KR102081480B1 - Device for high-speed amplification of nucleic acid molecules - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a nucleic acid amplification device, and relates to a nucleic acid amplification device capable of high-speed nucleic acid amplification by rapidly heating and cooling a reactant in a reaction vessel for a chemical / biochemical reaction requiring temperature change.

Description

Device for high-speed amplification of nucleic acid molecules}

The present invention relates to a high-speed nucleic acid amplification device capable of rapidly heating and cooling a reactant in a reaction vessel for a chemical / biochemical reaction requiring temperature change.

PCR (polymerase chain reaction) is a technology that can selectively amplify a specific nucleic acid in a biological sample, etc. In this process, a reactant containing a sample usually requires dozens of repeated heating and cooling. One of the important factors in determining the total reaction time in a nucleic acid amplification reaction is the time it takes to heat the reactants to a predetermined temperature or to cool them. Therefore, the apparatus used in this method is provided with a module capable of periodically heating and cooling the temperature, and has been developed in terms of improving the precision and / or rapidity of temperature control.

In recent years, since nucleic acid amplification is a trend that is used for processing a large amount of samples in the agricultural, livestock, environmental, and medical fields, it is necessary to develop a device capable of performing a rapid reaction at a high speed.

United States Published Patent US6565815

The technical problem of the present invention is to provide a high-speed nucleic acid amplification device capable of rapid nucleic acid amplification by rapidly heating and cooling a reactant in a reaction vessel in a nucleic acid amplification reaction requiring repetitive temperature changes.

In order to achieve the above object, the nucleic acid amplification apparatus according to the present invention is a nucleic acid amplification apparatus capable of high-speed nucleic acid amplification by rapidly adjusting the temperature of a reactant or a reaction solution where an amplification reaction occurs, wherein the apparatus is loaded A holder for positioning the tube; A heating module for heating the reactants; A driving module that moves the heating module or the holder to vary the distance between the heating module and the holder; And a cooling module for cooling the tube located in the holder.

Preferably, the heating module includes a heater that generates heat, a heating block connected to the heater, the heating block is heated by the heater, and the heating block includes one or more depressions, and the depressions are the At least a portion of the tube is configured to be input, and the drive module is configured to move the holder or the heating module to vary the distance between the depression and the tube.

Preferably, the heating block is disposed under the holder, the drive module moves the heating block in the vertical direction, the holder has a predetermined inner diameter and penetrates in the vertical direction and includes one or more mounting holes When the tube is mounted on the mounting port, the lower part of the tube is configured to be exposed downward, and when the heating block rises, the lower part of the tube is introduced into the depression, and when the heating block descends, the depression It has a configuration in which the lower part of the tube is exposed from the part.

Preferably, the heating module, further comprising a guide portion disposed on the side of the heater, the guide portion, the guide tube having a hole penetrated in the vertical direction, inserted into the hole of the guide tube and extended in the vertical direction It includes a guide beam and an elastic spring positioned on the guide tube and into which the guide beam is interpolated.

Preferably, the cooling module includes a blowing fan that generates cooling air, and a blowing nozzle that transmits cooling wind generated by the blowing fan to a tube fixed to the holder, wherein the blowing nozzle is the heating If the module is adjacent to the holder, it is sealed and opened when the heating module is spaced from the holder.

Preferably, the heating module is disposed under the holder, the driving module moves the heating module in the vertical direction, the blowing nozzle is disposed on one side of the holder, and the heating module is opened and closed Includes a block, the opening and closing block includes a shield, and the shielding unit blocks the blowing nozzle when the heating module rises, and when the heating module descends, is spaced downward from the blowing nozzle to open the blowing nozzle It is configured.

Preferably, the holder includes a plurality of mounting holes, wherein the mounting holes have one or more arrangement lines and are arranged side by side, and the blowing nozzle includes an inlet portion adjacent to the blowing fan, and an outlet portion adjacent to the holder, The horizontal width of the outlet portion is wider than the horizontal width of the inlet portion, and the outlet portion of the blowing nozzle is disposed on the outside of the holder in the horizontal direction, but the width direction of the outlet portion is parallel to the arrangement line of the mounting hole. It is configured to have.

