrix of 96 rows and 4 columns or 48 rows and 8 columns as needed, or may be simply converged into one.

  The irradiation optical unit is a mechanism that irradiates the irradiation unit 103 of the capillary array 101 with laser light 122 that is excitation light. The irradiation optical unit of this embodiment includes a laser light source 112, a beam splitter A124, a mirror A125, a beam splitter B126, a mirror B127, and a condenser lens 128.

The laser light source 112 is, for example, an argon ion laser, and is a multiline that oscillates a laser beam 122 having wavelengths of 488 nm and 514.5 nm and an output of 100 mW. The beam splitter A 124 and the mirror A 125 divide the laser beam 122 into two parts so that the capillary array of the irradiation unit 103 can be irradiated from both sides. The six beam splitters B126, the two mirrors B127, and the condenser lens 128 each adjust the eight laser beams 122 and irradiate the irradiation unit 103 with the laser beams 122. The laser light 122 irradiated to each capillary array propagates to the adjacent capillaries 102 one after another.

  As the laser light source 112, a liquid laser, a gas laser, or a semiconductor laser can be used as appropriate, and an LED may be substituted if necessary. In addition to a multiline, a single line may be used, or two or more types of laser light sources may be combined. Further, the wavelength of the laser beam 122 may be 532 nm or 633 nm as appropriate. Further, the laser beam 122 may be irradiated only from one side of the capillary array, or the laser beam 122 may be irradiated in a time division manner.

  The detection optical unit 131 is a mechanism for detecting light emitted from the sample component. As shown in FIG. 3, the detection optical unit 131 of this embodiment includes a first camera lens 118, an optical prism 134, a second camera lens 135, and a two-dimensional detector 136.

The end face of the capillary head 107 having the end portion 108 is filled with the electrophoresis medium and disposed so as to face the detection window 132 made of non-fluorescent quartz glass through the polymer flow path 154. The light emitted from the end portion 108 passes through the migration medium in the polymer flow path 154, is radiated from the detection window 132, enters the first camera lens 133, and becomes a parallel light flux. The parallel light flux is wavelength-dispersed by the optical prism 134 and imaged on the two-dimensional detector 136 which is a CCD camera by the second camera lens 135. Then, the signal from the CCD camera is processed by a computer to analyze the sample. Instead of the optical prism 134, the wavelength dispersion means may be configured by appropriately combining diffraction gratings and filters. The two-dimensional detector 136 may be configured by appropriately combining a one-dimensional detector, a photomultiplier, a photodiode, and the like and an optical mechanism.

  The autosampler unit is a mechanism that transports and holds each container used for electrophoretic analysis including the sample container 147 to a predetermined position such as directly below the sample introduction unit 104. The autosampler unit of the present embodiment transports the sample container 147, the buffer container 144, the cleaning container 145, and the waste liquid container 146 by the robot arm 142 provided with the claws 143.

  The robot arm 142 includes a claw 143 for fixing each container thereon, and can move three-dimensionally. As a result, each container stored in a predetermined place can be transported directly below the sample introduction unit 104, held at that place for a predetermined time, and returned to the predetermined place.

The buffer container 144 is a container that holds a buffer solution that immerses the sample introduction end 105. During the migration analysis, the buffer solution 144 is transported directly below the sample introduction unit 104 so that the buffer solution immerses the sample introduction end 105. Further, during the standby state of the apparatus, the sample is transported in the same manner as in the electrophoresis analysis, and the sample introduction end 105 is immersed in a buffer solution to prevent the electrophoresis medium in the capillary 102 from being dried.

  The cleaning container 145 is a container that holds a cleaning liquid for cleaning the sample introduction end 105, and is transported directly below the sample introduction unit 104 after loading of the electrophoresis medium, preliminary migration, and sample introduction. By immersing the sample introduction end 105 in the cleaning liquid in the cleaning container, the sample introduction end 105 can be cleaned and contamination can be avoided.

  The waste liquid container 146 is a container for holding a used electrophoresis medium, and receives the used electrophoresis medium that is transported directly below the sample introduction unit 104 when filling the electrophoresis medium and discharged from the sample introduction end 105 when filling the electrophoresis medium. .

