JP2011209084A - Microplate - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a microplate with its mountability to a vacuum manifold improved, recovery property and the storage stability eenhanced by reducing a loss in a filtered liquid, and filtration and storage optimized.SOLUTION: The microplate has a plurality of wells, and a frame member disposed around a plurality of the wells, and is characterized so as to have an end surface of openings in the wells which are protruded from the frame member. Since the end surface of the openings in well members is vertically protruded from the frame member, a gap between the bottom of a filter plate and the end surface of the microplate wells can be reduced without an effect of an apparatus thickness of a filter plate holding tool when the microplate is mounted to the filter plate holding tool.

Description

  The present invention relates to a multi-sample processing microplate used for sample collection and storage and a method of using the same.

  In general, a volume expansion type microplate called a deep well plate was developed for storage of specimen solutions, dilution and mixing of specimens according to the development of high-throughput screening. In order to efficiently perform the work that has been performed one by one, the shape is adapted to the automatic system by matching the shape with 96,384 well plates which are typical multi-well plates.

  As described above, the deep well plate is a multiwell plate that is commonly used as described above, and has a planar shape and a shape that extends in the height direction without changing the position of the wells or the interval between wells. This is an expanded version that is used in combination with an automatic dispensing device for the storage of the sample solution and the dilution process.

  For example, the size of a general 96-well plate is 127.6 mm wide, 85.8 mm deep, 14 mm high, and the well volume is 0.4 mL, whereas the deep well plate has the same width and depth, A product having a height of 40 to 90 mm and a well capacity of 1 to 3 mL is commercially available.

  Currently, the commercially available deep well plate has a shape obtained by stretching the plate in the vertical direction as described above.

  Although such a deep well plate is used for high-throughput screening as described above, it is also used as an indispensable container in the sample filtration process. Sample filtration is performed using a filter plate in which the bottoms of 96 and 384 wells are membrane filter bottoms in order to rapidly filter many kinds of samples on a μL, mL scale. When filtering samples prepared in 96- and 384-well plates (microplates including deep well plates) as necessary, the solution is filtered by pressure or suction using the filter plate. At this time, a deep well plate is used as a receiver for the filtrate in most cases because of its large capacity.

  A vacuum manifold suitable for the filtration operation has been developed. As a feature of such a jig, a microwell plate for storing a filtrate, in many cases a deep well plate, is installed at the bottom of the filter plate, and a method of filtering by suction deaeration is employed.

 In order to filter by suction deaeration, the entire deep well plate is placed in a vacuum manifold that is open at the top and can be sealed, and a filter plate is placed on top of it. In order to ensure the sealing, a sealing material (packing) made of an elastic material such as rubber is provided on the upper surface of the container, and a filter plate is disposed on the sealing material to ensure sealing.

 Therefore, there is a sealing material and a container part for holding the sealing material between the filter plate and the deep well plate for storing the filtrate, and the filter plate and the deep well plate are not directly connected to some extent. It arrange | positions keeping a clearance gap, and is the thickness of the sealing material of the vacuum manifold which accompanies the thickness of a container main body. Since the container itself needs to have a strength that does not cause deformation against suction deaeration, it needs a thickness to maintain the strength.

 In such a case, the filtrate filtered by the filter plate may scatter as a droplet without dripping only in the vertical direction. At that time, the gap between the filter plate and the deep well plate generated due to the structure of the device. Due to the presence of this, contamination into other adjacent wells is observed, which causes the accuracy of high-throughput screening to be significantly reduced. This problem is particularly remarkable in an organic solvent having a low surface tension.

 In order to solve these problems, Patent Document 1 discloses a novel vacuum manifold invention. This structure has a structure in which the filter plate and the multi-well plate serving as a receiver are brought into close contact with each other to prevent mixing into adjacent wells even if the filtrate scatters. However, there is a drawback that fitting between plates and assembly and accuracy of the manifold are required, it can be used only with a dedicated plate and manifold, and needs to be changed from an automatic dispensing system already in operation.

JP 2008-116474 A

  An object of the present invention is to improve the recoverability and storage stability of a sample by modifying the position of a well opening in a microwell plate used for multi-sample processing.