Preferably, a sensing module for sensing a reaction signal of a reactant in the tube; And a cover module disposed on the holder and openable and closed, wherein the cover module includes a light source unit that provides light to the tube, and the sensing module is a sensor that senses light generated from a reactant in the tube. Includes wealth.

Preferably, the cover module further includes an excitation filter disposed under the light source unit, and the sensing module further includes an emission filter disposed between the tube and the sensor unit.

Preferably, the heating block includes a light transmitting portion penetrating in at least one direction so that light generated in the tube is transmitted in at least one lateral direction.

Preferably, the heating module, the driving module, and a control device for controlling the operation of the cooling module; further includes.

According to the present invention, the temperature of the reactants in the nucleic acid amplification reaction can be quickly adjusted. That is, when the tube containing the reactant is rapidly heated by contact with the heating block of the heating module, and heating is sufficiently performed at a predetermined temperature, the tube is separated from the heating block, and the blowing nozzle is opened to cool the cooling fan generated by the blowing fan. The reaction can be cooled quickly.

In addition, by setting the operation of the heating module according to the user's intention, it is possible to control the heating time and cooling time of the reactants such that the temperature of the reactants reaches various target temperatures and maintains the target temperature range. For example, the heating time and the cooling time of the reactants are set differently by differently setting the operation period of the heating module, or by differently setting the time for the heating module to maintain the raised position or the time for the heating module to maintain the lowered position. The temperature of the reactants can be easily adjusted according to the user's goal.

In addition, heating and cooling of the reactants can be achieved in a very simple operation. That is, the heating block and the opening / closing block provided in the heating module rise and fall together, during heating, the heating block closes to the tube to perform rapid heating, and at the same time, the opening / closing block blocks the blowing nozzle to cool by cooling air. Cut off. In addition, upon cooling, the heating block is separated from the tube to stop heating, and at the same time, the opening / closing block is separated from the blowing nozzle to open the blowing nozzle, thereby rapidly cooling by the cooling wind. Thus, heating and cooling can be performed quickly and properly with only the operation signal for the drive module that moves the heating module, without the need for a separate operation signal input for cooling.

In addition, as the light generated from the light source unit of the cover module in the heating process reacts in the tube, and the light generated by the reactant is transmitted to the sensor unit and detected, the reaction of the reactant can be detected in real time.

Accordingly, it is possible to rapidly perform PCR (polymerase chain reaction), a typical chemical / biochemical reaction requiring temperature control of heating and cooling at regular cycles.

1 and 2 are views showing the appearance of a nucleic acid amplification apparatus according to the present invention.
3 is a view showing a state in which the cover module of the casing is removed from the exterior of the nucleic acid amplification apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a portion P of FIG. 3.
5 and 6 is a view showing a state in which the side plate of the casing is removed from the exterior of the nucleic acid amplification apparatus according to the present invention.
7 is a cross-sectional view of a nucleic acid amplification apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of a portion Q of FIG. 7.
9 is a view showing a heating block of a nucleic acid amplification apparatus according to the present invention.
10 is a view showing the positional relationship between the heating block and the sensing module of the nucleic acid amplification apparatus according to the present invention.
11 is a view showing a blowing nozzle of the nucleic acid amplification apparatus according to the present invention.
12 is a view showing a cross-section of a nucleic acid amplification apparatus according to the present invention,
13A is an enlarged view of a portion R in FIG. 12.
13B is a view of the tube removed from the portion R of FIG. 12 and viewed from another direction.
14 is a view showing a cover module of the nucleic acid amplification apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 15 is a view showing a cross-section XX of FIG. 14.
16 is a view showing the coupling structure of the cover module of the nucleic acid amplification apparatus according to the present invention.
17 is a view showing a cross-section YY of FIG. 14.
18 is a view showing the relationship between the tube, holder, and heating block of the nucleic acid amplification apparatus according to the present invention.
19 is a view showing a state in which the heating module of the nucleic acid amplification apparatus according to the present invention is in a descending position.
20 is a view showing a state in which the heating module of the nucleic acid amplification apparatus according to the present invention is in an elevated position.
21 is a view showing a path of light generated in the cover module of the nucleic acid amplification apparatus according to the present invention.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. This example is illustrative and does not limit the invention in any way.

