TW201404883A - Drop-type high-throughput thermal circulation system - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed is a drop-type high-throughput thermal circulation system which can receive and heat a test sample mixed with a plurality of magnet beads and having a drop-like shape. The drop-type high-throughput thermal circulation system includes an outer shell to enclose and define a movement space, a movement device capable of moving in the movement space, and a heating device. The movement device includes a bearing platform and a bearing unit driven by the bearing platform for movement and receiving the test sample. The test sample is driven by the bearing platform to move between different heating units of the heating device, thereby effectively saving the time and the cost required to raise or lower the temperature. By the design of the light filter and the magnetic member of the bearing unit, the present invention can promote heating efficiency and prevent the test sample from deviating from its position.

Description

Droplet type high-throughput thermal cycle system

The present invention relates to a thermal cycle system, and more particularly to a droplet type high throughput thermal cycle system.

The most common method currently used to detect DNA is to perform DNA polymerase chain reaction (PCR). PCR is carried out in three steps that are repeated in sequence, denaturation (denature, DNA double-strand separation to form a single strand) → adhesion (annealing, primer binding to a complementary position on a single strand of DNA) → extension (extension, with two primers A new DNA was synthesized as a starting point. After the PCR was completed, gel electrophoresis was performed to detect the result.

At present, PCR mainly uses a fixed circulation heater, and the controller is used to control the heating time and temperature of the heater. That is to say, the fixed circulation heater fixes the sample in the same space, and changes the temperature of the space to make the The space is heated at different temperatures for different times to achieve the purpose of temperature cycle heating. However, when the fixed circulation heater is used to raise and lower the temperature, it is necessary to raise and lower the PCR mixture and all the components also located in the space to the same temperature. The next step can be carried out, which not only wastes time, but also greatly increases the cost of the experiment. Therefore, how to only let the PCR mixture rise and fall, so that other non-essential heating objects do not need to be synchronized with the temperature rise, in order to save experimental time, it is worth thinking and researching.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a droplet type high throughput thermal cycle system that can effectively save experimental time and cost.

Thus, the droplet type high-throughput thermal cycle system of the present invention is configured to accommodate and heat a sample to be tested mixed with a plurality of magnetic beads and having a droplet shape, the droplet type high-throughput thermal cycle system comprising a surrounding defining one a housing of the moving space, a mobile device movable within the moving space, and a heating device.

The mobile device includes a power source, a stage driven by the power source to reciprocate in the moving space, and a carrying unit disposed on the stage and moving with the stage, wherein the carrying unit has a box disposed on the stage, a cover body detachably disposed on the box body and having an opening, a filter embedded in the opening of the cover body, and a filter disposed on the box a magnetic member in the body, and a carrier plate disposed on the magnetic member and corresponding to the position of the filter, the carrier having a plurality of receiving portions for receiving the sample to be tested.

The heating device comprises a controller, and three heating units respectively electrically connected to the controller and disposed in the moving space of the outer casing, the heating unit is located above the mobile device for heating the carrying unit, Wherein each heating unit has a surrounding wall, a heating space defined by the surrounding wall, and a heating member fixed to the surrounding wall and electrically connected to the controller for heating the heating space.

The utility model has the advantages that the sample is driven to move between the temperature zones formed by different heating units, thereby effectively saving the time and cost required for the temperature rise and fall, and the filter and the magnetic material passing through the load bearing unit The design of the part can improve the heating efficiency and avoid the situation where the sample to be tested is out of position.

The above and other technical contents, features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, a preferred embodiment of a droplet type high throughput thermal cycle system of the present invention comprises a housing 2, a moving device 3 movable relative to the housing 2, and a heating device 4.

The housing 2 includes a base 21, two side walls 22 correspondingly disposed on opposite sides of the base 21, and a moving space 23 defined by the base 21 and the two side walls 22.

The mobile device 3 includes a power source 31 disposed in the base 21, a stage 32 driven by the power source 31 to reciprocate in the moving space 23 along the moving direction X, and a loading platform 32 disposed on the mobile device 31. A load bearing unit 33 on the table 32 that moves with the stage 32.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the carrying unit 33 has a casing 331 disposed on the carrier 32, a cover 332 detachably disposed on the casing 331 and having an opening 330 formed therein. a filter 333 for the opening 330 of the cover 332, a magnetic member 334 disposed in the case 331, and a carrier plate disposed on the magnetic member 334 corresponding to the position of the filter 333 335. The carrier 335 has a plurality of accommodating portions 336 for accommodating the sample 5 to be tested mixed with a plurality of magnetic beads 6 and having a droplet shape.

