LED array for illuminating cell well plates and automated rack system for handling the same

• US 20040110279A1
• Filed: 12/01/2003
• Published: 06/10/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Biolex Therapeutics, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Keith Everett
• Inventors: Everett, Keith
• Granted Patent: US 7,160,717 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 435/292.1
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 31/06 Hydroponic culture on racks or in stacked containers
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 7/04 Electric or magnetic or acoustic treatment of plants for promoting growth
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0829 Multi-well plates; Microtitration plates
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 9/523 for multisample carriers, e.g. used for microtitration plates
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 21/02 Photobioreactors culturing algae A01G33/00, A01H4/001, C12N1/12
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 23/12 Well or multiwell plates C12M25/04 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 23/48 Holding appliances; Racks; Supports holding devices for laboratory apparatus B01L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 31/10 by light emitting elements located inside the reactor, e.g. LED or OLED
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 60/21 Dinitrogen oxide [N2O], e.g. using aquaponics, hydroponics or efficiency measures
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 47/08 Treatment of plants and seeds with radioactive energy

Abstract

An assembly for promoting the growth of plant tissues that includes a plurality of plates each defining an array of wells wherein each of the wells contains a tissue sample. Support for the plates is provided by a rack having a plurality of vertically stacked shelves that may include one or more register depressions that urge the plates into predetermined positions. Light for the tissue samples is provided by a plurality of light-emitting diode arrays each mounted on a circuit board. Each circuit board is supported by a respective card edge connector of the rack so that the light-emitting diodes are in proximity to the plates supported on one of the shelves therebelow. Preferably, the light-emitting diode array corresponds to the well array supported in the registered position on the shelf therebelow so that each light-emitting diode is centered above a respective one of the wells.

Claims

1. An assembly for promoting growth of tissue samples requiring light to support proliferation, said assembly comprising:

a plate defining therein a plurality of wells arranged in a well array, each of the plurality of wells configured to support and isolate one of the tissue samples; and

a plurality of light-emitting diodes arranged in a light-emitting diode array corresponding to the well array such that a fixed number of the light-emitting diodes are positioned opposite a respective one of the wells so as to shine light from the fixed number of light-emitting diodes into the respective one of the wells and promote proliferation of the tissue supported therein.

2. An assembly of claim 1, wherein the fixed number of light-emitting diodes are centered above their respective one of the wells.

3. An assembly of claim 2, wherein each of the fixed number of light-emitting diodes is one inch or less from the tissue sample in its respective one of the wells.

4. An assembly of claim 2, wherein each of the plurality of light-emitting diodes emits a full spectrum of light frequencies.

5. An assembly for promoting growth of tissue samples requiring light to support proliferation, said assembly comprising:

a plurality of plates, each of the plates defining therein a plurality of wells arranged in a well array, each of the plurality of wells configured to support and isolate one of the tissue samples;

a rack including a plurality of supports spaced from each other and configured to support at least one of the plates;

a plurality of light-emitting diode arrays supported by the rack and cooperating respectively with the supports so that light from the light-emitting diode array shines into the wells of the plate and promotes growth of the tissue samples contained therein; and

a robotic system configured to automatically load the tissue samples into each of the plurality of wells in the plurality of plates and to position each of the plurality of plates on one of the plurality of supports opposite one of the plurality of light-emitting diode arrays and to remove each of the plurality of well plates from one of the plurality of supports for additional downstream processing.

6. An assembly of claim 5, wherein each of the supports include a register device which urges the plate supported thereon into a register position such that each of the light emitting diodes is centered opposite its respective one of the wells.

7. An assembly of claim 6, wherein the support comprises a shelf and the register device is a register depression defined in the shelf.

8. An assembly of claim 6, wherein the register device is selected from the group consisting of:

photo-optic sensors;

mechanical stops;

or

magnetic registers.

9. An assembly of claim 5, wherein the rack further comprises a volume, measured in cubic feet defined by a length, a width, and a height of the rack such that the rack supports the plurality of plates in a high-density arrangement such that the rack contains at least about 288 wells per cubic foot.

10. An assembly of claim 5, wherein each of the plurality of light-emitting diode arrays emits a full spectrum of light frequencies.

