JP2008068892A - Sample storage system for drug discovery - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sample storage system for drug discovery, which increases the storage capacity of a 384 tube, suppresses deterioration in a sample stored, and surely prints a secondary code for identifying each 384 tube in a short period of time, and accurately read the code. <P>SOLUTION: The sample storage system for drug discovery comprises: a microtube 120 for encapsulating the sample for drug discovery; and a storage rack for vertically housing the plurality of microtubes in a grid pattern. The microtube becomes thinner toward a bottom surface from an upper opening, the upper opening is sealed with a sealing film, and the secondary code 127 is printed on the top surface of the sealing film. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a drug discovery sample storage system used for identifying and storing a large number of samples in the field of drug discovery research, particularly genome drug discovery, and more specifically, encloses a drug discovery sample. The present invention relates to a drug sample storage system having a microtube and a storage rack for vertically storing 384 microtubes in a grid pattern.

Conventionally, in fields such as drug discovery research, a solution in which a sample is dissolved is enclosed in a microtube called a microtube, and a plurality of microtubes, for example, 8 rows and 12 columns, are stored in a storage rack partitioned in a grid pattern. In the storage rack divided into 96 pieces, the storage racks were stored vertically and stored and transported. In addition, it is a storage rack of the same size as the 96 storage racks compliant with the SBS (Society for Biomolecular Screening) standard and accommodates smaller microtubes (hereinafter referred to as “384 microtubes”). In addition, a storage rack having a total number of 384 partitions in 16 rows and 24 columns is also known. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).
In addition, in order to identify the sample enclosed in the microtube from the outside, a two-dimensional code is printed on the bottom surface of the microtube with a laser (for example, see Patent Document 2).

In the background, in drug discovery research, especially in the field of genomic drug discovery, drug candidates (lead compounds) can act specifically on receptors (proteins / enzymes, etc.) involved in diseases based on human genome information. Attention has been focused on the discovery of substances that may become lead compounds through the creation of a large number of new and useful chemical compounds (ligands), optimization, screening and preclinical studies. In this series of steps, the probability of finding a lead compound is approximately proportional to the number of new compound materials created. Therefore, it is important for pharmaceutical manufacturers to accelerate the speed of development by automating a large number of compound tests, and to find out how many new compound qualities can be discovered ahead of other companies and lead to new drug development. It has become.
EP 0904841 (FIG. 1, 13th paragraph) US Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0226984 (FIG. 1, paragraphs 20-24)

  However, the conventional drug storage system for drug discovery disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 described above has the following problems.

  FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the 384 tube storage rack 140 disclosed in Patent Document 1. As shown in FIG. This storage rack 140 has a storage rack 140 of the same size as the storage rack conforming to the SBS standard that accommodates 96 tubes, four times the number, that is, 384 cylindrical shapes with bottomed 384 tubes 142. It is to be stored. Therefore, since the bottom surface size of the 96 tubes is reduced to about 1/4, the capacity of the sample that can be accommodated has to be reduced. Further, since the partition wall 149 for forming the storage space 148 partitioned into 16 rows and 24 columns is formed at substantially the same height as the rack frame 143 of the storage rack 140, the thickness of the partition wall 149, The storage area of the 384 tube 142 was reduced, and the capacity of the sample that could be stored was extremely limited compared to the 96-tube tube. Moreover, since the 384 tube 142 is narrowed from the upper opening 146 toward the bottom surface 141 as shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 14, it is difficult to paste or print the identification two-dimensional code on the bottom surface. there were.

  On the other hand, FIG. 15 shows a partial cross-sectional view of the 384-tube storage rack 150 disclosed in Patent Document 2.

  As in FIG. 14, the 384 tube storage rack 150 has four times as many storage racks 150 as the storage rack 150 compliant with the SBS standard, which accommodates 96 tubes, that is, 384 tubes 152. Is to be stored. This 384 tube storage rack 150 has a rectangular tube shape in which the horizontal section of the 384 tube 152 has a quadrangular shape, thereby increasing the capacity of the 384 tube storage rack 150 compared to the 384 tube 142 having the cylindrical shape shown in FIG. ing.

  However, in this 384 tube storage rack 150, the partition wall 159 extends to the shoulder portion 154 of the 384 tube 152, and a chamfered portion (not shown) is provided at the corner of the outer surface of the 384 tube 152. Therefore, a slight gap is formed in the corner portion of the storage space 158 having a square upper surface, and the storage volume is reduced accordingly. Further, a detachable connecting portion 151 is provided at the base of the 384 tube 152, and a two-dimensional code 157 for identifying each 384 tube 152 is formed on the bottom surface 151a portion of the connecting portion 151 by laser irradiation. It is formed by printing.