It should be particularly noted that, in this embodiment, the stage 32 and the box body 331 are not shown in an integrated manner, but in the actual manufacturing, the box body 331 and the stage 32 may be integrated. Design, not limited to this.

Referring again to FIGS. 1 and 2, the heating device 4 includes a controller 41. And a heating unit 42 that is electrically connected to the controller 41 and disposed in the moving space 23, and the heating unit 42 is configured to heat the sample 5 to be tested and accommodated in the carrying unit 33. Each of the heating units 42 has a surrounding wall 421 connected between the two side walls 22 and having an inverted U-shaped cross section. A heating space 422 defined by the surrounding wall 421 is fixed to the surrounding wall 421. The heating member 423 is electrically connected to the controller 41 for heating the heating space 422, and two reflecting mirrors 424 are attached to the surrounding wall 421 and correspond to each other. Each of the surrounding walls 421 has a curved section 425 and two upright sections 426 extending downwardly from opposite ends of the curved section 425. The two reflecting mirrors 424 are respectively attached to the two straight sections 426. In this embodiment, the heating member 423 is an infrared lamp.

For convenience of description, the heating unit 42 is specifically distinguished by numbers 42a, 42b, and 42c, and the heating spaces 422 are respectively distinguished by numbers 422a, 422b, and 422c, and the heating members 423 are respectively numbered 423a. 423b, 423c make a distinction. In the present embodiment, the controller 41 controls the temperature of the heating member 423a to be 95 ° C, the temperature of the heating member 423b to 55 ° C, and the temperature of the heating member 423c to 72 ° C, respectively, so that the heating members 423a, 423b And 423c respectively heats the heating spaces 422a, 422b, and 422c to approach 95 ° C, 55 ° C, and 72 ° C. It should be noted that the above temperature is only the experimental condition set in the embodiment, and the temperature of the heating elements 423a-c can be changed according to various experimental conditions to adjust the temperature of the heating spaces 422a-c. Meanwhile, the heating space 422a defining 95 ° C is denaturation, and the heating space 422 b of 55 ° C is an annealing, and the heating space 422 c of 72 ° C is an extension. when However, depending on the actual needs, the heating space 422b is an extension area, and the heating space 422c is an adhesion area, and the temperature of the heating spaces 422b and 422c is changed in accordance with experimental conditions, which is not limited to those disclosed in the embodiment.

Hereinafter, the mode of use of the present invention will be described in conjunction with an experiment. First, a double-stranded DNA is prepared as a template, and a fragment complementary to the double-stranded DNA portion is confirmed, and the fragment, the template, and the magnetic beads are included. After the reaction reagents are mixed, the sample 5 to be tested is formed, and the sample 5 to be tested is placed in the accommodating portion 336 of the carrier tray 335, and a layer of mineral oil 7 is covered on the sample 5 to be tested. Wherein, the surface of the magnetic bead 6 is hydrophilic, so when the magnetic bead 6 moves, the droplet-shaped sample 5 to be tested can be moved.

Next, the controller 41 adjusts the temperature required for the heating spaces 422a-42, and the power source 31 drives the stage 32 to move the stage 32 and the moving device 3 in the moving space 23. The sequence of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is completed through the denaturation zone→adhesion zone→extension zone, and the above-mentioned moving sequence is repeated by returning the stage 32 to the denaturation zone, and the stage 32 and the mobile device 3 stay at The time in the above area can be adjusted according to the actual situation.

It should be noted that when the stage 32 and the moving device 3 are moved under each heating unit 42, the filter 333 of the carrying unit 33 is correspondingly located below each heating member 423, and each heating member is 423 is an infrared lamp tube, which radiates heat radiation when heated, and cooperates with the arrangement of the reflective lens 424 to allow heat energy to be concentrated and passed through the filter 333, and the sample to be tested 5 is heated. In addition, since the main component of the sample 5 to be tested is water, the absorption spectrum of water has two high absorption wavelengths at 1450 nm and 1950 nm. Therefore, in this embodiment, the filter 333 can be used in two sizes, one can pass the wavelength of 1400 nm to 1500 nm, and the other can pass the wavelength of 1900 nm to 2000 nm to the sample to be tested 5 Produces the best heating effect.

In addition, since the magnetic sample 6 is contained in the sample to be tested 5, and the magnetic member 334 is used to adsorb the magnetic bead 6, the magnetic bearing member 33 is moved by the carrier 32, and the magnetic member is transmitted through the magnetic member. 334 can prevent the sample 5 to be tested from being deviated or shifted. Since the boiling point of the mineral oil 7 is higher than 100 ° C, the mineral oil 7 is covered on the sample 5 to be tested, so that the sample 5 to be tested can be prevented from evaporating during the reaction, and it is not necessary to additionally use any form of the upper cover, thereby saving the processing cost and time.

