WO2023055341A1

WO2023055341A1 - A pipetting module for precision transfer of solids

Info

Publication number: WO2023055341A1
Application number: PCT/US2021/052391
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jolieke Gerdy VAN; Tifahri YUSUF; Benjamin SILBERBERG; William Chase GUYTON; Nicholas Johnson
Original assignee: Orange Llc
Priority date: 2021-09-28
Filing date: 2021-09-28
Publication date: 2023-04-06

Abstract

The present invention provides a pipette module made of a housing shell having at least one passage extending therethrough, a plunger rod sized, shaped, and designed to pass into the at least one passage of the housing shell, an upper lid designed to cover the housing shell and enables the plunger rod to move in a vertical direction in the at one passage of the housing shell, and a slot at a bottom side of the housing shell for attachment of an interchangeable tip. The interchangeable tip is having a first end and a second end. The second end is sized and shaped to extract and retain specific sized solid material, and the first end is having a passageway therethrough enabling the plunger rod to dispense the solid material. Further, the pipette module is coupled with a detachable light module.

Description

TITLE: A PIPETTING MODULE FOR PRECISION TRANSFER OF SOLIDS

Reference to a "Sequence Listing," a table, or a computer program listing appendix submitted on a compact disc and an incorporation-by-reference of the material on the compact disc (see j 1.52(e)(5)). Incorporation by reference of the material in the ASCII text file: PATENTIN_ST25, created on Sept. 9, 2021 and 4 kb in size. TXT.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention provides a pipette module configured to cut out solid of specified size, and more specifically, the invention provides the pipette module that enables a user to cut out DNA/ RNA/ protein bands of variable sizes from agarose/ polyacrylamide gels in an efficient manner.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Agarose is a natural polysaccharide extracted from seaweed, and its aqueous solution has the characteristic of forming a hydrogel at a low temperature. Gel electrophoresis is a method to separate a mixed population of macromolecules such as DNA or proteins in a matrix of agarose or polyacrylamide. The macromolecules may be separated by charge and/or size. Presently, a person manually cuts out the target band in the gel containing the macromolecule using a blade or a kit which is a time-consuming task. Also, the bands are not cut out precisely and/or consistently. In prior arts, the pipette is used to transfer a specific volume of fluid, liquids, and semi-solids. In which, fluid is the state of a specific substance, the liquid is one of the states of matter and semi-solid having the qualities of both a solid and a liquid. However, there is a need for a pipette module for the precision transfer of solids in the specified size.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0003] In one embodiment, the present invention provides a pipette module for the precise transfer of a solid material. The pipette module is made of a housing shell having a top shell and a slot, with an at least one passage extending therethrough; a plunger rod sized to pass into the at least one passage of the housing shell and move in a vertical direction in the at one passage of the housing shell; the top shelf configured to retain the plunger rod and seal the at least one passage; and an interchangeable tip; wherein the interchangeable tip has a first end and a second end, wherein the second end is sized to extract and retain specific sized solid material, wherein the first end made of a passageway therethrough enabling the plunger rod to dispense the solid material. The interchangeable tip is of variable sizes and shapes.

[0004] In another exemplary embodiment, the present invention provides a pipette module coupled with a detachable light shell. The pipette module is made of a housing shell, sized, shaped, and designed to have at least one passage extending therethrough, a plunger rod with a spring, designed to pass through at least one passageway of the housing shell, an upper lid designed to cover the housing shell, and enables the plunger rod to move in a vertical direction in at least one passage of the housing shell, and a slot at a bottom side of the housing shell for attachment of an interchangeable tip. The interchangeable tip has a first end and a second end, wherein the second end is sized and shaped to extract and retain specific sized solid material, wherein the first end is having a passageway therethrough enabling the plunger rod to dispense the solid material. Further, a first guiding rail attached to an outer side of the housing shell. A second guiding rail is attached to an outer side of the light shell, wherein the second guiding rail is designed to couple with the first guiding rail of the housing shell, wherein the light shell is sized, shaped, and designed to hold a power source. In another exemplary embodiment, the power source is at least one of a 9V battery, AA batteries, AAA batteries, rechargeable batteries, and lithium-ion batteries. The detachable light shell has a top end and a bottom end, wherein the top end includes an on/off button. The bottom end of the light shell has of a plurality of openings allowing for light to pass through. The bottom end of the light shell is angled, allowing for angled illumination, wherein the angle is ranging from zero to 90 degrees.

