Methods, carrier assemblies, and systems for imaging samples for biological or chemical analysis

• US 10,584,374 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2018
• Issued: 03/10/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Illumina Cambridge Limited (Illumina Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Illumina Cambridge Limited (Illumina Incorporated)
• Inventors: Rawlings, Stephen, Rao, Venkatesh Mysore Nagaraja, Ang, Beng Keong, Udpa, Nitin
• Primary Examiner(s): Bhat, Narayan K
• Application Number:
  US15/967,555
• Publication Number:
  US 20180245143A1
• Time in Patent Office: 680 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0654 Lenses; Optical fibres
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0816 Cards, e.g. flat sample carriers usually with flow in two horizontal directions
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0822 Slides
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0877 Flow chambers
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/5027 by integrated microfluidic structures, i.e. dimensions of channels and chambers are such that surface tension forces are important, e.g. lab-on-a-chip B01L3/5023 takes precedence; micromixers B01F33/30; microreactors for synthesis B01J19/0093; microcapillary devices in general B81B1/00
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 7/52 with provision for submitting samples to a predetermined sequence of different temperatures, e.g. for treating nucleic acid samples amplification or hybridisation processes per se C12Q1/68; controlling sequential reactions for synthesis B01J19/0046
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 9/52 Supports specially adapted for flat sample carriers, e.g. for plates, slides, chips
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 9/527 for microfluidic devices, e.g. used for lab-on-a-chip
• CPC Class Codes: C12Q 1/6837 using probe arrays or probe chips C12Q1/6874 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C12Q 1/6869 Methods for sequencing
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/00356 Holding samples at elevated temperature (incubation)
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/00752 bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/0091 GUI [graphical user interfaces]
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/13 Moving of cuvettes or solid samples to or from the investigating station handling materials for automatic analysis G01N35/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/253 for batch operation, i.e. multisample apparatus analytical automats G01N35/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/6452 Individual samples arranged in a regular 2D-array, e.g. multiwell plates
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2201/025 Mechanical control of operations
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/04 Details of the conveyor system G01N35/021 - G01N35/028 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/1095 for supplying the samples to flow-through analysers for a specific analyser see relevant groups, e.g. under G01N15/00, G01N21/00, G01N27/00, G01N30/00, H01J49/00
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 21/34 Microscope slides, e.g. mounting specimens on microscope slides

Abstract

Method includes positioning a first carrier assembly on a system stage. The carrier assembly includes a support frame having an inner frame edge that defines a window of the support frame. The first carrier assembly includes a first substrate that is positioned within the window and surrounded by the inner frame edge. The first substrate has a sample thereon. The method includes detecting optical signals from the sample of the first substrate. The method also includes replacing the first carrier assembly on the system stage with a second carrier assembly on the system stage. The second carrier assembly includes the support frame and an adapter plate held by the support frame. The second carrier assembly has a second substrate held by the adapter plate that has a sample thereon. The method also includes detecting optical signals from the sample of the second substrate.

Claims

1. A carrier assembly comprising:

a support frame having an inner frame edge that defines a window of the support frame;

an adapter plate coupled to the support frame and positioned within the window, the adapter plate including a plate body having an inner plate edge that defines a pocket for receiving a substrate that is sized smaller than the window, the inner plate edge also defining a holding recess that opens to the pocket; and

a movable datum block positioned within the holding recess, the datum block being movable between a retracted position and an engaged position, the datum block configured to engage the substrate when the datum block is in the engaged position and press the substrate against an opposing surface of the adapter plate to hold the substrate within the pocket.

2. The carrier assembly of claim 1, wherein the adapter plate extends parallel to an XY plane and faces in a direction along a Z axis, the datum block providing a holding force that is directed along the XY plane.

3. The carrier assembly of claim 1, wherein the pocket at least one of coincides with a receiving plane that intersects the inner frame edge or is positioned below the receiving plane.

4. The carrier assembly of claim 1, wherein the adapter plate is slidable along an XY plane within the window.

5. The carrier assembly of claim 1, wherein the datum block comprises an engagement surface that extends into the pocket and is to engage the substrate.

6. The carrier assembly of claim 1, further comprising:

a passage at least partially defined between an edge of the adapter plate and a portion of an edge of the substrate after the substrate is received, wherein the passage is sized and shaped to permit a portion of an individual'"'"'s digit to be inserted therein and engage the substrate edge for loading or removing the substrate.

7. The carrier assembly of claim 1, wherein the support frame comprises a frame body comprising a plurality of apertures sized and shaped to receive respective datums of a system stage.

8. The carrier assembly of claim 7, wherein one or more of the datums of the system stage is to stop movement of the adapter plate.

9. The carrier assembly of claim 8, wherein one or more of the datums of the system is to stop movement of a second substrate positioned in the window when the adapter plate is removed from the carrier assembly.

10. The carrier assembly of claim 1, wherein the plate body of the adapter plate comprises a substrate platform within the pocket to have the substrate positioned thereon.

11. The carrier assembly of claim 10, wherein the plate body of the adapter plate comprises a recess that surrounds the substrate platform.

13. The carrier assembly of claim 1, wherein the adapter plate is removably coupled to the support frame.

14. The carrier assembly of claim 13, wherein when the adapter plate is removed, the window is to receive a second substrate larger than the substrate received in the pocket.

15. The carrier assembly of claim 14, wherein the inner frame edge is to engage an edge of the second substrate.

16. The carrier assembly of claim 14, wherein the substrate received in the pocket comprises a microarray comprising a plurality of array sections, each of the array sections comprising a plurality of stripes.

17. The carrier assembly of claim 16, wherein the second substrate is a flow cell.

12. A carrier assembly comprising:

a support frame having an inner frame edge that defines a window of the support frame; and

an adapter plate removably coupled to the support frame and positioned within the window, the inner frame edge defining a substrate-receiving recess positioned above the adapter plate, the substrate-receiving recess being configured to receive a first planar substrate, the adapter plate including a plate body having an inner plate edge that defines a pocket for receiving a second planar substrate that is sized smaller than the first planar substrate, the pocket existing at least partially below the substrate-receiving recess.

18. The carrier assembly of claim 12, wherein the first planar substrate comprises a microarray and wherein the second planar substrate comprises a flow cell.

19. The carrier assembly of claim 12, wherein the inner frame edge defines apertures that are sized and shape to receive datums for aligning the second planar substrate.

20. A carrier assembly system, comprising:

a carrier assembly comprising;

a support frame having an inner frame edge that defines a window of the support frame;

an adapter plate configured to be removably coupled to the support frame and positioned within the window, the adapter plate comprising a plate body having an inner plate edge that defines a pocket for receiving a first substrate that is sized smaller than the window;

the first substrate; and

a second substrate that is sized larger than the first substrate, wherein the window is configured to receive the second substrate when the adapter plate is not coupled to the support frame.