1 and 2 are views showing the appearance of the nucleic acid amplification apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 3 shows a state in which the cover module 600 on the casing 100 is removed from the appearance of the nucleic acid amplification apparatus according to the present invention. 4 is an enlarged view of a portion P in FIG. 3. 5 and 6 are views showing a state in which the side plate of the casing 100 is removed from the exterior of the nucleic acid amplification apparatus according to the present invention. In addition, FIG. 7 is a view showing an X-X cross section of FIG. 1, and FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of a portion Q of FIG. 7. 9 is a view showing a heating block of the nucleic acid amplification apparatus according to the present invention, FIG. 10 is a view showing a positional relationship between a heating block of the nucleic acid amplification apparatus according to the present invention and a sensing module, and FIG. 11 is a nucleic acid according to the present invention It is a figure showing the blowing nozzle of the amplifying device. In addition, FIG. 12 is a view showing a Y-Y cross section of FIG. 1, FIG. 13A is an enlarged view of the R part of FIG. 12, and FIG. 13B is a view of the tube removed from the R part of FIG. 12 and viewed from different directions.

Nucleic acid amplification apparatus according to the present invention, as a nucleic acid amplification apparatus for controlling the temperature of the reactant contained in the tube (T), constitutes the appearance of the device and the casing (100) where the tube (T) is fixed to at least a portion; A heating module 200 located under the tube T to generate heat to heat the tube T; A sensing module 300 for sensing the light generated in the tube heated by the heating module 200; A driving module 400 that moves the heating module 200 up and down such that a distance between the tube T and the heating module 200 is variable; A cooling module 500 for cooling the reactants contained in the tube T; It is disposed on the casing 100 and may be configured to include a cover module 600 that can provide light to the tube T and a predetermined control device 700 that controls the operation of the entire device.

The casing 100 may have a predetermined hexahedral configuration, and may have a lower plate 110 constituting a bottom surface, an upper plate 120 constituting an upper surface, and a side plate 130 constituting a side surface. The holder 150, the heating module 200, the sensing module 300, the driving module 400, and the cooling module 500, which will be described later, may have a configuration built in the casing 100. have.

The upper plate 120 may have a predetermined inlet 122 that penetrates in the vertical direction and allows the holder 150 to be exposed upward. The tube T may be mounted on the holder 150 exposed through the inlet 122 to be fixed in position. In addition, the top plate 120 may be provided with a predetermined cover module 600 connected to be rotatable with respect to the top plate 120 to open and close the mounting hole 154. The specific configuration of the cover module 600 will be described later.

The top plate 120 and the cover module 600 may be connected by a predetermined hinge portion 160. In addition, a predetermined fastening means 124 for fastening the cover module 600 may be provided on the top plate 120, and a predetermined display device 140 for displaying an operating state of the device may be provided.

The holder 150 is disposed in the casing 100, and may be exposed upward through the inlet 122 formed in the casing 100.

The holder 150 has a holding body 152 in the form of a block, and the holding body 152 may be fixed to at least a portion of the casing 100 and fixed in position. In addition, a mounting hole 154 penetrated in the vertical direction or recessed in the downward direction may be formed on the upper surface of the holding body 152. Therefore, the tube T containing the sample may be mounted in the mounting hole 154 and fixed in position. Preferably, a plurality of mounting holes 154 are formed and arranged with a predetermined row, for example, as shown in the figure, the eight mounting holes 154 may be arranged in a row.

Preferably, when the mounting hole 154 is penetrated in the vertical direction and the tube T is mounted in the mounting hole 154, the lower portion of the tube T may protrude below the holder 150 to be exposed. have. Further, the mounting holes 154 may have an arrangement in which a plurality of them are formed side by side with a predetermined line.

In addition, a predetermined fixing jig 156 may be provided to fix the holding body 152 to the lower surface of the upper plate 120 of the casing 100.

In addition, the casing 100 may be provided with a predetermined signal input / output device 170 and a power supply device 180 capable of inputting and exchanging electrical signals and supplying power.

The heating module 200 may be located under the holder 150 and is a member capable of heating the reactants contained in the tube T mounted on the holder 150.

The heating module 200 is a three-dimensional structure that can be displaced by the driving module 400 to be described later, the heater 210, the heating block 220 disposed on the heater 210, the side of the heater 210 It may be configured to include a guide portion 230 disposed in, the opening and closing portion 240 disposed on the upper portion of the heater 210.