[0005] In another exemplary embodiment, the present invention a method to remove a section of electrophoresis medium with macromolecules from a section of an electrophoresis medium not containing macromolecules including the steps of: providing the electrophoresis medium; providing pipette module made of: a housing shell having a top shell and a slot, with an at least one passage extending therethrough; a plunger rod sized to pass into the at least one passage of the housing shell and move in a vertical direction in the at one passage of the housing shell; the top shelf configured to retain the plunger rod and seal the at least one passage; and an interchangeable tip; wherein the interchangeable tip has a first end and a second end, wherein the second end is sized to extract and retain specific sized solid material, wherein the first end made of a passageway therethrough enabling the plunger rod to dispense the specific sized electrophoresis medium and removing a section of the electrophoresis medium with macromolecules.

[0006] It has been found that certain genomic variation in the SARS~CoV~2 genome have been associated with higher mortality rates and as such it is important to rapidly and with a high degree of precision handle electrophoresis medium containing virus. The present device and method are suited to solve this technical problem.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] Embodiments of the present invention described herein are exemplary, and not restrictive. Embodiments will now be described, by way of examples, with reference to the accompanying drawings. In these drawings, each identical or nearly identical component that is illustrated in various figures is represented by a reference number. For purposes of clarity, not every component is labeled in every drawing. The drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, with emphasis instead being placed on illustrating various aspects of the techniques and devices described herein.

[0008] The foregoing and other objects, aspects, and advantages are better understood from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention with reference to the drawings, in which:

[0009] FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a pipette module, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0010] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the pipette module, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

[0011] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the plunger rod, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0012] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the interchangeable tip, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0013] FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of the attachment of the interchangeable tip.

[0014] FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of a detachable light shell, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0015] FIG. 7A shows a gel containing SARS-CoV-2 prior to excision in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. [0016] FIG. 7B shows a shows a gel containing SARS-CoV-2 after cutting, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] With reference to the figures provided, embodiments of the present invention are now described in detail. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the invention. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that the invention can be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, structures, devices, activities, and methods are shown using schematics, use cases, and/or flow diagrams in order to avoid obscuring the invention. Although the following description contains many specifics for the purposes of illustration, anyone skilled in the art will appreciate that many variations and/or alterations to suggested details are within the scope of the present invention. Similarly, although many of the features of the present invention are described in terms of each other, or in conjunction with each other, one skilled in the art will appreciate that many of these features can be provided independently of other features. Accordingly, this description of the invention is set forth without any loss of generality to, and without imposing limitations upon, the invention.

[0018] Embodiment of the present invention provides a pipette module configured to excise solid of specified size, for example, DNA bands. The pipette module provides a user a contact-free and accurate repetitive excision. The pipette module enables a user to cut out DNA/RNA protein bands of variable sizes from agarose gel in an efficient manner.

[0019] FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a pipette module (100), in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The pipette module (100) for precise transfer of a solid material is made of a housing shell (102), a plunger rod (104), and a detachable light shell (120). The detachable light shell (120) is configured to provide light on the solid material enabling the user to clearly view target excision solid material (i.e., DNA/ RNA/ protein bands on an agarose or polyacrylamide gel) and efficiently cut out the target solid material of the specified size using the pipette module (100). The housing shell (102) has an at least one passage (106) extending therethrough. A plunger rod (104) is sized, shaped, and designed to pass into the at least one passage (106) of the housing shell (102). Further, the plunger rod (104) is made up of a plunger lid (110) that enables the plunger rod (104) to move in a vertical direction in the at one passage (106) of the housing shell (102). The housing shell (102) is made of a top shell (108) configured to retain the plunger rod (104) inside the housing shell (102) and seal the at least one passage (106). Further, the housing shell (102) is made of a slot (112) at a bottom end. The top shell (108) is designed to cover the housing shell (102) and enables the plunger rod (104) to move in a vertical direction in the at least one passage (106) of the housing shell (102). The slot (112) at the bottom end enables the attachment of an interchangeable tip (114). The interchangeable tip (114) has a first end (116) and a second end (118). The second end (118) of the interchangeable tip (114) is sized and shaped to extract and retain specific sized solid material using friction, wherein the first end (116) of the interchangeable tip (114) is sized and shaped to fit inside the housing shell (102). The interchangeable tip (114) is shaped having a passageway therethrough enabling the plunger rod (104) to dispense the solid material.