11. An assembly for promoting growth of tissue samples requiring light to support proliferation, said assembly comprising:

a plurality of plates, each of the plates defining therein a plurality of wells arranged in a well array, each of the plurality of wells configured to support and isolate one of the tissue samples;

a rack including a plurality of supports spaced from each other and configured to support at least one of the plates;

a plurality of light-emitting diode arrays supported by the rack and cooperating respectively with the supports so that light from the light-emitting diode array shines into the wells of the plate and promotes growth of the tissue samples contained therein, wherein each of the light-emitting diode arrays comprises a plurality of light-emitting diodes arranged in an array corresponding to the well array of the plate such that each of the light emitting diodes is positioned opposite a respective one of the wells; and

a robotic system configured to automatically load the tissue samples into each of the plurality of wells in the plurality of plates and to position each of the plurality of plates on one of the plurality of supports opposite one of the plurality of light-emitting diode arrays and to remove each of the plurality of well plates from one of the plurality of supports for additional downstream processing.

12. An assembly of claim 11, wherein each of the supports include a register device which urges the plate supported thereon into a register position such that each of the light emitting diodes is centered opposite its respective one of the wells.

13. An assembly of claim 12, wherein the support comprises a shelf and the register device is a register depression defined in the shelf.

14. An assembly of claim 12, wherein the register device is selected from the group consisting of:

photo-optic sensors;

mechanical stops;

or

magnetic registers.

15. An assembly of claim 11, wherein the rack further comprises a volume, measured in cubic feet defined by a length, a width, and a height of the rack such that the rack supports the plurality of plates in a high-density arrangement such that the rack contains at least about 288 wells per cubic foot.

16. An assembly of claim 11, wherein each of the plurality of light-emitting diodes emits a full spectrum of light frequencies.

17. An assembly for housing a plurality of plates and supplying light to a plurality of tissue samples, each of the plates defining therein a plurality of wells arranged in a well array, each of the plurality of wells supporting one of the tissue samples, said assembly comprising:

a rack including a plurality of supports spaced from each other;

a plurality of light-emitting diode arrays each including a plurality of light-emitting diodes arranged in an array corresponding to the well array wherein each of the light-emitting diode arrays is supported by the rack opposite a respective one of the shelves so that light from each of the light-emitting diodes shines into a respective one of the wells of the plate supported on the shelf; and

a robotic system configured to load each of the plurality of wells with one of the plurality of tissue samples, and to position each of the plurality of plates in one of the plurality of supports, and to remove each of the plurality of plates from one of the plurality of supports for additional downstream processing.

18. An assembly of claim 17, wherein each of the shelves is configured to urge at least one of the plurality of plates into a register position.

19. An assembly of claim 17, wherein each of the shelves defines a register depression shaped to urge the plate into a register position.

20. An assembly of claim 17, wherein the rack further comprises a volume, measured in cubic feet defined by a length, a width, and a height of the rack such that the rack supports the plurality of plates in a high-density arrangement such that the rack contains at least about 288 wells per cubic foot.

21. An assembly of claim 17, wherein each of the plurality of light-emitting diodes emits a full spectrum of light frequencies.

22. An assembly for promoting growth of tissue samples requiring light to support proliferation, said assembly comprising:

a plurality of plates, each of the plates defining therein a plurality of wells arranged in a well array, each of the plurality of wells configured to support and isolate one of the tissue samples;

a rack including a plurality of supports spaced from each other and configured to support at least one of the plates;

a plurality of light-emitting diode arrays supported by the rack and cooperating respectively with the supports so that light from the light-emitting diode array shines into the wells of the plate and promotes growth of the tissue samples contained therein, wherein each of the light-emitting diode arrays includes a circuit board and a plurality of light-emitting diodes carried by the circuit board and wherein the rack further includes a plurality of card edge connectors each configured to receive the circuit board of one of the light-emitting diode arrays and support the circuit board and light-emitting diodes above the respective one of the shelves; and

a robotic system configured to load each of the plurality of wells with one of the plurality of tissue samples, and to position each of the plurality of plates in one of the plurality of supports, and to remove each of the plurality of plates from one of the plurality of supports for additional downstream processing.

23. An assembly of claim 22, wherein the rack further comprises a volume, measured in cubic feet defined by a length, a width, and a height of the rack such that the rack supports the plurality of plates in a high-density arrangement such that the rack contains at least about 288 wells per cubic foot.

24. An assembly of claim 22, wherein each of the plurality of light-emitting diodes emits a full spectrum of light frequencies.