JP2009168761A - Analyte pretreatment apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an analyte pretreatment apparatus capable of securing the safety of an operator and reducing the risk of contamination by easily, surely and inexpensively sealing an injection port of a micro inspection chip after injecting a pretreated analyte. <P>SOLUTION: The analyte pretreatment apparatus includes a sealing mechanism for sealing the injection port of the micro inspection chip into which the pretreated analyte is injected, with a sealing member. The injection port of the micro inspection chip after injecting the pretreated analyte can thereby be easily, surely and inexpensively sealed to secure the safety of the operator and to reduce the risk of contamination. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to specimen pretreatment for pretreating specimens used for biological substance inspection / analysis by gene amplification reaction, antigen-antibody reaction, etc., inspection / analysis of other chemical substances, chemical synthesis of target compounds by organic synthesis, etc. In particular, the present invention relates to a sample pretreatment apparatus including a sealing mechanism that seals a pretreated specimen after being injected into a micro test chip.

  In recent years, by making full use of micromachine technology and ultrafine processing technology, devices and means (for example, pumps, valves, flow paths, sensors, etc.) for performing conventional sample preparation, chemical analysis, chemical synthesis, etc. have been miniaturized. An analysis chip (hereinafter referred to as a micro inspection chip) integrated on a chip has been developed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  This is also called μ-TAS (Micro Total Analysis System), bioreactor, Lab-on-chip, biochip, and it is used in the medical examination / diagnosis field, environmental measurement field, and agricultural production field. Application is expected. In particular, when complicated processes such as those found in genetic testing, skilled techniques, and operation of equipment are required, micro test chips that excel in automation, speed-up, and simplification are cost-effective and require sample volume. Because it enables analysis not only for the required time but also for any time and place, the benefits are great.

  In a test using a micro test chip as described above, a specimen such as blood used for the test may be injected into the micro test chip after pretreatment such as DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) extraction, concentration, and washing in advance. Many. Usually, the pre-processing is performed manually by an operator or by a dedicated pre-processing device. However, when the pre-processed sample liquid is put into the micro test chip, contamination (mixing, (Hybridization) is a problem, and the accuracy of inspection is lowered. In addition, when the pretreatment is performed manually, the test is not stable depending on the ability of the worker, and there is a risk of infection to the worker by the sample liquid.

  Even when the pretreatment is performed by a dedicated pretreatment device, the conventional pretreatment device can inject the specimen liquid into the micro test chip, but cannot seal the injection port after the injection. If the micro-inspection chip is taken out of the pre-processing apparatus in a state where the inlet is not sealed, there is still a risk of contamination, and there is also some danger when sealing after taking out.

  The micro-inspection chip into which the sample has been injected is connected to a liquid-feeding means such as a micropump within the testing device, and the sample and reagent are mixed and reacted by the liquid-feeding pressure of the liquid-feeding means. And inspections such as illness determination. Therefore, the injection port into which the sample or reagent is injected needs to be tightly sealed so that the sample does not leak outside due to the liquid supply pressure of the liquid supply means. From the viewpoint of safety and contamination, it is important to seal the injection port so that the user of the micro test chip does not accidentally touch the sample.

Thus, for example, FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 of Patent Document 2 show a method of sealing a blood sample after it is introduced from the injection port using a sealable lid attached to a flexible hinge in the manner of snap fastening. Has been.
JP 2004-28589 A JP 9-504608 A

  However, in the method disclosed in Patent Document 2, the injection port is not sealed when the micro inspection chip is taken out from the pretreatment device, and it solves the problems such as ensuring the safety of the worker and reducing the risk of contamination. is not. In addition, the position of the lid on the chip is limited due to the need to form a hinge, a snap, etc., and there is no degree of freedom in arranging the inlet for introducing the sample.

  Further, since the shapes of the hinges and snaps are complicated, the size of the lid is increased, which is against the miniaturization of the micro inspection chip. In addition, since the portion where the injection port of the micro inspection chip is formed is generally composed of a sheet-like member, it is difficult to form a complicated shape such as a hinge or snap, and the cost is also expensive. It is.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and the injection port of the micro test chip after injecting the pretreated specimen can be sealed simply, surely and at low cost, ensuring the safety of the operator and contamination. An object of the present invention is to provide a sample pretreatment apparatus capable of reducing risk.

  The object of the present invention can be achieved by the following constitution.