The heater 210 is a member that generates heat to heat the reactants contained in the tube T, and may be operated by, for example, an electrical signal generated by the control device 700. The heater 210 may be controlled to generate heat at an accurate temperature according to a user's intention. The heater 210 may include, for example, a Peltier element, but is not limited thereto.

9 is a view showing the overall structure of the heating block 220. Referring to FIG. 9, the heating block 220 is a block-type structure, including a depression 222 and a light transmission unit 224. Can be. The heating block 220 may be disposed on the heater 210. The heating block 220 is a member that receives heat generated from the heater 210 and transfers heat to the tube T mounted on the holder 150 located above, and preferably is made of a material having good thermal conductivity. You can.

The depression 222 is formed on the heating block 220. The recessed portion 222 is formed at a position corresponding to the position of the mounting hole 154 formed in the holder 150, and a plurality may be formed side by side with a predetermined line. For example, as described above, when eight mounting holes 154 are formed and arranged in a row, eight recesses 222 may also be formed and have an arrangement arranged in a line. In addition, each recess 222 has a shape corresponding to the lower shape of the tube T, so that the lower portion of the tube T may have a configuration that can be in close contact with the depression 222.

The light transmission unit 224 is formed on at least one side of each recessed portion 222 and is configured as a portion in the form of a passage through in the lateral direction. For example, the light transmission unit 224 is formed at the rear of the depression 222 and may be configured as a predetermined passage configured to penetrate the rear of the heating block 220 in the front-rear direction.

The guide unit 230 may be connected to the side of the heater 210. The guide portion 230 may include a guide tube 232, a guide beam 234, and an elastic spring 236.

The guide tube 232 included in the heating module 200 has a guide hole penetrated up and down and is fixed to the side of the heater 210.

The guide beam 234 to the heating module 200 extends up and down through the guide hole, for example, the lower end is fixed on the lower plate 110 and the upper end is fixed to the upper plate 120 or the fixing jig 154. have.

The elastic spring 236 is disposed to penetrate the guide beam 234, and is disposed between the guide tube 232 and the top plate 120. Accordingly, when the elastic spring 236 is compressed, the elastic spring 236 applies an elastic force in a downward direction to the guide tube 232. That is, the elastic spring 236 may apply an elastic force to maintain the position where the guide tube 232 is lowered. In addition, when the heater 210 and the heating block 220 move upward, a strong collision between the heating block 220 and the tube T is prevented, and at the same time, the heating block 220 and the tube T are in close contact. I can do it.

The opening / closing part 240 has a configuration such as a shielding wall that is erected with a predetermined height and thickness. On the other hand, the opening and closing portion 240 is disposed on the upper portion of the heater 210, but is disposed on the side of the heating block 220, has a predetermined height and is erected upwards to blow nozzle 520 and heating block (described later) 220).

The sensing module 300 may include a module housing 310, a light capturing unit 320, and an emission filter 330. Preferably, the sensing module 300 is disposed on the heater 210 of the heating module 200 to be displaced together with the heating module 200.

The module housing 310 includes a module cover 312 and a module base 314, and may be configured to include a light capturing unit 320 and an emission filter 330 therein.

Preferably, the heating block 220 is also built in the module housing 310, the module cover 312 has an open space in the upward direction so that the recessed portion 222 of the heating block 220 is exposed upward. Can be formed. In addition, the heating block 220 is coupled to the module base 314 and has a mounting wall 316 such that the light capture unit 320 and the emission filter 330 are mounted, and the heating block is provided on the mounting wall 316. Corresponding to the position of the light transmission unit 224 of 220, a through hole 318 communicating with the light transmission unit 224 may be formed to be configured to pass light.

The light capturing unit 320 may be formed of a member on which a predetermined sensor unit 324 is mounted on a predetermined PCB 322. The sensor unit 324 may be, for example, a photodiode, and may have a number and arrangement corresponding to the number and arrangement of the light transmission units 224. That is, according to the number of recessed portions 222 of the heating block 220, eight light transmitting units 224 are formed, and eight light capturing units 320 are provided corresponding to the respective light transmitting units 224. Can be. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, the PCB 322 is erected at the rear of the heating block 220, but the sensor unit 324 and the light transmission unit 224 may have an arrangement facing each other.

