Surface adsorbing polymers and the uses thereof to treat hydrophobic or hydorphilic surfaces

• US 20020103352A1
• Filed: 10/10/2001
• Published: 08/01/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Serono Genetics Institute S.A. (Merck & Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Genset SA
• Inventors: Sudor, Jan
• Granted Patent: US 6,709,692 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 536/23.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/54393 Improving reaction conditions or stability, e.g. by coating or irradiation of surface, by reduction of non-specific binding, by promotion of specific binding

Abstract

The invention provides methods for the treatment of surfaces using surface adsorbing polymers, methods for decreasing the adsorption of organic materials onto the surface of treated devices or vessels, methods for performing fluid operations involving the treatment of surfaces, and apparatus and systems comprising the treated surfaces. Further, the present invention provides a method for treating the surface of microfluidics channel wherein the microfluidics surface is coated for deactivation and wherein this coating can be easily regenerated. The present invention also provides a method for treating the surface of a plastic device. The surface adsorbing polymers of the invention are particularly stable at temperatures and conditions required for biochemical reactions, especially in applications involving temperature cycling or polymerization of polynucleotides or polypeptides.

Claims

1. A method of decreasing adsorption of an organic material to a surface, comprising:

a) providing a fluid sample comprising an organic material;

b) adding an effective amount of a surface absorbing polymer to said fluid sample;

c) contacting said fluid sample comprising said organic material and said surface absorbing polymer to a surface; and

d) performing a fluid operation;

wherein said surface adsorbing polymer binds non-covalently to said surface;

wherein said surface absorbing polymer reduces the amount of adsorption of said organic material to said surface;

wherein said surface absorbing polymer is not one of the reactants of said fluid operation or is added in excess of the amount normally added to said fluid sample, and preferably does not inhibit the fluid operation.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said surface adsorbing polymer is selected from any one of:

polyacrylamide, polydimethylacrylamide, N-isopropylacrylamide, ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, polyethylene glycols, polypropylene glycols, ethylene oxide, propylene oxide, polyethylene oxides and polypropylene oxides, or a block-copolymer comprising two or more polymers selected from the group consisting of polyacrylamide, polydimethylacrylamide, N-isopropylacrylamide, polyethylene glycols, polypropylene glycols, polyethylene oxides, polypropylene oxides and polydimethylsiloxane.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said surface comprises a polymer selected from the group consisting of polystyrene, polypropylene, polymethyl methacrylate, polyvinyl chloride, polymethyl penten, polyethylene, polycarbonate, polysulfone, polystyrene, fluoropolymers, polyamides, silicones and elastomers, and further wherein said apparatus is selected from the group consisting of 96 well microtiter plates, 384 well microtiter plates, 1536 well microtiter plates, greater than 1536 well microtiter plates, microcentrifuge tubes, channels, test tubes, multi-well plates, and reactions wells.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein said:

a) fluid sample is an aqueous solution;

b) fluid sample is a non aqueous solution;

c) fluid operation is a PCR reaction or a primer extension reaction;

d) organic material comprises dNTPs;

e) surface adsorbing polymer has a molecular weight of at least 1×

10⁶ daltons;

f) surface is part of a microtiter plate;

g) fluid operation is performed in a microfluidics device;

h) organic material is nucleic acids, dNTPs, ddNTPs, amino acids, proteins, lipids, or chemical compounds;

or

i) surface adsorbing polymer is not nucleic acids, dNTPs, ddNTPs, amino acids, proteins, lipids, or other biomolecules.

5. A method of determining the quantity of a surface adsorbing polymer to be added to the fluid operation of claim 1, comprising the steps of:

a) providing an apparatus comprising a surface;

b) adding a fluid sample and a surface adsorbing polymer to said apparatus, wherein said surface adsorbing polymer is capable of binding non covalently to said surface;

c) performing one or more fluid operations in same said apparatus; and

d) determining the optimum quantity of said surface adsorbing polymer capable of obtaining the highest reaction yield or the lowest amount of adsorption of said organic material to said surface.

8. A reaction mixture for use the method of claim 1, wherein said reaction mixture comprises a surface adsorbing polymer in a buffered solution, wherein the quantity of said surface adsorbing polymer of said reaction mixture is capable of reducing adsorption of an organic material to a surface.

9. The reaction mixture according to claim 8, wherein said reaction mixture is for use in PCR, LSR, MIS, or nucleic acid polymerization, wherein said surface adsorbing polymer is a block-copolymer of polymers comprising polyethylene glycols and polypropylene glycols, wherein said reaction mixture is a buffered solution, or wherein said reaction mixture comprises at least one reactant, and wherein said reaction mixture comprises at least one reactant of the fluid operation.

10. A kit for performing fluid operations comprising:

a) the reaction mixture of claim 8; and

b) a document, label, or computer readable media comprising instructions for carrying out a fluid operation or for reducing adsorption of an organic material to a surface.

6. A method of dynamically maintaining or regenerating the polymer coating adsorbed on the surface of a microchannel comprising:

a) providing a channel disposed in a substrate;

b) introducing to said channel at least two fluid samples thus creating two fluid sample zones, wherein each of said at least two fluid samples comprises a sample of interest; and

c) providing at least one separating fluid zone located between two of said fluid sample zones;

wherein;

(i) at least one fluid sample comprises a surface adsorbing polymer, (ii), at least one separating zone comprises a surface adsorbing polymer, (iii) at least one separating zone and at least one fluid sample zone comprise a surface adsorbing polymer, (iv) wherein each of said fluid sample zones comprises a surface adsorbing polymer, (v) wherein each separating zone comprises a surface adsorbing polymer, or (vii) wherein each separating zone and each fluid sample zone comprises a surface adsorbing polymer.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein

a) at least first said fluid sample zone comprises a surface adsorbing polymer capable of binding non-covalently to a surface of said channel;

or

b) at least one separating fluid zone is located between two fluid sample zones comprises a sample of interest.