  However, since the two-dimensional code 157 is formed on the bottom surface 151a (not shown), the push-up rod used when the 384 tube 152 is pulled out comes into contact with the two-dimensional code 157, and is easily damaged. The black and white pattern of the two-dimensional code 157 may be crushed and misidentified when the solution adhering to the outer peripheral side surface of the 384 tube 152 permeates into the bottom surface 151a of the connecting portion 151 by mistake. Moreover, since the two-dimensional code 157 is formed on each bottom surface 151a of the connecting portion 151 by laser irradiation, it takes time and effort. Furthermore, before the opening 156 is sealed, there is a concern that moisture or dust in the laboratory enters the 384 tube 152 and the quality of the sample sealed in the 384 tube 152 deteriorates.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to increase the accommodation volume of the 384 tube, suppress deterioration of the contained sample, and reliably print and accurately read a two-dimensional code for identifying each 384 tube in a short time. The object is to provide a drug storage system for drug discovery.

  The invention according to claim 1 is a drug discovery sample storage system having a microtube for enclosing a drug discovery sample and a storage rack for vertically storing a plurality of the microtubes in a grid pattern, wherein the microtube has an upper opening. The above-mentioned problem is solved by being narrowed from the bottom to the bottom, the upper opening is sealed with a sealing film, and a two-dimensional code is printed on the upper surface of the sealing film To do.

  The material of the microtube and storage rack is not particularly limited, but is low-priced polypropylene (PP) excellent in chemical resistance and heat resistance, or excellent in impact resistance, cold resistance, and dimensional stability. Polycarbonate (PC) or the like is preferably used. Moreover, as a material of the sealing film, a plastic seal such as polypropylene (PP) or an aluminum seal is preferably used. Furthermore, the means for sealing the upper opening of the microtube with a sealing film is not particularly limited, but the upper opening of the microtube is covered with the sealing film and then heated from above the sealing film. A heating method in which the upper opening of the sealing film and / or the microtube is slightly melted and fused, or an adhesive method in which the adhesive is bonded with an adhesive is preferably used.

  The “printing” in the present invention includes printing by a normal printer such as a sublimation thermal transfer method and an ink jet method, dot printing by laser irradiation, and the like.

  Further, a two-dimensional code is printed on a single sealing film in advance corresponding to the storage position of each 384 tube in the storage rack, and the 384 tubes are vertically stored in a grid pattern in the storage rack. It is possible to attach to the upper opening of the microtube, and then separate each microtube. After sealing the upper opening of the microtube with a sealing film, a two-dimensional code is printed on the upper surface of the sealing film. Is also possible.

  The invention according to claim 2 further solves the above-mentioned problem by the fact that the horizontal cross section of the microtube has a quadrangular shape in addition to the configuration of the invention according to claim 1.

  In addition to the configuration of the invention according to claim 1 or 2, the invention according to claim 3 is purged with an inert gas immediately before sealing the microtube with a sealing film, thereby It will be further solved.

  According to the invention of claim 1, in the drug discovery sample storage system having a microtube for enclosing a drug discovery sample and a storage rack for vertically storing a plurality of the microtubes in a grid pattern, the microtube has an upper opening. The upper opening is sealed with a sealing film, and the two-dimensional code is printed on the upper surface of the sealing film, so that it can be stored in a storage rack. In addition, a two-dimensional code for identifying each 384 tube can be reliably printed in a short time and read accurately. In addition, since the two-dimensional code is printed on the sealing film that seals the upper opening, it is possible to suppress wear and become unreadable, and when the two-dimensional code is printed or pasted on the bottom surface of the microtube Since a larger two-dimensional code can be used, the amount of information that can be expressed by the two-dimensional code can be increased.

  According to the invention according to claim 2, in addition to the effect of the invention according to claim 1, the horizontal cross section of the microtube is a quadrangular rectangular tube shape, so that the conventional microtube having a cylindrical shape can be obtained. The storage volume and opening can be increased, and a larger two-dimensional code can be used compared to a conventional drug storage system with a two-dimensional code printed on the bottom. It is possible to further increase the amount of information that can be generated. In addition, the enlarged opening facilitates insertion of the dispenser nozzle, that is, piercing, and improves sealing characteristics and gas purge performance.

  According to the invention according to claim 3, in addition to the effect of the invention according to claim 1 or claim 2, by purging with the inert gas immediately before sealing the microtube with the sealing film, It is possible to prevent moisture and dust from entering the microtube and deteriorating the quality of the enclosed sample.