1. A pre-processing unit for pre-processing the sample to obtain a pre-processed sample;
In the sample pretreatment apparatus comprising a sample injection unit that injects the pretreated sample from the injection port of the micro test chip into the sample storage unit,
A specimen pretreatment apparatus comprising a sealing mechanism that seals the injection port of the micro test chip into which the pretreated specimen has been injected with a sealing member.

  2. 2. The specimen pretreatment apparatus according to 1, wherein the sealing mechanism includes a sealing member holding unit on which the sealing member is mounted.

  3. The sealing member includes a sealing lid for sealing the injection port, a first adhesive layer for adhering the sealing lid provided on one surface of the sealing lid to the injection port, 3. The sample pretreatment apparatus according to 2, comprising a second adhesive layer for adhering the sealing lid provided on the other surface of the sealing lid to the sealing member holding portion.

  4). 4. The specimen pretreatment apparatus according to 3, wherein the second adhesive layer has an adhesive force weaker than that of the first adhesive layer.

  5). The specimen pretreatment device according to 3 or 4, wherein the second adhesive layer has an adhesive area smaller than that of the first adhesive layer.

  6). The specimen pretreatment apparatus according to any one of 3 to 5, wherein the sealing lid has an area larger than an area of the injection port.

  7. The specimen pretreatment device according to any one of 3 to 6, wherein the first adhesive layer is removed from a portion in contact with the injection port.

  8). 8. The specimen pretreatment apparatus according to any one of 2 to 7, wherein the sealing member holding part is replaceable.

  According to the present invention, the micro test chip after injecting the pre-processed specimen is provided with the sealing mechanism that seals the injection port of the micro test chip into which the pre-processed specimen has been injected with the sealing member. Therefore, it is possible to provide a specimen pretreatment apparatus that can easily, reliably, and cost-effectively seal the injection port, and can ensure the safety of workers and reduce the risk of contamination.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described based on the illustrated embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to the embodiment. In the drawings, the same or equivalent parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

  First, a sample pretreatment apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a sample pretreatment apparatus according to the present invention.

  In FIG. 1, the sample pretreatment apparatus 1 includes a chip tray 3, a chip transport port 5, a sample tray 7, a sample transport port 9, and the like. The micro test chip 100 is set on the chip tray 3 and is transported into the sample pretreatment apparatus 1 from the chip transport port 5 by a loading mechanism (not shown). Similarly, the specimen container 11 in which the specimen 151 is stored is set on the specimen tray 7 and is transported into the specimen pretreatment apparatus 1 from the specimen transport port 9 by a loading mechanism (not shown).

  The sample 151 transported into the sample pretreatment apparatus 1 is preprocessed by a preprocessing unit (not shown), and the preprocessed sample 151 is micro-charged from the injection port of the micro test chip 100 by a sample injection unit (not shown). The sample is injected into the specimen container in the test chip 100.

  Next, a method for sealing the injection port of the micro inspection chip 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2A and 2B are perspective views showing an example of a method for sealing the injection port 110 of the micro inspection chip 100. FIG. 2A shows before sealing and FIG. 2B shows after sealing.

  2A, a sheet-like sealing member 301 for sealing the injection port 110 of the micro inspection chip 100 includes a sealing lid 303 and a surface of the sealing lid 303 on the side in contact with the micro inspection chip 100. And a first adhesive layer 305 provided on the surface. The sealing member 301 has a larger area than the injection port 110 so as to completely cover the injection port 110.

  In FIG. 2B, when the sealing member 301 is pressed onto the injection port 110 of the micro test chip 100, the sealing lid 303 is adhered onto the injection port 110 by the first adhesive layer 305. The inlet 110 is sealed.

  FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the micro inspection chip 100 and the sealing member 301 on the surface A indicated by a one-dot chain line in FIG.

  In FIG. 3, the sealing member 301 includes a sealing lid 303 and a first adhesive layer 305 provided on the side of the sealing lid 303 facing the micro inspection chip 100. Also has a large area.

  The micro test chip 100 is bonded to a flow path substrate 101 on the surface of which a groove-shaped flow path for flowing a liquid such as a reagent or a specimen is formed, and a surface of the flow path substrate 101 on which the flow path is formed. It is comprised with the top plate 103 which functions as a cover of the groove-shaped flow path of the road substrate 101.