[0020] The plunger rod (104) has a spring enabled the plunger rod (104) to move upwards into its original position after dispensing the solid material. The interchangeable tip (114) is of variable sizes and shapes enabling the user to extract out different predetermined sizes or shapes of the solid material. Further, a first guiding rail (122) is attached to an outer side of the housing shell (102). A second guiding rail (124) is attached to an outer side of the detachable light shell (120), wherein the second guiding rail (124) is designed to couple with the first guiding rail (122) of the housing shell (102). The detachable light shell (120) is sized, shaped, and designed to hold a power source. Further, a bottom end (126) of the detachable light shell (120) is made of a plurality of openings allowing for light to passthrough. The bottom end (126) of the detachable light shell (120) is angled, allowing for angled illumination toward the interchangeable tip (114) to illuminate the DNA/RNA/protein bands, and wherein the angle is ranging from 0 to 90 degrees.

[0021] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the pipette module (200), in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The pipette module (200) configured to efficiently cut out DNA/RNA protein bands from an agarose gel made of a housing shell (102), a plunger rod (104), and a light shell (120). The housing shell (102) is a cylindrical-shaped shell. The housing shell (102) is having at least one passage (106) extending therethrough. The plunger rod (104) passes through the at least one passage (106) of the housing shell (102). A bottom side (202) of the plunger rod (104) is of variable shapes and sizes. The housing shell (102) is made of a top shell (108) to hold the plunger rod (104) inside the housing shell (104). Further, the housing shell (102) has an upper lid (108) at a top end and a slot (112) at a bottom end. The upper lid (108) is designed to cover the housing shell (102) and enables the plunger rod (104) to move in a vertical direction in the at one passage (106) of the housing shell (102). The plunger lid (110) enables the user to press the plunger rod (104) downwards. The slot (112) enables the attachment of an interchangeable tip (114). The interchangeable tip (114) is pushed into the slot using friction. Further, a first guiding rail (122) is attached to an outer side of the housing shell (102). A second guiding rail (124) is attached to an outer side of the light shell (120), wherein the second guiding rail (124) is designed to be coupled to the first guiding rail (122) of the housing shell (102).

[0022] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the plunger rod (104), in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the interchangeable tip (114), in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The interchangeable tip (114) can be easily removed from the slot of the housing shell and is replaced with a new interchangeable tip based on the specified size of the solid material to be cut out from the agarose gel or to prevent contamination. The interchangeable tip (114) is having a first end (116) and a second end (118).

[0024] FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of the attachment of the interchangeable tip (114). The user is enabled to push the interchangeable tip (114) into the slot (112) of the housing shell (102).

[0025] FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of a detachable light shell (120), in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The detachable light shell (120) is sized, shaped, and designed to hold a power source (308), wherein the power source (308) is at least one of a 9V battery, watch batteries, AA batteries, AAA batteries, rechargeable batteries, and lithium-ion batteries. The power source (308) is coupled with one or more LEDs or any other diodes. The detachable light shell (120) has a top end (302) and a bottom end (126). The top end (302) includes an on/off button (304). The bottom end (126) has a plurality of openings (306) allowing for light to passthrough. The bottom end (126) of the detachable light shell (120) is angled, allowing for angled illumination toward the interchangeable tip to illuminate the DNA/RNA bands, and wherein the angle is ranging from zero to 90 degrees. The user is enabled to replace the power source by removing the top end (302) of the detachable light shell (120). Further, the detachable light shell (120) has at least one or more ultraviolet diodes. In one embodiment, the detachable light shell (120) has at least one or more LEDs, wherein the at least one or more LEDs can be of any color and having a range between 400 to 700nm.

[0026] FIGS. 7A and B show use of the device to facilitate genotyping of Covid- 19. COVID-19 contains single-stranded (positive-sense) RNA associated with a nucleoprotein within a capsid made of matrix protein. A typical virus contains at least six continuous stretch of codons in its genome. It has been found that certain genomic variation in the SARS-CoV-2 genome have been associated with higher mortality rates and as such it is important to rapidly and with a high degree of precision handle electrophoresis medium containing virus.

