System, apparatus and method for material preparation and/or handling

• US 10,428,301 B2
• Filed: 10/20/2016
• Issued: 10/01/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Claremont Biosolutions, LLC
• Original Assignee: Keck Graduate Institute
• Inventors: Doebler, Robert, Nadim, Ali, Sterling, James D., Hickerson, Anna, Erwin, Barbara, Woyski, Denice, Talbot, Ryan P., Irvine, Bruce
• Primary Examiner(s): Beisner, William H.
• Application Number:
  US15/299,059
• Publication Number:
  US 20170037359A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,076 Days
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 23/28 disposable or single use
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 27/00 Means for mixing, agitating or circulating fluids in the vessel by introduction of gas C12M29/06, C12M29/14, mixing in general or mixers per se B01F; mixing in apparatus for chemical or physical processes B01J
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 47/06 Hydrolysis; Cell lysis; Extraction of intracellular or cell wall material lysis of microorganisms C12N1/06; extracting or separating nucleic acids from biological samples C12N15/1003
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 1/066 by physical methods
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 1/286 involving mechanical work, e.g. chopping, disintegrating, compacting, homogenising microtomes G01N1/06; pulverising in general B02C; mixing in general B01F
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 1/4077 by other techniques involving separation of suspended solids
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2001/4083 sedimentation
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2001/4088 filtration
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2001/4094 using ultrasound

Abstract

Oscillating angularly rotating a container containing a material may cause the material to be separate. Denser or heavier material may unexpectedly tend to collected relatively close to the axis of rotation, while less dense or light material may tend to collect relatively away from the axis of rotation. Oscillation along an arcuate path provides high lysing efficiency. Alternatively, a micromotor may drive an impeller removably received in a container. Lysing may be implemented in batch mode, flow-through stop or semi-batch mode, or flow-through continuous mode. Lysing particulate material may exceed material to be lysed or lysed material and/or air may be essentially eliminated from a chamber to increase lysing efficiency.

Claims

1. A system to perform lysis, the system comprising:

a container having at least one chamber to hold a material to be lysed and a lysing particulate material, the chamber having;

a first opening to provide fluid communication with the chamber from an exterior thereof and to receive the material to be lysed;

a second opening to provide fluid communication with the chamber from an exterior thereof and to provide an exit to the chamber for the material to be lysed;

a first filter positioned adjacent the second opening, the first filter having a plurality of apertures sized to pass the material that has been lysed and to block the lysing Particulate material;

a second filter positioned adjacent the first opening, the second filter having a plurality of apertures sized to pass the material to be lysed and to block the lysing particulate material;

a medium that includes the lysing particulate material and a fluid;

an impeller having a number of blades received in the chamber of the container; and

a micromotor coupled to the impeller, in operation, the micromotor turns the impeller which causes the impeller to agitate the material to be lysed in the chamber along with the medium that includes the lysing particulate material and the fluid to mechanically lyse the material.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the chamber has a third opening that includes an inner side wall, and the micromotor includes a body having an outer side wall and a face that faces the impeller, and at least a portion of the outer side wall of the micromotor sealingly engages the inner side wall of the third opening to seal the third opening such that the face of the micromotor is in direct contact with the medium during use.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the micromotor is removably received in the third opening.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the micromotor is disposable.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the micromotor pulsates.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the micromotor drives the impeller at a rate of greater than 10,000 RPM in the presence of the lysing particulate material which comprises a liquid and a plurality of beads.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the micromotor drives the impeller at a rate of approximately 50,000 RPM, when not in the presence of the lysing particulate material which comprises a liquid and a plurality of beads.