Such an object is achieved by the present invention described in the following (1) to (6).
(1) A microplate having a plurality of wells and a frame member arranged around the plurality of wells, wherein an end face of the opening of the well protrudes from the frame member. Microplate.
(2) The microplate according to (1), wherein an end face of the opening of the well member protrudes from the frame member by 5 mm to 30 mm.
(3) The deep well plate according to (1) or (2), wherein an end opposite to the opening of the well is a U-shaped or V-shaped bottom.
(4) A filter plate, a filter plate holder, a vacuum manifold composed of the microplate according to any one of (1) to (3), (5) the bottom of the filter plate, and (1) to (3) The vacuum manifold according to (4), wherein a gap between the microplate according to any of the above and the well upper end is 0.5 mm or more and 10 mm or less.
(6) The vacuum manifold according to (4), wherein a gap between the filter plate well portion and the well inner surface of the microplate according to any one of (1) to (3) is 0.3 mm or more and 1 mm or less.
(7) A microplate in which the microplate according to any one of (1) to (3) has a 96-well or 384-well plate shape.

 According to the present invention, in the microplate, the mounting property to the vacuum manifold is improved, and the loss of the filtrate is suppressed, thereby improving the recoverability and storage stability, and the optimal microplate for filtration and storage is provided. .

Microplate perspective view according to the present invention Microplate plan view according to the present invention Front view of microplate according to the present invention A-A 'sectional view U-shaped bottom microplate A-A 'sectional view V-shaped bottom microplate A-A 'sectional view Vacuum manifold mounting cross section

  Hereinafter, the details of the microplate of the present invention will be described.

  The shape of the microplate in the present invention is a microplate having a plurality of wells and a frame member arranged around the plurality of wells, and an end surface of the opening of the well protrudes from the frame member. It is characterized by that. As a result, the well opening has a structure extending above the plate frame part, and the side surface of the well is raised on a normal plate. The appearance is that many tube-shaped objects are bonded to the frame member. Shape.

 The end surface of the opening protrudes from the frame member by 5 mm to 30 mm, and preferably protrudes by 5 mm to 10 mm.

 Further, the standing wells may have independent shapes or may have an integrated shape, but are preferably integrated in terms of strength.

  In addition, it is desirable that the height of the rising well side face is basically the same for all wells. This is essential for use in storing the filtered solution of the filter plate.

 However, the height of the rising well side surface may be different in the same plate depending on the application.

  The shape of the end opposite to the well opening is not particularly limited, and may be flat as in the case of a normal microplate (FIG. 2). In view of this, it is preferable that the cross-sectional shape that is reduced in diameter toward the lower end is a U-shaped or V-shaped bottom (FIGS. 3 and 4).

  The microplate of the present invention may have the same number of wells as general microplates of 6 wells, 12 wells, 24 wells, 48 wells, 96 wells, 384 wells, and 1536 wells. It improves the operability of the dispenser. In particular, a 96-well or 384-well microplate that is often used in high-throughput screening and for which a dedicated automatic dispenser is commercially available is suitable.

  A typical microplate size is 127.6 mm in width, 85.8 mm in depth, 14 mm in height, and a well volume is 0.4 mL. The microplate of the present invention preferably has the same width and depth as a general microplate, and when a manual or automatic dispenser is used, it is not necessary to change the setting of the dispenser. This is because workability is excellent. Moreover, since the multiwell plate of the present invention requires a well capacity, the well capacity is secured at the height of the microplate. Accordingly, the height is preferably 40 to 90 mm, and preferably 40 to 50 mm.

  The microplate of the present invention can be formed of a resin material. In addition to making the microplate into a disposable type, the resin material can be easily molded in various shapes. Examples of the resin material include polypropylene resins, polyethylene resins, polyolefin resins such as ethylene-propylene copolymers or cyclic polyolefin resins, polystyrene resins such as acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene resins, polycarbonate resins, polyethylene Methacrylic resins such as terephthalate resin, polymethyl methacrylate resin, vinyl chloride resin, polybutylene terephthalate resin, polyarylate resin, polysulfone resin, polyethersulfone resin, polyetheretherketone resin, polyetherimide resin, polytetrafluoroethylene And fluorine resin such as polymethylpentene resin and polyacrylonitrile, and acrylic resin such as polyacrylonitrile, and fiber resin such as propionate resin. Among these, a polypropylene resin is particularly preferable in terms of moldability, chemical resistance, and low chemical adsorption required for the microplate.