The emission filter 330 may be disposed between the light capture unit 320 and the heating block 220. The emission filter 330 is a bandpass filter that passes only light having a wavelength generated from the fluorescent material of the tube by incident light. Accordingly, light generated in the tube may pass through the light transmission unit 224 behind the heating block 220 and pass through the emission filter 330 to enter the sensor unit 324 of the light capture unit 320.

The driving module 400 is a member that displaces the heating module 200 and the sensing module 300.

The driving module 400 is located under the heating module 200, and may be configured to include, for example, a predetermined motor 410 and a motor shaft 420. The motor shaft 420 is connected to the lower portion of the heating module 200, and when the motor 410 is operated, the motor shaft 420 may move upward to displace the heating module 200 upward. have. Of course, it is not necessarily limited to this, and the configuration of the driving module 400 may be any means as long as it is a means capable of displacing the heating module 200 and the sensing module 300.

By the operation of the driving module 400, the heating module 200, and the sensing module 300 may reciprocate between the raised and lowered positions. For example, when the driving module 400 operates upward, the heating module 200 and the sensing module 300 move to the raised position, and when the driving module 400 operates downward, the heating module 200 and the sensing module 300 may move to a descending position.

The cooling module 500 includes a blowing fan 510 and a blowing nozzle 520.

The blowing fan 510 is a member that generates wind so as to cool the tube T. Although not illustrated, it may be configured to include a predetermined propeller and a motor 410.

The blowing nozzle 520 is a member that transmits the wind generated by the blowing fan 510 to the tube T mounted on the holder 150. Preferably, the blowing nozzle 520 is configured to have a predetermined space penetrated in both directions inside, and one side of the space functions as an inlet portion 522 and is disposed adjacent to the blowing fan 510, and The side functions as an outlet portion 524 and is disposed adjacent to the holder 150.

Preferably, as shown in Figure 11, the outlet portion 524 is wider in the horizontal direction than the inlet portion 522 and may have a narrowed shape in the vertical direction. Accordingly, the blowing nozzle 520 may have a funnel shape with a narrow entrance and a wide exit when viewed from above, and a six-character shape with a wide entrance and a narrow exit when viewed from the side.

The outlet part 524 of the blowing nozzle 520 is positioned in parallel with the arrangement of the plurality of tubes T mounted and arranged on the holder 150, so that the plurality of tubes T mounted on the holder 150 It can be configured to uniformly provide the wind for cooling against.

That is, referring to FIG. 13A, the width direction of the outlet portion 524 may be configured to have a direction parallel to each other along a line formed by the arrangement of the mounting holes 154.

As described above, the cover module 600 is a predetermined cover that is rotatably connected to the upper plate 120 of the casing 100 through the hinge 160. Hereinafter, the cover module 600 will be described with reference to FIGS. 14 to 17. The cover module 600 is located on the holder 150, but includes a cover housing 610, a cover base 620, a light emitting portion 630, an excitation filter 650, and a tube lid heating portion 640. Can be configured.

The cover housing 610 is generally formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and may include a housing part 612 having a predetermined space and an opening / closing cover 614 connected to the housing part 612 so as to be opened and closed.

The cover base 620 is embedded in the cover housing 610, and when the opening / closing cover 614 is opened, at least a portion of the inside is exposed. The cover base 620 has a filter insertion hole 622 and a light passing portion 624. The filter insertion hole 622 is formed on the front surface of the cover base 620, but is configured to have a predetermined depth in the rear and a predetermined width in the lateral direction. The light passing portion 624 is composed of a predetermined passage that passes through the top and bottom of the filter interposer 622 and extends in the up and down direction.

The light emitting unit 630 includes a PCB 632 and a plurality of light source units 634 mounted on the lower surface of the PCB 632. 16, the PCB 632 is mounted on the top surface of the cover base 620, as shown by arrow B in FIG. 16, and each light source unit 634 is positioned at a position corresponding to the position of each light passing unit 624. Therefore, the number of light source units 634 and the number of light passing units 624 may be the same.

The arrangement of the light passing portion 624 and the light source portion 634 may be the same as the arrangement of the recessed portion 222 of the heating block 220. That is, eight recesses 222 are formed, but corresponding to having an arrangement arranged in a line, eight light sources 634 and a light passing part 624 may be arranged in a row on the recesses 222. have.