  Here, on the flow channel substrate 101, a sample storage unit 121 for storing a pre-processed sample 151, a fine flow channel 123 such as a water repellent valve, a flow channel 125, and the like are provided. It is assumed that an injection port 110 is provided for injecting. In addition, it is assumed that the sample storage unit 121 is filled with the pre-processed sample 151, and the fine channel 123 and the channel 125 are filled with air 153.

  The injection port 110 provided in the micro inspection chip 100 is sealed by a sealing lid 303 adhered to the injection port 110 by the first adhesive layer 305. The thickness of the sealing member 301 is preferably several mm or less so as not to interfere with the transport port 5 and the like when being taken out from the sample pretreatment apparatus 1.

  Next, an embodiment of a sealing mechanism provided in the specimen pretreatment apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an embodiment of a sealing mechanism 351 provided in the specimen pretreatment apparatus 1.

  In FIG. 4, the sealing mechanism 351 includes a sealing member holding portion 353, a winding portion 355, a crimping member 357, a roller 359, and the like. The sealing member holding portion 353 is formed by mounting a plurality of sealing members 301 on a sheet 353a and wound in a roll shape, for example, and can be replaced as necessary.

  The sealing member 301 includes a sealing lid 303, a first adhesive layer 305 provided on the side of the sealing lid 303 facing the micro inspection chip 100, and a first adhesive layer 305 of the sealing lid 303. It is comprised from the 2nd adhesion layer 307 provided in the opposite surface. The sealing member 301 is held on the sheet 353 a of the sealing member holding portion 353 by the second adhesive layer 307.

  The adhesive force between the sealing lid 303 and the second adhesive layer 307 is the adhesive force between the sheet 353a and the second adhesive layer 307, and between the sealing lid 303 and the first adhesive layer 305. The adhesive strength and the adhesive strength between the micro test chip 100 and the first adhesive layer 305 are set to be weaker.

  When the sheet 353 a of the sealing member holding unit 353 is wound up by the winding unit 355 and the sealing member 301 reaches the position of the injection unit 110 of the micro test chip 100, the sealing member 301 becomes microscopic by the pressure bonding member 357. It is pressed onto the injection part 110 of the inspection chip 100. As described above, the adhesive force between the sealing lid 303 of the sealing member 301 and the second adhesive layer 307 is set to be weak. Therefore, the sealing lid 303 is adhered to the micro inspection chip 100 by the first adhesive layer, the space between the sealing lid 303 and the second adhesive layer 307 is separated, and the second adhesive layer 307 is placed on the sheet 353a. Remain in.

  As described above, according to the embodiment of the sealing mechanism 351, the sample pretreatment apparatus 1 seals the injection port 110 of the micro test chip 100 into which the preprocessed sample 151 has been injected with the sealing member 301. A sealing mechanism 351 is provided. Then, the sealing mechanism 351 can simply, reliably and cost-effectively seal the injection port 110 of the micro test chip 100 after the pre-processed specimen 151 has been injected. In addition, since the operator does not need to seal the injection port 110 and the micro inspection chip 100 can be taken out with the injection port 110 sealed, the worker's safety is ensured and the risk of contamination is reduced. It is possible to provide a specimen pretreatment apparatus 1 that can be used.

  Next, an example of the sealing member 301 used in the above-described sealing mechanism 351 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  First, a first example of the sealing member 301 used in the sealing mechanism 351 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a first example of the sealing member 301.

  In FIG. 5, the sealing member 301 is the same as that shown in FIG. 4, and includes a sealing lid 303, a first adhesive layer 305 provided on the side of the sealing lid 303 facing the micro inspection chip 100, and a sealing lid. It comprises a second adhesive layer 307 provided on the opposite surface of the stop lid 303 from the first adhesive layer 305. The sealing member 301 is held on the sheet 353 a of the sealing member holding portion 353 by the second adhesive layer 307.

  The adhesive force between the sealing lid 303 and the second adhesive layer 307 is the adhesive force between the sheet 353a and the second adhesive layer 307, and between the sealing lid 303 and the first adhesive layer 305. The adhesive strength and the adhesive strength between the micro test chip 100 and the first adhesive layer 305 are set to be weaker.

  Therefore, when the sealing member 301 is pressed onto the injection portion 110 of the micro inspection chip 100 by the crimping member 357, the sealing lid 303 is adhered to the micro inspection chip 100 by the first adhesive layer. The space between the second adhesive layer 307 and the second adhesive layer 307 remains on the sheet 353a.