  When manufacturing the microplate of this invention from the said resin material, it can manufacture by injection molding, blow molding, and injection blow molding, for example.

  The microplate may be in a molded state or may be subjected to surface treatment as necessary. Further, sterilization may be performed.

  In the surface treatment, the inner surface of the well may be subjected to a superhydrophilic treatment or a hydrophobic treatment in order to suppress physicochemical adsorption of the analyte component to the plate.

  The surface hydrophilization treatment includes a method of applying a hydrophilic resin and a method of graft-polymerizing a hydrophilic monomer on the surface, and any method can be used. From the viewpoint of workability and hydrophilic stability, the hydrophilic resin Is most convenient.

  Examples of the hydrophilic resin to be applied include a polymer containing a polyethylene glycol chain and a polymer containing a phosphorylcholine group.

  Usable sterilization includes radiation sterilization, ethylene oxide gas (EOG) sterilization, low-temperature plasma sterilization, steam sterilization, and the like, but may be selected depending on the resin to be used. In general, it is preferable to use radiation sterilization in consideration of sterilization validation, management of resident substances, and the like.

Next, features of the present invention at the time of filtration will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 7A shows a cross-sectional shape of a vacuum manifold using the microplate of the present invention, and also shows a cross-sectional shape of the vacuum manifold when the previous microplate is used in FIG. 7B.

  In the vacuum manifold in which the microplate (3) according to the present invention is mounted on the filter plate holder (5) as a receiving tool, and the filter plate (4) is mounted on the upper portion thereof, the well opening is located above the frame portion. Since it is located, it is possible to reduce the gap between the bottom of the filter plate and the end surface of the microplate well without being affected by the thickness of the filter plate holder (5). It is possible to eliminate contamination and loss. In this case, it is preferable that a gap of 0.5 mm or more and 10 mm or less exists between the bottom of the filter plate and the end face of the microplate well, and more preferably 0.5 mm or more and 3 mm or less. The gap between the bottom of the filter plate and the microplate well needs to exist in all wells of both plates, but it is sufficient that gas passes through during vacuum degassing. It is sufficient that a gap exists in at least a part of all wells, and the remaining part may be in contact.

  When the end face of the filter plate well has a reduced diameter, the end face of the filter plate may enter the microplate well. In this case, the gap between the filter plate well portion and the well inner surface of the microplate is preferably 0.3 mm to 1 mm, and more preferably 0.3 mm to 0.7 mm. This shape is the same as described above as long as there is a gap in at least a portion of all wells, and the remaining portions may be in contact with each other.

  It is possible to seal the well of the lower microplate by reducing the diameter so that the outer shape of the well bottom at the top of the stack matches the well opening of the plate at the bottom of the stack when the microplate is stacked. It becomes possible.

  Normally, multiwell plates are usually sealed with a plate seal, or a cap dedicated to the plate is created and the wells are covered and stored, but as described above, the plates are overlaid. This makes it possible to cover the well.

  By using the microplate of the present invention, it is possible to improve the mounting property to the vacuum manifold and to produce a microplate optimal for filtration and storage.

1 well 2 frame part 3 microplate 4 filter plate 5 filter plate holder
6 Sealing material (packing)

Claims (7)

  A microplate having a plurality of wells and a frame member disposed around the plurality of wells, wherein an end surface of an opening of the well protrudes from the frame member. 2. The microplate according to claim 1, wherein an end surface of the opening of the well member protrudes at a distance of 5 mm or more and 30 mm or less than the frame member. The deep well plate according to claim 1, wherein an end of the well opposite to the opening is a U-shaped or V-shaped bottom. A vacuum manifold comprising a filter plate, a filter plate holder, and the microplate according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The vacuum manifold according to claim 4, wherein a gap between the bottom of the filter plate and the well upper end of the microplate according to any one of claims 1 to 3 is 0.5 mm or more and 10 mm or less. The vacuum manifold according to claim 4, wherein a gap between the end of the filter plate well and the well inner surface of the microplate according to any one of claims 1 to 3 is 0.3 mm or more and 1 mm or less. The microplate according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the microplate has a 96-well or 384-well plate shape.

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