The excitation filter 650 is an optical bandpass filter having a predetermined thickness and a predetermined area, and the fluorescence used in the reaction using the device from the broadband light source emitted from the light source unit 634 of the light emitting unit 630 Certain wavelengths, suitable for the material, allow only light to pass through and enter the reactants of the tube. It can be inserted into the filter interpolation 622 formed in the cover base 620, as shown by arrows A in FIGS. 15 and 16. When the excitation filter 650 is inserted into the filter insertion hole 622, the excitation filter 650 traverses at least a portion of the light passing portion 624. On the other hand, it is also possible to open and close the cover 614 to remove and replace the excitation filter 650.

The tube lid heating part 640 is mounted on the lower surface of the cover base 620 as shown by arrow C in FIG. 16 and is a member capable of dissipating heat. A plurality of through holes 642 penetrating up and down are formed in the tube lid heating part 640, and the plurality of through holes 642 have an arrangement corresponding to the arrangement of the light passing parts 624, and the light emitting part The light emitted from 630 passes so that it can enter the tube. The tube lid heating unit 640 prevents water vapor from condensing on the lower surface of the lid due to the reaction at high temperature by heating the lid of the tube to prevent water droplets from forming, thereby minimizing the volume change of the sample and using the tube for fluorescence measurement. The upper light source serves to maintain a constant amount of light emitted through the lid.

The control device 700 may be configured with a predetermined CPU capable of controlling the operation of the heating module 200, the sensing module 300, the driving module 400, and the cooling module 500. The control device 700 receives an external signal and controls the operation of the heating module 200, the sensing module 300, the driving module 400, and the cooling module 500, and outputs an operation state to the outside. It might be.

Hereinafter, the operation of the nucleic acid amplification apparatus according to the present invention will be described. 19 is a view showing a state in which the heating module 200 of the nucleic acid amplification apparatus according to the present invention is in a descending position. 20 is a view showing a state in which the heating module 200 of the nucleic acid amplification apparatus according to the present invention is in an elevated position. In addition, FIG. 21 is a diagram showing a path of light generated by the cover module 600 of the nucleic acid amplification apparatus according to the present invention.

First, the tube T containing the reactants is mounted in the holder 150. At this time, the mounting of the tube (T), after opening the cover module 600 on the casing 100, the tube (T) is put into the mounting port 154 of the holder 150 to be mounted, and the cover module 600 It can be made in the form of closing.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 18, the tube T is first received in the mounting hole 154 of the holder 150, and since the driving module 400 is operated before the heating module 200, the sensing module 300 is positioned in the lowered position so that the heating block 220 is spaced apart from the holder 150.

When an operation signal is generated by the control device 700, the heating module 200, the sensing module 300, the driving module 400, the cooling module 500, and the cover module 600 may operate. Meanwhile, each operation may be performed at the same time, or may be performed with a time difference, and the form is not limited.

When an operation signal is transmitted to the heating module 200, the heater 210 may operate to generate heat. In addition, when an operation signal is transmitted to the driving module 400, the motor 410 operates to raise the heating module 200. Therefore, as shown in Figure 20, the heating module 200 is moved to the raised position.

When the heating module 200 is raised by the driving module 400 and the heating block 220 of the heating module 200 approaches the holder 150, the reactants in the tube T mounted on the holder 150 are heated. do. In this case, preferably, the recessed surface of the recessed portion 222 formed in the heating block 220 and the lower surface of the tube T may be in contact to allow rapid heat transfer.

At this time, when the heating module 200 is raised, since cooling for the tube T is unnecessary, the blowing fan 510 of the cooling module 500 may be stopped.

Meanwhile, according to an example, when the heating module 200 rises, the opening / closing part 240 provided in the heating module 200 rises, and the raised opening / closing part 240 exits the blowing nozzle 520 of the cooling module 500. It is also possible that the cooling wind generated in the cooling module 500 is not transmitted to the tube T by blocking the portion 524.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 21, light is generated from the light source unit 634 provided in the cover module 600, and light generated by the light source unit 634 passes through the excitation filter 650 to have an appropriate light wavelength, and It passes through the pass portion 624 and the through hole 642 and enters the tube T. As light enters the reactant in the tube T, a fluorescence signal according to nucleic acid amplification in the tube is generated, and the fluorescence signal is transmitted through the light transmission unit 224 of the heating block 220 to the emission filter 330. Then, the sensor unit 324 is incident. Therefore, the reaction of the reactants in the tube can be detected in real time.

