Methods and devices for transporting and concentrating an analyte present in a sample

• US 20040023273A1
• Filed: 05/08/2003
• Published: 02/05/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Commissariat a L'Energie Atomique (AES Corporation), Biomerieux B.V. (Compagnie Merieux Alliance SAS)
• Original Assignee: Commissariat a L'Energie Atomique (AES Corporation), Biomerieux B.V. (Compagnie Merieux Alliance SAS)
• Inventors: Caillat, Patrice, Pouteau, Patrick, Puget, Pierre, Ginot, Frederic
• Granted Patent: US 7,569,398 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 435/6
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/0647 Handling flowable solids, e.g. microscopic beads, cells, particles
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0825 Test strips
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0406 capillary forces
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/043 magnetic forces
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502723 characterised by venting arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502761 specially adapted for handling suspended solids or molecules independently from the bulk fluid flow, e.g. for trapping or sorting beads, for physically stretching molecules investigating characteristics of particles G01N15/00
• CPC Class Codes: B03C 1/01 by addition of magnetic adjuvants
• CPC Class Codes: B03C 1/0332 using permanent magnets
• CPC Class Codes: B03C 1/288 disposed at the outer circumference of a recipient
• CPC Class Codes: B03C 2201/18 Magnetic separation whereby the particles are suspended in a liquid
• CPC Class Codes: B03C 2201/26 for use in medical applications

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method of transporting an analyte present in a sample, to a method of concentrating an analyte present in a sample, and to a device for implementing these methods.

In the method of transporting an analyte present in a sample of the present invention, a solution A in which the analyte is attached to magnetic particles is prepared from the sample; the solution A is introduced into a first container connected via a bottleneck to a second container; and the analyte attached to the magnetic particles is moved, by means of a magnetic system, from the first container to the second container via the bottleneck, the second container being filled with all or part of the solution A and/or with another solution.

Claims

1. Method of transporting an analyte present in a solution A, in which the analyte attached to magnetic particles is moved, by means of a magnetic system, from a first container to a second container via a bottleneck, the second container being filled with said solution A and/or with another solution.

6. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, in which the analyte attached to the magnetic particles is released from said particles in the second container.

7. Method according to claim 6, in which the magnetic particles released from the analyte are moved, by means of a magnetic system, out of the second container.

10. Method according to any one of claims 6 to 9, in which the magnetic particles released from the analyte are moved, by means of a magnetic system, from the second container to the first container via the bottleneck, or from the bottleneck to said first container.

11. Method according to any one of claims 6 to 10, in which the analyte is released from the magnetic particles by modification of the physical or chemical conditions, for example by heating or by reaction with at least one substance present in the other solution.

12. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, in which an agent for immobilizing the analyte is attached to all or part of at least one wall of the second container or of any solid support present in said second container.

13. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, in which the bottleneck is in the form of a capillary.

14. Method of demonstrating an analyte in a sample, in which:

the analyte is concentrated by means of a method according to any one of the preceding claims, and

the analyte is demonstrated in the second container or in any other container connected directly or indirectly to the second container.

15. Method according to claim 14, in which the analyte is chosen from a microorganism such as a bacterium, a fungus or a virus, a chemical compound, a molecule such as a peptide, a protein, an enzyme, a polysaccharide, a lipid, a lipoprotein, a lipopolysaccharide, a nucleic acid, a hormone, an antigen, an antibody or a growth factor, and a tumour cell.

16. Method according to claim 14 or 15, in which, since the analyte is a nucleic acid, it is demonstrated by nucleic acid chip, preferentially DNA chip, technology.

2. Method of transporting an analyte present in a sample, in which:

a solution A in which the analyte is attached to magnetic particles is prepared from the sample, in a first container connected via a bottleneck to a second container,

the analyte attached to the magnetic particles is moved, by means of a magnetic system, from the first container to the second container via the bottleneck,

the second container being filled with the solution A and/or with another solution.