  The adhesive strength is set by selecting adhesives having different adhesive strengths, using adhesives having different adhesive strengths on the front and back sides, or making the surface state of the sheet 353a, the sealing lid 303, or the micro inspection chip 100 different. Can be done. For example, in order to set the adhesive force between the sealing lid 303 and the second adhesive layer 307 to be weak, the second adhesive layer 307 is made of an adhesive having a weaker adhesive force than the first adhesive layer 305. At the same time, the surface 303a of the sealing lid 303 in contact with the second adhesive layer 307 may be subjected to a process for reducing the adhesive force such as embossing or embossing.

  As described above, according to the first example of the sealing member 301, the sealing member 301 includes the sealing lid 303, the first adhesive layer 305, and the second adhesive layer 307, and the sealing lid The adhesive force between 303 and the second adhesive layer 307 is set weak.

  The sealing member 301 is pressed against the injection port 110 of the micro test chip 100 into which the pre-processed specimen 151 has been injected by the pressure-bonding member 357 and released, so that the sealing lid 303 having a weak adhesive force and the second lid The adhesive layer 307 is separated, and the inlet 110 can be sealed with the separated sealing lid 303 and the first adhesive layer 305. As a result, the injection port 110 of the micro test chip 100 after injecting the pre-processed sample 151 can be sealed simply, surely and at low cost, ensuring the safety of the operator and reducing the risk of contamination. The sample pretreatment device 1 can be provided.

  Next, a second example of the sealing member 301 used in the sealing mechanism 351 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a second example of the sealing member 301.

  In FIG. 6, a sealing member 301 is the same as that shown in FIG. 5, and includes a sealing lid 303, a first adhesive layer 305 provided on the side of the sealing lid 303 facing the micro test chip 100, and a sealing lid. It comprises a second adhesive layer 307 provided on the opposite surface of the stop lid 303 from the first adhesive layer 305. The sealing member 301 is held on the sheet 353 a of the sealing member holding portion 353 by the second adhesive layer 307.

  The difference from the first example of FIG. 5 is that the adhesive force between the sheet 353a and the second adhesive layer 307 is the adhesive force between the sealing lid 303 and the second adhesive layer 307, and the sealing lid. The adhesive strength between the adhesive layer 303 and the first adhesive layer 305 and the adhesive force between the micro inspection chip 100 and the first adhesive layer 305 are set to be weaker. The method for setting the strength of the adhesive force is the same as described with reference to FIG.

  Therefore, when the sealing member 301 is pressed onto the injection part 110 of the micro inspection chip 100 by the crimping member 357, the sealing lid 303 is adhered to the micro inspection chip 100 by the first adhesive layer, and the sheet 353a and The space between the second adhesive layer 307 and the second adhesive layer 307 is separated. The second adhesive layer 307 remains on the sealing lid 303.

  As described above, according to the second example of the sealing member 301, the sealing member 301 includes the sealing lid 303, the first adhesive layer 305, and the second adhesive layer 307, and the sheet 353a. The adhesive force between the second adhesive layer 307 and the second adhesive layer 307 is set weak.

  The sealing member 301 is pressed against the injection port 110 of the micro test chip 100 into which the pre-processed specimen 151 has been injected by the pressure-bonding member 357 and released, so that the sheet 353a having a weak adhesive force and the second adhesive layer are released. The inlet 110 can be sealed with the separated sealing lid 303, the first adhesive layer 305, and the second adhesive layer 307. As a result, the injection port 110 of the micro test chip 100 after injecting the pre-processed sample 151 can be sealed simply, surely and at low cost, ensuring the safety of the operator and reducing the risk of contamination. The sample pretreatment device 1 can be provided.

  Next, a third example of the sealing member 301 used in the sealing mechanism 351 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a third example of the sealing member 301.

  7, the sealing member 301 is different from the first example of FIG. 5 and the second example of FIG. 6 in that the portion of the first adhesive layer 305a in contact with the inlet 110, that is, the specimen 151 is paste-killed. It is cut out. Others are the same.

  In this way, when the specimen 151 is in contact with the first adhesive layer 305a, such as when the specimen 151 comes into contact with the first adhesive layer 305a to cause a reaction, the influence may be reduced. it can.