When the heating module 200 maintains an elevated position for a predetermined time and reaches a designated heating time, the control device 700 may generate a signal to reversely operate the motor 410 of the driving module 400.

When the motor 410 of the driving module 400 operates in reverse, the heating module 200 descends. As the heating module 200 descends, the tube T and the heating block 220 are separated, and heating of the tube T by the heating block 220 is stopped. In this case, the interruption is not limited to completely excluding heat transfer.

When the heating module 200 descends, the blowing fan 510 operates to perform cooling for the tube T. Meanwhile, according to an example, as the opening / closing portion 240 provided in the heating module 200 descends, the outlet portion 524 of the blowing nozzle 520 is opened and the cooling wind generated by the blowing fan 510 is holder It is also possible to cool the tube (T) mounted on the 150.

When the heating module 200 maintains the lowered position for a predetermined time to reach a specified cooling time, the control device 700 generates a signal to operate the driving module 400 again, and the heating block 220 rises The reactant in the tube (T) mounted on the holder 150 is heated. Subsequently, when the heating time is reached again, the heating block 220 descends as described above, and the process of cooling the tube by being exposed to the wind is repeated a predetermined number of times.

According to the invention, the temperature of the reactants can be quickly adjusted. That is, the tube T containing the reactant is rapidly heated by contact with the heating block 220 of the heating module 200, and when the heating is sufficiently performed, the heating module 200 or the holder moves to open the blowing nozzle 520 The reactants can be rapidly cooled by the cooling wind generated by the blowing fan 510.

In addition, by setting the operation of the heating module 200 or the holder 200 according to the user's intention to adjust the heating time and cooling time of the reactant so that the temperature of the reactant reaches various target temperatures and maintains the target temperature range can do. For example, by heating the reactants by different operating cycles of the heating module 200, or by differently setting a time for the heating module 200 to maintain a raised position or a time for the heating module 200 to maintain a lowered position. The time and the cooling time are set differently, so that the temperature of the reactants can be easily adjusted and selected according to the user's goal.

In addition, heating and cooling of the reactants can be achieved in a very simple operation. That is, by heating and lowering the heating block 220 and the opening / closing block 240 provided in the heating module 200 together, the heating block 220 approaches the tube T and performs rapid heating at the same time as heating. , The opening / closing block 240 blocks the blowing nozzle 520 to block cooling by the cooling wind. In addition, when cooling, the heating block 220 is spaced from the tube T to stop heating, and at the same time, the opening / closing block 240 is spaced from the blowing nozzle 520 to open the blowing nozzle 520, thereby cooling Rapid cooling by wind is achieved. Accordingly, heating and cooling may be appropriately performed only with an operation signal for the driving module 400 that moves the heating module 200, without the need for a separate operation signal input for cooling.

In addition, as the light generated in the light source unit 634 of the cover module 600 is reacted in the tube T during the heating process, and the light generated in the reactant is transmitted to the sensor unit 324 and sensed, the reactant The reaction results can be detected in real time.

Accordingly, PCR (polymerase chain reaction), a typical chemical / biochemical reaction requiring temperature control, can be performed quickly and accurately.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications and improvements of those skilled in the art using the basic concept of the present invention defined in the following claims are also provided. It belongs to the scope of rights.

100: casing
110: bottom
120: top
122: slot
124: fastening means
130: side plate
140: display device
150: holder
152: holding body
154: Mounting mouth
156: fixed jig
160: hinge
170: signal input device
180: power supply
200: heating module
210: heater
220: heating block
222: depression
224: light transmission unit
230: guide section
232: guide tube
234: guide beam
236: elastic spring
240: open and close
300: detection module
310: module housing
312: module cover
314: module base
316: mounting wall
318: through hole
320: light capture unit
322: PCB
324: sensor unit
330: emission filter
400: drive module
410: motor
420: motor shaft
500: cooling module
510: blowing fan
520: blowing nozzle
522: entrance
524: exit
600: cover module
610: cover housing
612: housing
614: opening and closing cover
620: cover base
622: filter interpolation
624: light passing portion
630: light emitting unit
632: PCB
634: light source unit
640: tube lid heating section
642: through hole
650: filter here
700: control unit