The sample container 147 is a container that holds a plurality of trace samples, and is transported immediately below the sample introduction unit 104 when the sample is introduced. In this embodiment, a sample container 147 is configured by placing a septa, which is a resin sheet, on a sample plate having 24 rows and 16 columns of wells capable of holding a sample of several tens of μl, and sandwiching it with a holder and a clip. ing. The sample is, for example, a solution that is fluorescently labeled so as to identify four types of nucleoside base molecules and contains a large number of nucleic acids having an appropriate length (size). The septa usually have a sealed through hole at a position corresponding to the well, and the sample introduction end 105 and the sample can be contacted at the time of sample introduction while preventing the sample in the well from evaporating. Moreover, a protective film can be stuck on the upper surface of the septa to prevent sample evaporation. In addition, the holder and the clip sandwich a sample plate and a septa between them, and are integrated to form a sample container 147 that can be transported by the robot arm 142.

  The electrophoresis medium filling unit shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 is a mechanism for filling the capillary 102 with a polymer as the electrophoresis medium. The electrophoresis medium filling unit of this embodiment includes a polymer filling block 152, a syringe 153, a tube 155, and an electromagnetic valve 156, and can automatically fill the capillary 102 with a new electrophoresis medium before starting analysis.

The polymer filling block 152 has a polymer flow path 154 and a detection window 132, is connected to the syringe 153 and the tube 155, and the capillary head 110 can be attached and detached. The capillary head 110 is mounted on the polymer filling block 152 while maintaining pressure and air tightness. The terminal portion 108 of the capillary head 107 is disposed so as to face the detection window 132, and a region sandwiched between the capillary head 107 and the detection window 132 forms a part of the polymer flow path 154. The polymer flow path 154 communicates with a syringe 153 filled with a migration medium and a tube 155 provided with an electromagnetic valve 156. The other end of the tube 155 is immersed in a buffer solution held in the anode buffer container 163.

  When filling the capillary 102 with the electrophoresis medium, the waste liquid container 146 is disposed immediately below the sample introduction unit 104, the electromagnetic valve 156 is closed, and the plunger of the syringe 153 is pushed. As a result, the electrophoresis medium in the syringe 153 flows into the capillary 102 from the terminal end portion 108 via the polymer channel 154. Further, the used electrophoresis medium in the capillary 102 is discharged from the sample introduction end 105 and received by the waste liquid container 146.

  The power supply unit is a mechanism that applies a voltage to the migration path composed of the migration medium in the capillary 102, and can electrophorese the sample. The power supply unit of this embodiment includes a high voltage power supply 162 that is electrically connected to the hollow electrode 106 and the anode electrode 164 and can generate a high voltage of around 15 kV.

  At the time of sample introduction, the inside of the capillary 102, the polymer channel 154 and the tube 155 is filled with the electrophoresis medium, the sample introduction end 105 is immersed in the sample held in the well of the sample container 147, and the electromagnetic valve 156 is opened. As a result, an energization path comprising the hollow electrode 106, the sample in the well, the capillary 102, the polymer flow path 154, the tube 155, the buffer solution in the anode buffer container 163, and the anode electrode 164 is formed. Then, a pulse voltage is applied to this energization path with the hollow electrode 106 as a negative potential and the anode electrode 164 as a positive potential. As a result, a negatively charged sample component, such as DNA, present in the well is introduced from the sample introduction end 105 into the migration path.

  Also, during the electrophoresis analysis, unlike the sample introduction, the sample introduction end 105 is immersed in a buffer solution held in the buffer container 144. As a result, a current path including the hollow electrode 106, the buffer solution in the buffer solution 144, the capillary 102, the polymer channel 154, the tube 155, the buffer solution in the anode buffer container 163, and the anode electrode 164 is formed. Then, unlike the sample introduction, a high voltage of around 15 kV is applied. As a result, an electric field is generated in the direction from the irradiation unit 103 to the sample introduction unit 104, and the negatively charged sample component introduced into the migration path is electrophoresed in the direction of the irradiation unit 103.

  The temperature control unit is a mechanism for controlling the temperature of the migration path that affects the migration speed of the sample components. The temperature control unit in the present embodiment houses the capillary 102 in a thermostat (not shown). Then, the air maintained at a constant temperature by a temperature control mechanism such as Peltier is circulated in the thermostatic chamber by a blowing mechanism such as a fan, and the capillary 102 is maintained at a predetermined temperature.

  Hereinafter, the basic procedure of electrophoretic analysis will be described mainly with reference to FIG.