  As described above, according to the third example of the sealing member 301, the pre-treated specimen 151 is removed from the first adhesive layer by slaughtering the portion of the first adhesive layer 305a that contacts the inlet 110. If it feels bad when in contact with 305a, the effect can be reduced.

  Then, the 4th example of the sealing member 301 used with the sealing mechanism 351 is demonstrated using FIG. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a fourth example of the sealing member 301.

  In FIG. 8, as in the third example of FIG. 7, in the sealing member 301, the portion of the first adhesive layer 305 a that contacts the inlet 110 is glued. In addition, the area of the second adhesive layer 307a in contact with the sealing lid 303 and the sheet 353a of the second adhesive layer 307a is larger than the area of the first adhesive layer 305a in contact with the micro inspection chip 100 and the sealing lid 303. The paste has been killed to make it smaller.

  By doing in this way, it is not necessary to use different adhesives for the first adhesive layer 305a and the second adhesive layer 307a, and using the same adhesive, the adhesive force varies depending on the area of the adhesive. be able to.

  As described above, according to the fourth example of the sealing member 301, the area where the second adhesive layer 307a is in contact with the sealing lid 303 and the sheet 353a is different from that of the first adhesive layer 305a. Even if the same pressure-sensitive adhesive is used for the first pressure-sensitive adhesive layer 305a and the second pressure-sensitive adhesive layer 307a, the adhesive force varies depending on the area of the pressure-sensitive adhesive by slaughtering it so that it is smaller than the area in contact with the stop lid 303 Can be given.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the pre-processed specimen can be obtained by providing the sealing mechanism that seals the injection port of the micro test chip into which the pre-processed specimen has been injected with the sealing member. It is possible to provide a specimen pretreatment apparatus that can easily, reliably and inexpensively seal the injection port of the micro test chip after the injection, and can ensure the safety of the operator and reduce the risk of contamination.

  The detailed configuration and detailed operation of each component constituting the sample pretreatment apparatus according to the present invention can be changed as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

It is a perspective view which shows one example of the sample pretreatment apparatus in this invention. It is a perspective view which shows one example of the sealing method of the injection hole of a micro test | inspection chip. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the micro test chip and the sealing member on the surface A. It is a schematic diagram which shows embodiment of the sealing mechanism with which a specimen pretreatment apparatus is provided. It is sectional drawing which shows the 1st example of a sealing member. It is sectional drawing which shows the 2nd example of a sealing member. It is sectional drawing which shows the 3rd example of a sealing member. It is sectional drawing which shows the 4th example of a sealing member.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Sample pretreatment apparatus 100 Micro test | inspection chip 101 Flow path board | substrate 103 Top plate 110 Inlet 121 Sample accommodating part 123 Fine flow path 125 Flow path 151 (Pre-processed) Sample 153 Air 301 Sealing member 303 Sealing lid 303a Sealing Upper surface of stopper 305 First adhesive layer 305a First adhesive layer 307 Second adhesive layer 307a Second adhesive layer 351 Sealing mechanism 353 Sealing member holding part 353a Sheet 355 Winding part 357 Pressure bonding member 359 Roller

Claims (8)

A pre-processing unit for pre-processing the sample to obtain a pre-processed sample;
In the sample pretreatment apparatus comprising a sample injection unit that injects the pretreated sample from the injection port of the micro test chip into the sample storage unit,
A specimen pretreatment apparatus comprising a sealing mechanism that seals the injection port of the micro test chip into which the pretreated specimen has been injected with a sealing member. The specimen pretreatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sealing mechanism includes a sealing member holding unit on which the sealing member is mounted. The sealing member includes a sealing lid for sealing the injection port, a first adhesive layer for adhering the sealing lid provided on one surface of the sealing lid to the injection port, 3. The specimen pretreatment according to claim 2, comprising a second adhesive layer for adhering the sealing lid provided on the other surface of the sealing lid to the sealing member holding portion. apparatus. The specimen pretreatment apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the second adhesive layer has an adhesive strength weaker than that of the first adhesive layer. The specimen pretreatment apparatus according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the second adhesive layer has an adhesive area smaller than that of the first adhesive layer. The specimen pretreatment apparatus according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the sealing lid has an area larger than an area of the injection port. The specimen pretreatment apparatus according to any one of claims 3 to 6, wherein a portion of the first adhesive layer in contact with the injection port is removed. The specimen pretreatment apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 7, wherein the sealing member holding part is replaceable.

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