Biochemical analysis system with combinatorial chemistry applications

• US 20030124599A1
• Filed: 11/14/2002
• Published: 07/03/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: GenoSpectra, Inc. (Thermo Fisher Scientific Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: GenoSpectra, Inc. (Thermo Fisher Scientific Incorporated)
• Inventors: Nguyen, Quan, Chen, Anthony C., Nikiforov, Theo, Luo, Yuling, Chen, Shiping, Xiao, Jianming
• Application Number:
  US10/295,230
• Publication Number:
  US 20030124599A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 435/6
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/0046 Sequential or parallel reactions, e.g. for the synthesis of polypeptides or polynucleotides; Apparatus and devices for combinatorial chemistry or for making molecular arrays synthesis methods per se C40B50/00
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00315 Microtiter plates
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00382 Stamping
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00387 Applications using probes
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00454 by chemical cleavage from the solid support
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/0047 Pins
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00504 Pins
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00511 Walls of reactor vessels
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00585 Parallel processes
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00596 Solid-phase processes
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00605 the compounds being directly bound or immobilised to solid supports
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/0061 The surface being organic
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00612 the surface being inorganic
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00617 by chemical means
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00619 using hydrophilic or hydrophobic regions
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00621 by physical means, e.g. trenches, raised areas
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00626 Covalent
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00628 Ionic
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/0063 Other, e.g. van der Waals forces, hydrogen bonding
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00637 by coating it with another layer
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00641 : the porous medium being continuous, e.g. porous oxide substrates
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00702 : Processes involving means for analysing and characterising the products
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/0072 : Organic compounds
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/025 : Align devices or objects to ensure defined positions relative to each other
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/0642 : Filling fluids into wells by specific techniques
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0609 : Holders integrated in container to position an object
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0645 : Electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0829 : Multi-well plates; Microtitration plates
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/087 : Multiple sequential chambers
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/168 : Specific optical properties, e.g. reflective coatings
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0406 : capillary forces
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0415 : electrical forces, e.g. electrokinetic
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0688 : surface tension valves, capillary stop, capillary break
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/0241 : Drop counters; Drop formers making arrays for combinatorial libraries B01J19/0046; automation of dispensing for analysis G01N35/10
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/0244 : using pins
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/5025 : for parallel transport of multiple samples
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/50857 : using arrays or bundles of open capillaries for holding samples
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 9/523 : for multisample carriers, e.g. used for microtitration plates
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 9/54 : Supports specially adapted for pipettes and burettes automated pipetting stations G01N35/10
• CPC Class Codes: C07B 2200/11 : Compounds covalently bound to a solid support
• CPC Class Codes: C40B 50/14 : Solid phase synthesis, i.e. wherein one or more library building blocks are bound to a solid support during library creation; Particular methods of cleavage from the solid support
• CPC Class Codes: C40B 60/14 : for creating libraries
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/1037 : Using surface tension, e.g. pins or wires
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/5304 : Reaction vessels, e.g. agglutination plates for solid-phase systems G01N33/543
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/54366 : Apparatus specially adapted for solid-phase testing
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/1074 : arranged in a two-dimensional array

Abstract

Systems and methods of biochemical analysis are provided. A method of performing biochemical assays includes loading a first plurality of reservoirs on a first liquid carrier with a first plurality of compounds, coupling a second carrier with the first carrier, the second carrier having a second plurality of reservoirs configured to couple with the first plurality of reservoirs and containing a second plurality of compounds, transferring at least a portion of the first plurality of compounds to the second plurality of reservoirs, and separating at least one component from the second plurality of reservoirs. A system for biochemical analysis includes a first carrier and a second carrier. The first carrier includes a first substrate and a plurality of reservoirs in the substrate for retaining a first plurality of compounds. The second carrier includes a second substrate and a plurality of projections, each projection having a distal end provided with a receiving feature for receiving a component from the plurality of reservoirs when the first carrier and the second carrier are coupled.