3. Method of transporting an analyte present in a sample, in which:

a solution A in which the analyte is attached to magnetic particles is prepared from the sample,

the solution A is introduced into a first container connected via a bottleneck to a second container, and

the analyte attached to the magnetic particles is moved, by means of a magnetic system, from the first container to the second container via the bottleneck,

the second container being filled with the solution A and/or with another solution.

4. Method of concentrating an analyte present in a sample, in which:

a solution A in which the analyte is attached to magnetic particles is prepared from the sample, in a first container of volume α

connected via a bottleneck to a second container of volume β

, the volume β

being smaller than the volume α

, and

the analyte attached to the magnetic particles is moved, by means of a magnetic system, from the first container to the second container via the bottleneck,

the second container being filled with the solution A and/or with another solution.

5. Method of concentrating an analyte present in a sample, in which:

a solution A in which the analyte is attached to magnetic particles is prepared from the sample,

the solution A is introduced into a first container of volume α

connected via a bottleneck to a second container of volume β

, the volume β

being smaller than the volume α

, and

the analyte attached to the magnetic particles is moved, by means of a magnetic system, from the first container to the second container via the bottleneck,

the second container being filled with the solution A and/or with another solution.

8. Method of concentrating an analyte present in a sample, in which:

a solution A in which the analyte is attached to magnetic particles is prepared from the sample, in a first container of volume α

connected via a bottleneck to a second container of volume β

, the volume β

being smaller than the volume α

,

the analyte attached to the magnetic particles is moved, by means of a magnetic system, from the first container to the bottleneck,

the analyte attached to the magnetic particles is released from said particles in the bottleneck, and

the analyte is transported from the bottleneck to the second container by movement of liquid, the magnetic particles being maintained in said bottleneck.

9. Method of concentrating an analyte present in a sample, in which:

a solution A in which the analyte is attached to magnetic particles is prepared from the sample,

the solution A is introduced into a first container of volume α

connected via a bottleneck to a second container of volume β

, the volume β

being smaller than the volume α

,

the analyte attached to the magnetic particles is moved, by means of a magnetic system, from the first container to the bottleneck,

the analyte attached to the magnetic particles is released from said particles in the bottleneck, and

the analyte is transported from the bottleneck to the second container by movement of liquid, the magnetic particles being maintained in said bottleneck.

17. Device for transporting an analyte attached to magnetic particles, present in a liquid, said device comprising:

a first container (3) intended to contain a liquid and connected via a bottleneck (5) to a second container (7), and

a magnetic system for moving the magnetic particles to which the analyte is attached, from the first container to the second container via the bottleneck.

19. Device according to either one of claims 17 and 18, in which the first container and/or the second container have a form which converges towards the bottleneck.

20. Device according to any one of claims 17 to 19, comprising a duct in the form of a capillary present in the second container.

21. Device according to either one of claims 17 and 18, in which the magnetic system consists of at least one external magnet and/or a coil and/or an integrated coil produced by a microtechnological method.

22. Device according to any one of claims 17 to 21, in which the second container and/or the bottleneck is/are equipped with fluid inlet-outlet channels.

23. Device according to any one of claims 17 to 22, in which the bottleneck has a cross section of between 1 μ

m² and 1 mm², preferentially between 100 μ

m² and 0.1 mm².

24. Device according to any one of claims 17 to 23, in which the α

/β

volume ratio is from 10 to 1000.

25. Device according to any one of claims 17 to 24, in which the first container has a volume of approximately 0.1 to 100 μ

l.

26. Device according to any one of claims 17 to 25, in which the second container has a volume of approximately 0.01 to 1 μ

l.

18. Device for concentrating an analyte attached to magnetic particles, present in a liquid, said device comprising:

a first container (3) of volume a intended to contain a liquid, connected via a bottleneck (5) to a second container (7),

said second container of volume β

smaller than the volume α

of the first container, and

a magnetic system for moving the magnetic particles to which the analyte is attached, from the first container to the second container via the bottleneck.