  The basic procedure of electrophoretic analysis can be broadly divided into pre-preparation 201, electrophoresis medium filling 203, preliminary electrophoresis 204, sample introduction 205, and electrophoresis analysis 206.

  The operator of this apparatus sets a sample and a reagent in this apparatus as a preliminary preparation before starting analysis (201).

  More specifically, first, the buffer container 144 and the anode buffer container 163 are filled with a buffer solution that forms part of the current path. In addition, a sample to be analyzed is dispensed into the well of the sample container 147. In addition, a cleaning solution for cleaning the sample introduction unit 104 is dispensed into the cleaning container 145. The cleaning solution is pure water, for example.

  Further, a separation medium for electrophoresis of the sample is injected into the syringe 153.

  Furthermore, when the deterioration of the capillary 102 is expected or when the length of the capillary 102 is changed, the capillary array 101 is replaced.

Then, after the preliminary preparation is completed, the operator operates the apparatus and starts analysis (202).

  The electrophoresis medium filling 203 is a procedure for filling the capillary 102 with a new electrophoresis medium and forming an electrophoresis path.

  In the loading of the loading medium 203 in the present embodiment, first, the waste solution 146 is carried directly under the sample introduction unit 104 by the autosampler unit so that the used migration medium discharged from the sample introduction end 105 can be received (211). ).

  Then, the syringe 153 is driven to fill the capillary 102 with a new electrophoresis medium, and the used electrophoresis medium is discarded (212).

  Finally, the sample introduction end 105 is immersed in the cleaning solution in the cleaning container 145, and the sample introduction end 105 soiled with the electrophoresis medium is washed (213).

  The preliminary electrophoresis 204 is a procedure for applying a predetermined voltage to the electrophoresis medium so that the electrophoresis medium is in a state suitable for electrophoresis.

  In the preliminary electrophoresis 204 in the present embodiment, first, the sample introduction end 105 is immersed in the buffer solution in the buffer container 144 by the autosampler unit to form a current path (214).

  Then, a voltage of about several to several tens of kilovolts is applied to the electrophoresis medium for several to several tens of minutes by the power supply unit to bring the electrophoresis medium into a state suitable for electrophoresis (215).

  Finally, the sample introduction end 105 is immersed in the washing solution in the washing container 145, and the sample introduction end 105 soiled with the buffer solution is washed (216).

  The sample introduction 205 is a procedure for introducing sample components into the migration path.

  In the sample introduction 205 in the present embodiment, first, the sample introduction end 105 is immersed in the sample held in the well of the sample container 147 by the autosampler unit. As a result, an energization path is formed, and the sample component is introduced into the migration path (217).

  Then, a pulse voltage is applied to the energization path by the power supply unit, and the sample component is introduced into the migration path (218).

  Finally, the sample introduction end 105 is immersed in the cleaning solution in the cleaning container 145, and the sample introduction end 105 contaminated with the sample is washed (219).

  The migration analysis 206 is a procedure for separating and analyzing each sample component contained in a sample by electrophoresis.

  In the electrophoretic analysis 206 in the present embodiment, first, the sample introduction end 105 is immersed in the buffer solution in the buffer container 144 by the autosampler unit to form a current path (220).

  Then, a high voltage of about 15 kV is applied to the energization path by the power supply unit to generate an electric field in the migration path (221). Due to the generated electric field, each sample component in the migration path moves to the irradiation unit 103 at a speed depending on the property of each sample component. That is, the sample components are separated by the difference in moving speed. And it detects in order from the sample component which reached the irradiation part 103. For example, when the sample includes a large number of DNAs having different base lengths, a difference occurs in the moving speed depending on the base length, and the irradiation unit 103 is reached in order from the DNA having the shorter base length. If a fluorescent substance depending on the terminal base sequence is attached to each DNA, the terminal base sequence can be detected in the order of arrival at the irradiation unit 103.

When the planned data is taken, the voltage application is stopped and the electrophoresis analysis is finished (213).

  The above is a series of analysis procedures. When further analysis is performed, the analysis procedure is advanced from the loading of the migration medium 203.

  Next, FIG. 5 shows a load header according to the present invention and a diagram in which a capillary is bonded and filled in the load header. Hereinafter, the adhesive adsorbing sheet, which is a characteristic mechanism of the present embodiment, will be described with reference to FIG.