  Next, a preferred embodiment of the drug discovery sample storage system of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows a drug discovery container in which four 384 tubes 120 in which an upper opening is sealed with a sealing film and a two-dimensional code is printed on the upper surface of the sealing film are stored in the storage rack 110 of the drug discovery sample storage system 100. A perspective view of the sample storage system 100 is shown. FIG. 2 is a top view of the storage rack 110 with the four 384 tubes 120 shown in FIG. The storage rack 110 has a grid-like partition wall 119 having a height lower than that of the rack frame 113 and the length of the 384 tube 120 partitioned in a grid pattern inside. A tube support pin 111 is vertically suspended from the intersection of the grid.

  In order to show the relationship between the storage rack 110 and the 384 tube 120 in more detail, FIG. 5 shows an enlarged perspective view of a portion denoted by reference numeral V in FIG. As is clear from this figure, the upper opening 126 of the 384 tube 120 is sealed with a sealing film 128, and a two-dimensional code 127 is printed on the upper surface thereof. Further, immediately before sealing with the sealing film 128, for example, an inert gas such as argon is sprayed to purge moisture and dust. By doing so, the quality of the sample enclosed inside is improved. When the two-dimensional code 127 is printed on the upper surface of the sealing film 128, there is a suspicion that the 384 tube 120 may not be identified when the enclosed sample is opened or the dispenser nozzle is inserted and taken out. Since 120 is basically used in a disposable manner, if it can be identified until just before the sample is analyzed, there is no particular problem because it is not necessary thereafter.

  FIG. 6 is a top view of the state in which the sealing film 128 covering the upper opening 126 of one 384 tube 120 shown in FIG. 5 is removed. Further, FIG. 7 is a vertical sectional view when cut vertically at the position indicated by the line VII-VII in FIG.

  As is apparent from FIGS. 6 and 7, the 384 tube 120 has a rectangular shape with a horizontal section being a square shape and a slight taper toward the bottom surface 121. The corner portions 122 on the outer four side surfaces of the 384 tube 120 are chamfered, and a step portion 124 having a crank-shaped cross section is formed at a position where it abuts on the upper surface of the partition wall 119. This shape prevents the 384 tube 120 from slipping through the partition wall 119 and falling. The bottom surface 121 of the 384 tube 120 is flat, but the inner bottom surface 123 is shaped like a mortar with an inclination toward the center of the bottom. With this shape, when the solution in the 384 tube is extracted with a pipette or the like, the residue is minimized. Furthermore, the upper surface of the upper opening 126 of the 384 tube 120 is cut obliquely from the inner side toward the outer side, thereby improving the weldability and adhesion when sealing the sealing film 128.

  3 is a vertical cross-sectional view when cut at the position indicated by the line III-III in FIG. FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line IV in FIG. The member denoted by reference numeral 113 shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 is a rack frame and plays a role of increasing the rigidity of the storage rack 110.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 7, tube locking convex portions 125 a are provided at equal distances from the bottom surface 121 on each of the four outer side surfaces of the lower portion of the 384 tube 120. When the 384 tube 120 is inserted into a grid-like section surrounded by the four partition walls 119 of the storage rack 110, the tube locking projection 125 a comes into contact with the upper surface of the partition wall 119. Then, the partition wall 119 and the tube locking projection 125a are elastically deformed, and the tube locking projection 125a comes out below the partition wall 119.

  At this time, the partition wall 119 and the tube locking projection 125a are in point contact with each other, and the height of the partition wall 119 is lower than the length of the 384 tube 120. For example, as shown in FIG. It can be inserted with less force than the 384 tube storage rack. Further, once the tube locking projection 125a is pulled out below the partition wall 119, the 384 tube 120 does not pop out even if vibration or impact is applied to the storage rack 110. When the specific 384 tube 120 accommodated in the storage rack 110 is pulled out, it can be easily pulled out by pushing from the lower side of the storage rack 110. Since the storage rack 110 and the 384 tube 120 are structured as described above, the 384 tube 120 can be smoothly inserted and removed.

  In Example 1 described above, the example in which the tube locking convex portions are provided at the same distance from the bottom surface 121 on the outer four side surfaces of the lower portion of the 384 tube 120 is disclosed. Various examples of the distance from the bottom surface 121 can be considered. Next, several embodiments will be disclosed. In addition, since the Example shown below only differs in the aspect of a tube latching convex part, only the reference code of the tube latching convex part is changed, and the reference numerals used in Example 1 are used for other parts. It is the same.