Claims

1. A method of performing biochemical assays, comprising:

loading a first plurality of reservoirs on a first liquid carrier with a first plurality of compounds;

coupling a second carrier with the first carrier, the second carrier having a second plurality of reservoirs configured to couple with the first plurality of reservoirs and containing a second plurality of compounds;

transferring at least a portion of the first plurality of compounds to the second plurality of reservoirs; and

separating at least one component from the second plurality of reservoirs.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said separating at least one component from the second plurality of reservoirs comprises:

coupling a capture carrier having a plurality of protrusions with the second carrier such that each protrusion is inserted into one of the second plurality of reservoirs, each protrusion on the capture carrier having a capture component for capturing a target molecule; and

decoupling the capture carrier from the second carrier, wherein at least one of the capture components has captured a target molecule from at least one reservoir in the second plurality of reservoirs.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

coupling the capture carrier with a third carrier having a third plurality of reservoirs configured to receive the protrusions on the capture carrier.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

reacting at least one target molecule captured by the capture carrier with a reagent contained in the the third plurality of reservoirs.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

releasing at least one target molecule into at least one reservoir from the third plurality of reservoirs.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising detecting the presence of the captured target molecule on the capture carrier.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

each reservoir in the second plurality of reservoirs comprises a through-hole containing a capture probe configured to capture a target molecule; and

said separating at least one component from the second plurality of reservoirs comprises;

capturing at least one target molecule with at least one of the capture probes; and

flushing at least a portion of the contents of the second plurality of reservoirs while retaining at least one capture probe with the target molecule in the second carrier.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

reacting the separated component with a reagent; and

detecting the reaction of the separated component with the reagent.

9. A method of performing biochemical analysis, comprising:

coupling a first carrier with a second carrier, the first carrier having a plurality of protrusions, each protrusion being provided with a capture component, and the second carrier having a plurality of reservoirs containing a plurality of compounds and being configured such that each of the plurality of reservoirs receives at least one of the protrusions;

uncoupling the first carrier from the second carrier; and

retrieving at least one target component from the plurality of reservoirs with at least one capture component.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein:

for each of the plurality of protrusions, said capture component is a cavity formed on a portion of the protrusion; and

said retrieving the at least one target component comprises drawing a volume of the target component into at least one of the cavities.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein:

for each of the plurality of protrusions, said capture component is a probe attached to a portion of the protrusion; and

said retrieving the at least one target component comprises linking at least one target component to at least one of the probes.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

loading an addressing component into each of the plurality of reservoirs, said addressing component comprising a capture probe and a tag;

capturing the at least one target component with at least one capture probe; and

binding at least one tag with at least one probe.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

loading a detection component into each of the plurality of reservoirs, said detection component comprising a detection probe and a label;

binding at least one detection probe with the at least one target component; and

after said retrieving the at least one target component, detecting the presence of at least one label.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein:

said coupling the first carrier with the second carrier comprises coupling at least two of the protrusions with each of the plurality of the reservoirs.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein:

said retrieving at least one target component from the second carrier comprises retrieving a first target component with a first capture component and retrieving a second target component with a second capture component in the same reservoir.

16. A system for biochemical analysis, comprising:

a first carrier, comprising;

a first substrate;

a plurality of reservoirs in the substrate for retaining a first plurality of compounds; and

a second carrier, comprising;

a second substrate;

a plurality of projections on the second substrate, each projection having a distal end provided with a receiving feature for receiving a component from the plurality of reservoirs when the first carrier and the second carrier are coupled.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the receiving feature is a cavity configured to retain a liquid compound.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the receiving feature is a capture reagent immobilized on the distal end of the projection, said capture reagent being adapted to selectively bind to a target compound.

19. The system of claim 16, further comprising:

a third carrier, comprising;

a third substrate;

a plurality of projections on the third substrate, each projection having a distal end provided with a projection reservoir for delivering a reagent to the plurality of reservoirs when the first carrier and the third carrier are coupled.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the projection reservoir is a cavity configured to retain a liquid reagent.