Sample processing methods

• US 10,443,050 B2
• Filed: 06/15/2017
• Issued: 10/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Roche Molecular Systems Inc (Roche Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: Roche Molecular Systems Inc (Roche Holding AG)
• Inventors: Chen, Shuqi, Chen, Lingjun
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown, Melanie
• Application Number:
  US15/624,535
• Publication Number:
  US 20170283790A1
• Time in Patent Office: 852 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 31/55 the materials to be mixed being contained in a flexible bag submitted to periodical deformation
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/0621 Control of the sequence of chambers filled or emptied
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/10 Integrating sample preparation and analysis in single entity, e.g. lab-on-a-chip concept
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/042 Caps; Plugs
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/046 Function or devices integrated in the closure
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/047 Additional chamber, reservoir
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0681 Filter
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/069 Absorbents; Gels to retain a fluid
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/087 Multiple sequential chambers
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/10 Means to control humidity and/or other gases
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0481 squeezing of channels or chambers
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0677 phase change valves; Meltable, freezing, dissolvable plugs; Destructible barriers
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502 with fluid transport, e.g. in multi-compartment structures centrifugal-type cuvettes G01N21/07; analysis by separation into components G01N30/00; automatic analysers G01N35/00
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/505 flexible containers not provided for above
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 15/1003 Extracting or separating nucleic acids from biological samples, e.g. pure separation or isolation methods; Conditions, buffers or apparatuses therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 1/10 in the liquid or fluent state burettes, pipettes B01L3/02; sampling of ground water E02D1/06; metering by volume of fluids or fluent solid material G01F11/00, G01F13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/543 with an insoluble carrier for immobilising immunochemicals
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 50/30 Against vector-borne diseases, e.g. mosquito-borne, fly-borne, tick-borne or waterborne diseases whose impact is exacerbated by climate change
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 435/81 Packaged device or kit
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/25 including sample preparation

Abstract

A method of processing a sample may include introducing a sample into a vessel, the vessel having proximal and distal ends, the sample being introduced into the proximal end of the vessel; incubating the sample in the vessel with a substance capable of specific binding to a preselected component of the sample; propelling components of the incubated sample, other than the preselected component, toward the proximal end of the vessel by clamping the vessel distal to the incubated sample and compressing the vessel where the incubated sample is contained; propelling the preselected component toward a distal segment of the vessel by clamping the vessel proximal to the preselected component and compressing the vessel where the preselected component is contained; and mixing the preselected component with a reagent in the distal segment of the vessel.

Claims

1. A sample processing device, comprising:

(a) a flexible tubule comprising a first opening and at least one reagent; and

(b) a cap configured to mate with and seal the tubule at the first opening, wherein the cap comprises (i) a substantially hollow cap body extending from a top of the cap body to an orifice at a base of the cap body, and (ii) a cover having a vent hole and positioned on the top of the cap body.

2. The device of claim 1 further comprising an interface positioned between the cap and the first opening of the flexible tubule, wherein the interface is configured to provide a hermetic seal.

3. The device of claim 2 wherein the substantially hollow cap body comprises one or more of the following components:

(a) a chamber having at least one supplemental reagent;

(b) a reservoir for waste fluids;

or (c) an integrated collection tool.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein said at least one reagent comprises a substance capable of specific binding to a preselected component of a sample when the sample is added to the tubule.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the substance is coupled to a solid substrate.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the substance forms a coating on the solid substrate.

7. The device of claim 5, wherein the solid substrate comprises at least one of beads, a pad, a filter, a sheet, an electrostatic surface, and a portion of a tubule wall surface.

8. The device of claim 5, wherein the substrate comprises at least one of silica beads, magnetic beads, silica magnetic beads, glass beads, nitrocellulose colloid beads, and magnetized nitrocellulose colloid beads.

9. The device of claim 5, wherein the substance comprises silica, and the substrate comprises a filter or a sheet.

10. The device of claim 5, wherein the substrate comprises a pad formed at least in part from an absorbent material comprising at least one of paper, film, filter, foam, mesh, and fiber matrix.

11. The device of claim 5, wherein the substrate is coupled to a tubule wall of said flexible tubule.

12. The device of claim 1, further comprising a substrate, wherein the substrate comprises a pad formed at least in part from an absorbent material comprising at least one of paper, film, filter, foam, mesh, and fiber matrix.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein the cap further comprises an affixed microbe barrier or a filter.

14. The device of claim 1 wherein the cap body further comprises a flexible membrane.

15. The device of claim 1, further comprising a frame to which the tubule is mounted.

16. The device of claim 3 wherein the integrated collection tool comprises a swab, capillary tube, liquid dropper, inoculation loop, syringe, absorbent pad, forceps, scoop or stick to facilitate the collection and insertion of liquid or solid samples into the tubule.

17. The device of claim 3 wherein the integrated collection tool comprises one or more reagents.