Claims (10)

A device used for a high-speed nucleic acid amplification reaction,
Holder 150 for fixing the position of the reaction tube;
A heating module 200 including a heater 210 generating heat to heat the tube and a heating block 220 connected to the heater 210;
A driving module 400 that moves the heating module 200 in the vertical direction so that the distance between the heating module 200 and the holder 150 is variable; And
Includes; cooling module 500 for cooling the tube fixed to the holder 150,
The cooling module 500,
It includes a blowing fan 510 for generating a cooling wind, and a blowing nozzle 520 for transmitting the cooling wind generated by the blowing fan 510 to a tube fixed to the holder 150,
The blowing nozzle 520 is a high-speed nucleic acid amplification device that is closed when the heating module 200 is adjacent to the holder 150 and is opened when the heating module 200 is separated from the holder 150.
According to claim 1,
The heating block 220 is disposed under the holder 150 and includes one or more depressions 222 configured to allow at least a portion of the tube to be introduced.
The driving module 400 moves the heating block 220 to vary the distance between the depression 222 and the tube, a high-speed nucleic acid amplification device.
According to claim 2,
The holder 150 includes at least one mounting hole 154 having a predetermined inner diameter and penetrating in the vertical direction, so that the tube is mounted on the mounting hole 154, but the lower portion of the tube is exposed downward. Is composed,
When the heating block 220 rises, the lower portion of the tube is introduced into the depression 222,
A high-speed nucleic acid amplification device in which the lower portion of the tube is spaced from the depression 222 when the heating block 220 descends.
According to claim 1,
The heating module 200,
Further comprising a guide portion 230 disposed on the side of the heater 210,
The guide unit 230,
Guide tube (232) having a hole penetrated in the vertical direction,
A guide beam 234 inserted into a hole of the guide tube 232 and extending in a vertical direction, and
A high-speed nucleic acid amplification device including an elastic spring 236 which is located on the guide tube 232 and the guide beam 234 is interpolated.
According to claim 1,
The heating block 220 is disposed under the holder 150,
The blowing nozzle 520 is disposed on one side in the lateral direction of the holder 150,
The heating module 200 includes an opening and closing portion 240,
The opening / closing part 240 blocks the blowing nozzle 520 when the heating block 220 rises, and is spaced downward from the blowing nozzle 520 when the heating block 220 descends, and thus the blowing nozzle 520 ) To open, high-speed nucleic acid amplification device.
The method of claim 3,
The holder 150 includes a plurality of mounting holes 154, wherein the mounting holes 154 have one or more array lines and are arranged side by side,
The blowing nozzle 520 includes an inlet portion 522 adjacent to the blowing fan 510 and an outlet portion 524 adjacent to the holder 150, compared to the horizontal width of the inlet portion 522. The horizontal width of the outlet portion 524 is configured to be widely extended,
The outlet portion 524 of the blowing nozzle 520 is disposed outside the holder 150 in a horizontal direction, but the width direction of the outlet portion 524 has a direction parallel to the arrangement line of the mounting hole 154. A high-speed nucleic acid amplification device constructed.
According to claim 1,
A sensing module 300 that detects a reaction signal of a reactant in the tube; And
It is disposed on the holder 150, the cover module 600 that can be opened and closed; further comprises,
The cover module 600 includes a light source unit 634 that provides light to the tube,
The detection module 300 is a high-speed nucleic acid amplification device including a sensor unit 324 for detecting the light generated from the reactants in the tube.
The method of claim 7,
The cover module 600,
Further comprising an excitation filter 650 disposed under the light source unit 634,
The detection module 300,
A high-speed nucleic acid amplification device further comprising an emission filter (330) disposed between the tube and the sensor unit (324).
The method of claim 7,
The heating block 220,
A high-speed nucleic acid amplification device comprising a light transmission unit 224 penetrated in at least one direction so that the light generated in the tube is transmitted in at least one lateral direction.
According to claim 1,
The heating module 200, the driving module 400, and a control device 700 for controlling the operation of the cooling module 500; High-speed nucleic acid amplification device further comprising a.

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