  8 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 9 is a side view of the 384 tube 120 shown in FIG. The upper opening 126 of the 384 tube 120 is sealed with a sealing film 128, and a two-dimensional code 127 is printed on the upper surface thereof. Further, immediately before sealing with the sealing film 128, for example, an inert gas such as argon is sprayed to purge moisture and dust.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 9, two tube locking convex portions 125b and 125c are provided on the outer four side surfaces of the lower portion of the 384 tube 120 by changing the height from the bottom surface. That is, the tube locking projection 125b is provided at a height of d1 from the bottom surface 121 of the 384 tube 120, and the tube locking projection 125c is provided at a height of d2 from the bottom surface 121 of the 384 tube 120. d1 and d2 have a relationship of d1 <d2, and specifically, d1 has a relationship of 1.5 mm and d2 has a relationship of 2 mm. Since the fitting force is dispersed by shifting the positions of the four tube locking projections 125b and 125c in this manner, the 384 tube 120 can be easily inserted into and removed from the storage rack 110.

  FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing still another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 11 is a side view of the 384 tube 120 shown in FIG. The upper opening 126 of the 384 tube 120 is sealed with a sealing film 128, and a two-dimensional code 127 is printed on the upper surface thereof. Further, immediately before sealing with the sealing film 128, for example, an inert gas such as argon is sprayed to purge moisture and dust.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the tube locking projections 125d and 125e are provided on the outer four side surfaces of the lower portion of the 384 tube 120 with different sizes. Specifically, the tube locking convex portion 125d has a radius R1 of 0.3 mm, and the tube locking convex portion 125e has a radius R2 of 0.25 mm. By changing the size of the tube locking projections 125d and 125e in this way, the force for fitting is reduced, so that the 384 tube 120 can be easily inserted into and removed from the storage rack.

  12 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 13 is a side view of the 384 tube 120 shown in FIG. The upper opening 126 of the 384 tube 120 is sealed with a sealing film 128, and a two-dimensional code 127 is printed on the upper surface thereof. Further, immediately before sealing with the sealing film 128, for example, an inert gas such as argon is sprayed to purge moisture and dust.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the tube locking convex portion 125f is provided on only one of the four outer side surfaces of the lower portion of the 384 tube 120. In this way, by changing the number of the tube locking projections, the force at the time of fitting is reduced, so that the 384 tube 120 can be easily inserted into and removed from the storage rack.

  The present invention uses a storage rack of the same size as the conventional 96 storage rack, increases the storage volume when storing 384 tubes, suppresses deterioration of the stored samples, Providing a sample storage system for drug discovery that is capable of reliably printing the two-dimensional code to be identified in a short time and that supports HTS (High Throughput Screening) of the drug discovery process. Industrial applicability Is extremely expensive.

The perspective view of the storage rack in the sample storage system for drug discovery of this invention. The top view of the storage rack shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken along line III-III of the storage rack shown in FIG. 2. The expanded sectional view in the IV section of FIG. The perspective view which shows the support method of the 384 tube by the tube support pin in the V section of FIG. The top view when the sealing film of the upper opening part of the 384 tube of this invention shown in FIG. 5 is removed. FIG. 7 is a vertical sectional view taken along line VII-VII in FIG. 6. The perspective view of 384 tube of Example 2. FIG. The side view of the 384 tube shown in FIG. The perspective view of 384 tube of Example 3. FIG. The side view of the 384 tube shown in FIG. The perspective view of 384 tube of Example 4. FIG. The side view of the 384 tube shown in FIG. The perspective view of the conventional 384 tube and a storage rack. Part of a sectional view of another conventional 384 tube and storage rack.

Explanation of symbols

100 ... Drug storage system 110, 140, 150 ... Storage rack 111 ... Tube support pins 113, 143, 153 ... Rack frames 119, 149, 159 ... Partition walls 120, 142, 152 ... 384 tubes 121, 141, 151a ... bottom surface 123 (of 384 tubes) ... inner bottom surface 124 (of 384 tubes) ... step portions 125a to 125f (of 384 tubes) ... (384 tubes) ) Tube locking projections 126, 146, 156... Openings 127, 157... Two-dimensional code 128... Sealing films 148, 158... Storage space 151.・ Shoulder

Claims (3)

In a drug discovery sample storage system having a microtube for enclosing a drug discovery sample and a storage rack for vertically storing a plurality of the microtubes in a grid pattern,
The microtube is narrowed from the upper opening toward the bottom, the upper opening is sealed with a sealing film, and a two-dimensional code is printed on the upper surface of the sealing film A drug storage system for drug discovery.   The drug storage system for drug discovery according to claim 1, wherein a horizontal cross section of the microtube has a quadrangular shape.   3. The drug discovery sample storage system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the microtube is purged with an inert gas immediately before the microfilm is sealed with the sealing film.

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