  As described above, since the inside of the hollow electrode must be filled with a filling adhesive for migration stability, the filling adhesive is filled from the capillary guide hole. Conventionally, the filled adhesive may enter a slight gap between the conductive rubber, which is a connecting plate, and the hollow electrode, and the contact resistance of several hollow electrodes may increase. However, if the adhesive blotting sheet is formed on the conductive rubber as in this example, excess adhesive is sucked by the blotting sheet and does not reach the gap between the conductive rubber and the hollow electrode. Therefore, in a load header having a structure in which all hollow electrodes are connected by contact resistance, all 96 resistors become stable contact resistances, and all 96 can provide an array capable of stable electrophoresis. That is.

  The adhesive blotting sheet only needs to be able to adsorb a liquid substance having a certain viscosity, such as an adhesive such as blotting paper or nonwoven fabric.

  In this example, the adhesive blotting sheet is mounted as a separate part on the conductive rubber, but a sheet in which the conductive rubber and the blotting sheet are originally attached may be used.

  Further, there is no problem even if the conductive rubber is replaced with a conductive sponge.

In this embodiment, the adhesive does not penetrate to the conductive rubber or the conductive sponge by the adhesive blotting sheet, so that no adhesive enters between each hollow electrode, and the contact resistance of all the hollow electrodes is stable. There are benefits.
Characteristic Procedure FIG. 6 is a flow header production flow diagram of the present invention. FIG. 7 shows a specific method diagram. Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, a method for accurately bonding the hollow electrodes, which is a characteristic procedure of this embodiment, in a matrix shape will be described.

  FIG. 6A shows a conventional procedure for manufacturing a load header. First, the hollow electrode is positioned and bonded accurately. However, deformation may occur during the last step, ultrasonic welding of the lid. One reason is that the lid and the holder may be deformed to some extent. Since the lid is stronger in bending strength than the holder, the holder will follow the shape on the lid side, and even if the positional accuracy of the holder and the hollow electrode is matched and bonded with great accuracy, the positional accuracy of the matrix shape of the hollow electrode is poor. It had become. The contact between the lid and the holder is not always the same, and it is difficult to produce a stable load header.

  FIG. 6B shows a manufacturing procedure diagram of the present invention. In contrast to (A), matrix positioning and bonding of hollow electrodes, which require high accuracy, have been brought to the last step. Therefore, deformation due to ultrasonic welding is completely eliminated.

  FIG. 7 shows a representative concrete example. In (A), a holder is set on a setting jig, and a plurality of hollow electrodes are inserted into holes opened in the holder. Thereafter, a conductive sponge is inserted from the flare side of the hollow electrode. Since it is a conductive sponge, it can be easily stabbed on the flare side of the hollow electrode, and there is no need to perform any processing on the part where the hollow electrode stabs on the conductive sheet side. Separately, the conductive sponge may have slit processing in the same positional relationship as the matrix shape of the hollow electrodes. Thereafter, the adhesive blotting sheet is similarly inserted. This adhesive blotting sheet can be easily mounted in the same manner as the conductive sponge, and may have a slit.

  (B) shows that the lid is ultrasonically welded to the holder made in (A). At this time, the hollow electrode itself is not yet bonded because it is only temporarily held by friction with the conductive sponge. Therefore, the position is not yet decided.

  (C) shows a state in which an adhesive is applied to the base of the hollow electrode inserted into the hole of the holder from the side where the hollow electrode is exposed to the ultrasonic welded lid. Even in this state, the position of the hollow electrode has not yet been determined.

  (D) shows a state where the load header of (C) is set on the hollow electrode positioning jig and the adhesive is cured in a high-temperature bath. Each hollow electrode is positioned by the accurate hole position of the hollow electrode XY positioning plate in the left-right and front-back directions with respect to the paper surface. In the vertical direction, positioning can be performed by pressing the push pin against the lower surface from above. Therefore, if bonded as it is, there is no subsequent process as in (E), and a load header having a hollow electrode that can be accurately positioned is completed.

  Of course, if the filling adhesive is a two-component natural curing type, it is not necessary to wait for it to cure naturally without being placed in a high temperature bath.