[0027] Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed on COV2 plasmid DNA (purchased from IDT, CAT# 10006625, sequence from GenBank: NC_045512.2) with the forward primer TGCACCCCGCATTACG (SEQ ID no. 1) and reverse primer AGAACGCTGAAGCGCTG (SEQ ID no. 2) . Amplification was performed using 10ng of DNA, 400nM of the forward and reverse primer, each, with Classic++TM Hot Start Taq NA Polymerase Master Mix (TONBO Biosciences, CAT# 31-5011) in a total volume of 50uL. PCR cycling was performed using an initial denaturation step at 95 degrees Celsius for 1 minute, followed by 40 cycles of denaturation at 95C for 12 seconds, annealing at 55.3; 56.9; 59.0; 61.3; 63.3; 64.9; or 65.9 degrees Celsius (lane 1-7 respectively), and 15 seconds annealing at 72C. After completion of the cycles, an additional annealing step at 72C for 90seconds was performed, after which samples were kept at 4C until gel preparation.

[0028] Samples were loaded on an 0.8% agarose gel, using the GeneRuler 1 kb DNA ladder (Thermoscientific CAT#SM0311) in the first lane, and run for 20 minutes at 100V. Gels were illuminated with the gel cutter, and a picture was taken prior to cutting gel bands (gel1) and after cutting bands from lanes 1-3 and 7 using the precision cutter, as shown with the rectangular gaps in the gel (gel2). The amplified Covid DNA can be excised from the gel and used for sequencing to identify mutations. [0029] While the invention has been described with reference to preferred and example embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that a variety of modifications, additions, and deletions are within the scope of the invention, as defined by the following claims.

Claims

We Claim:

1 . A pipette module for precise transfer of a solid material comprising: a housing shell comprised of a top shell and a slot, having at least one passage extending therethrough; a plunger rod sized to pass into the at least one passage of the housing shell and move in a vertical direction in the at one passage of the housing shell; said top shelf configured to retain the plunger rod and seal the at least one passage; and an interchangeable tip; wherein the interchangeable tip has a first end and a second end, wherein the second end is sized to extract and retain specific sized solid material, wherein the first end comprises a passageway therethrough enabling the plunger rod to dispense the solid material.

2. The pipette module of claim 1 , wherein the housing shell is a cylindrical shaped housing.

3. The pipette module of claim 1 further comprising a light shell.

4. A pipette module for precise transfer of solid, and coupled with a detachable light shell, wherein the pipette module comprising: a housing shell comprising an at least one passage extending therethrough; a plunger rod with a spring, designed to pass through the at least one passageway of the housing shell; a top shell designed to cover the housing shell, and to enable the plunger rod to move in a vertical direction in the at one passage of the housing shell; a slot at a bottom of the housing shell for attachment of an interchangeable tip; wherein the interchangeable tip has a first end and a second end, wherein the second end is sized to extract and retain specific sized solid material, wherein the first end comprises a passageway therethrough enabling the plunger rod to dispense the solid material; a first guiding rail attached to an outer side of the housing shell, a second guiding rail attached to an outer side of the detachable light shell, wherein the second guiding rail is designed to couple with the first guiding rail of the housing shell; wherein the detachable light shell is sized to hold a power source.

9 The pipette module of claim 4, wherein the light shell is comprised of a top end and a bottom end, wherein the top end comprises an on/off button. The pipette module of claim 4, wherein the bottom end of the light shell comprises of a plurality of openings allowing for light to passthrough. The pipette module of claim 4, wherein the bottom end of the light shell is angled, allowing for angled illumination, wherein the angle is ranging from zero to 90 degrees. The pipette module of claim 4, wherein the light shell comprises at least one or more ultraviolet diodes. The pipette module of claim 4, wherein the light shell comprises at least one or more LEDs. The pipette module of claim 9, wherein the at least one or more LEDs can be of any color and having a range between 400 to 700nm. A method to remove a section of electrophoresis medium with macromolecules from a section of an electrophoresis medium not containing macromolecules comprising the steps of: providing the electrophoresis medium; providing pipette module comprised of: a housing shell comprised of a top shell and a slot, having at least one passage extending therethrough; a plunger rod sized to pass into the at least one passage of the housing shell and move in a vertical direction in the at one passage of the housing shell; said top shelf configured to retain the plunger rod and seal the at least one passage; and an interchangeable tip; wherein the interchangeable tip has a first end and a second end, wherein the second end is sized to extract and retain specific sized solid material, wherein the first end comprises a passageway therethrough enabling the plunger rod to dispense the specific sized electrophoresis medium; and removing a section of the electrophoresis medium with the macromolecules. The method of claim 11 , wherein the macromolecules are SARS-CoV-2.