In summary, the droplet type high-throughput thermal cycle system of the present invention uses the stage 32 to drive the sample 5 to be tested to move between the temperature zones formed by the different heating units 42, thereby effectively saving the temperature required for lifting and lowering. Time and cost, in conjunction with the design of the heating member 423 of each heating unit 42 in conjunction with the reflective lens 424, the best heating effect can be produced on the sample 5 to be tested, and the magnetic member 334 is used to adsorb the When the magnetic beads 6 in the sample 5 are measured to move the carrying unit 33 by the stage 32, the sample 5 to be tested can be prevented from being displaced or displaced, so that the object of the present invention can be achieved.

The above is only the preferred embodiment of the present invention, and the scope of the invention is not limited thereto, that is, the simple equivalent changes and modifications made by the scope of the invention and the description of the invention are All remain within the scope of the invention patent.

2‧‧‧ Shell

21‧‧‧Base

22‧‧‧ side wall

23‧‧‧Mobile space

3‧‧‧Mobile devices

31‧‧‧Power source

32‧‧‧ stage

33‧‧‧ Carrying unit

330‧‧‧ openings

331‧‧‧Box

332‧‧‧ cover

333‧‧‧Filter

334‧‧‧Magnetic parts

335‧‧‧ Carrying tray

336‧‧‧ 容部

4‧‧‧ heating device

41‧‧‧ Controller

42‧‧‧heating unit

42a~c‧‧‧heating unit

421‧‧‧ Around the wall

422‧‧‧heating space

422a~c‧‧‧heating space

423‧‧‧heating parts

423a~c‧‧‧heating parts

424‧‧‧Reflective lenses

425‧‧‧ curved section

426‧‧‧Upright section

5‧‧‧samples to be tested

6‧‧‧Magnetic beads

7‧‧‧ mineral oil

X‧‧‧ moving direction

1 is a perspective view showing a preferred embodiment of the droplet type high-throughput thermal cycle system of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a side view, which is an explanatory view of FIG. 1; and FIG. 3 is a partial exploded perspective view showing a mobile device The detailed structure of the carrying unit.

2‧‧‧ Shell

21‧‧‧Base

22‧‧‧ side wall

23‧‧‧Mobile space

3‧‧‧Mobile devices

31‧‧‧Power source

32‧‧‧ stage

33‧‧‧ Carrying unit

331‧‧‧Box

332‧‧‧ cover

333‧‧‧Filter

4‧‧‧ heating device

41‧‧‧ Controller

42‧‧‧heating unit

421‧‧‧ Around the wall

422‧‧‧heating space

423‧‧‧heating parts

424‧‧‧Reflective lenses

425‧‧‧ curved section

426‧‧‧Upright section

X‧‧‧ moving direction

Claims (5)

A droplet type high-throughput thermal circulation system for accommodating and heating a sample to be tested mixed with a plurality of magnetic beads and having a droplet shape, the droplet type high-throughput thermal cycle system comprising: a casing surrounding the defining one a mobile device comprising: a power source; a carrier driven by the power source to reciprocate in the moving space; and a carrying unit disposed on the stage and moving along the stage, wherein The carrying unit has a box body disposed on the loading platform, a cover body detachably disposed on the box body and having an opening, a filter embedded in the opening of the cover body, and a filter a magnetic member disposed in the casing, and a carrier plate disposed on the magnetic member and corresponding to the position of the filter, the carrier having a plurality of receiving portions for receiving the sample to be tested; a heating device comprising a controller and three heating units respectively electrically connected to the controller and disposed in a moving space of the outer casing, the heating unit being located above the mobile device for heating the carrying unit Wherein each heating unit has a surrounding A surrounding wall of the heating space around the defined, and a fixed to the wall surrounds and electrically connected to the controller and the heating element for heating the heating space. The droplet type high-throughput thermal cycle system according to claim 1, wherein the outer casing comprises a base, and two side walls correspondingly disposed on two sides of the base, wherein the moving space is The base is co-defined with the two side walls, and the power source of the mobile device is disposed in the base. Droplet type high-throughput thermal cycle system according to item 2 of the patent application scope The surrounding wall of each heating unit is connected between the two side walls and has an inverted U-shaped cross section. The droplet type high-throughput thermal cycle system according to claim 3, wherein each of the heating unit has a curved arc around the surrounding wall, and two straight segments extending downward from both ends of the curved portion And each heating unit further has two reflective lenses attached to the two straight segments for reflecting the light of the heating member. The droplet type high-throughput thermal cycle system according to claim 1, wherein the heating element of each heating unit is an infrared lamp.