  Next, the effect of the conductive sponge will be described with reference to FIGS. First, FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a conventional problem with conductive rubber. (A) shows the state of one hollow electrode after applying the adhesive of FIG. 7 (C). In the case of the conventional conductive rubber, since the rubber itself is hard, it is impossible to pierce the flare portion of the hollow electrode, and a slit is provided. If it is made into a hole, it becomes impossible to conduct, so it can be stabbed, but it is a tight slit so that the hollow electrode and frictional force remain firmly. Moreover, since the position of the slit also varies, the slit is not necessarily cut at an accurate position. In the case of a plate-like material, rubber is easy to bend, but it is very difficult to stretch in the surface direction of the plate. Therefore, the slit position is not accurate, and when the hollow electrode is forcibly inserted into the slit of the tight rubber, a force to push the hollow electrode is generated from the rubber. In other words, it is in a fixed state where it is pushed by force. In this state, when the tip of the hollow electrode is positioned at an accurate position with the hollow electrode XY positioning plate as shown in (B), the conductive rubber portion is not fixed, but is in a semi-fixed state. Become. The bent state is a distorted state in which the portion of the hollow electrode under the adhesive has a compressive force on the left side in the drawing, for example, a tensile force on the right side in the drawing. In this state, after the hollow electrode is fixed with an adhesive, when the hollow electrode XY positioning plate is removed, the bent hollow electrode returns to the original state. Specifically, the compression is released on the left side in the figure. On the right side, the right side releases the tension and acts on the compression, so that the strain is restored and accurate positioning cannot be performed (C).

  FIG. 9 shows a case of a conductive sponge. Compared to rubber, a conductive sponge can be easily stretched not only in a plate shape but also in the surface direction of the plate. Therefore, even if the slit hole position is slightly deviated, it is not semi-fixed. Even if there is no slit and it is pierced with a flare of a hollow electrode, it is very easy to move. Therefore, even if the hollow electrode stabbed as shown in (A) is forced by the hollow electrode XY positioning plate, the contact surface with the conductive sponge is sufficiently flexible and no excessive force is applied to the hollow electrode. Therefore, the hollow electrode is held in a straight and unbent state without distortion. Even if the adhesive is cured in this state and the hollow electrode XY positioning plate is removed, the hollow electrode does not return to its original position, and the hollow electrode is bonded to an accurate matrix position.

  In this embodiment, since a conductive sponge is employed for the connection plate, it is advantageous to provide a load header in which the hollow electrode is accurately positioned.

  In addition, in this embodiment, when a load header is used as a capillary array, the precise position of the hollow electrode has already come out, so that it is not necessary to correct the position.

The schematic perspective view of an electrophoresis apparatus. The schematic perspective view of a capillary head. The schematic sectional drawing of the polymer filling block vicinity. Schematic flow chart of analysis procedure. Configuration of load header and capillary insertion diagram. Road header production flow diagram. The figure which shows the specific example of road header production. The figure which shows the specific example of road header production. The figure which shows the subject of conductive rubber. The figure in the case of a conductive sponge.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101 ... Capillary array, 102 ... Capillary, 103 ... Irradiation part, 104 ... Sample introduction part, 105 ... Sample introduction end, 106 ... Hollow electrode, 107 ... Capillary head, 108 ... Terminal part, 112 ... Laser light source, 121 ... Irradiation optics Unit: 122 ... Laser beam 124 ... Beam splitter A, 125 ... Mirror A, 126 ... Beam splitter B, 127 ... Mirror B, 131 ... Detection optical unit, 132 ... Detection window, 133 ... First camera lens, 134 ... Optical Prism, 135 ... second camera lens, 136 ... two-dimensional detector, 141 ... autosampler unit, 142 ... robot arm, 143 ... hook, 144 ... buffer container, 145 ... washing container, 146 ... waste liquid container, 147 ... sample container 151... Electrophoresis medium filling unit,
152 ... polymer filling block, 153 ... syringe, 154 ... polymer flow path, 155 ... tube, 156 ... solenoid valve, 161 ... power supply unit, 162 ... high voltage power supply, 163 ... anode buffer container, 164 ... anode electrode.

Claims (2)

A capillary array comprising a plurality of capillaries, a plurality of hollow electrodes into which sample introduction ends of the plurality of capillaries are inserted, and a load header that arranges the plurality of hollow electrodes at predetermined positions,
A capillary array comprising a conductive sponge on the outside of a hollow electrode, wherein a plurality of hollow electrodes are electrically connected. The capillary array according to claim 1, wherein
A capillary array comprising an adhesive blotting sheet on the conductive sponge.

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