Reagent delivery system

• US 20040209266A1
• Filed: 04/21/2004
• Published: 10/21/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Secretary of State For Defence
• Original Assignee: Secretary of State For Defence
• Inventors: Squirrell, David James
• Granted Patent: US 7,638,097 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 435/6
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 10/0096 Casings for storing test samples A61B10/0038 and A61B10/0045 take precedence; preservation of living parts of the human or animal body A01N1/02; containers for retaining a material to be analysed B01L3/50; containers for enzymology or microbiology C12M1/16; swab-sampler being part of enzymology or microbiology container C12M1/30
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 35/713 comprising breaking packages or parts thereof, e.g. piercing or opening sealing elements between compartments or cartridges containers or packages per se B65D
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 35/7173 using gravity, e.g. from a hopper
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 35/7174 using pistons, plungers or syringes
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 8/02 with stationary particles, e.g. in fixed beds
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 8/0278 Feeding reactive fluids for solid material B01J8/0015
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 8/0285 Heating or cooling the reactor for tubular reactors in furnaces B01J8/062
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 8/0453 the beds being superimposed one above the other
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 8/0492 Feeding reactive fluids for solid material, see B01J8/0015
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/0642 Filling fluids into wells by specific techniques
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/0668 Trapping microscopic beads
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/0689 Sealing
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/10 Integrating sample preparation and analysis in single entity, e.g. lab-on-a-chip concept
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/142 Preventing evaporation
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/16 Reagents, handling or storing thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/042 Caps; Plugs
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/044 pierceable, e.g. films, membranes
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/087 Multiple sequential chambers
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/1805 Conductive heating, heat from thermostatted solids is conducted to receptacles, e.g. heating plates, blocks
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/1827 using resistive heater
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0478 : pistons
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0487 : fluid pressure, pneumatics
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0683 : mechanically breaking a wall or membrane within a channel or chamber
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/0293 : for liquids
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502 : with fluid transport, e.g. in multi-compartment structures centrifugal-type cuvettes G01N21/07; analysis by separation into components G01N30/00; automatic analysers G01N35/00
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/5082 : Test tubes per se
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/50825 : Closing or opening means, corks, bungs closures for containers B65D; means for removing stoppers B67B7/02
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/50853 : with covers or lids
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/52 : Containers specially adapted for storing or dispensing a reagent B01L3/02 takes precedence; containers for medical or pharmaceutical purposes A61J1/00; containers in general B65D; storing or dispensing test elements G01N33/4875; automated reagent dispensing G01N35/1002
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/523 : with means for closing or opening
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/527 : for a plurality of reagents
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 7/00 : Heating or cooling apparatus autoclaves B01J3/04; Heat insulating devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/025 : Fruits or vegetables
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/54366 : Apparatus specially adapted for solid-phase testing
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/1002 : Reagent dispensers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/11 : Automated chemical analysis
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/25375 : Liberation or purification of sample or separation of material from a sample [e.g., filtering, centrifuging, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/2575 : Volumetric liquid transfer

Abstract

A delivery apparatus for selectively delivering one or more liquid reagents into a reaction or test chamber (2), especially of an assay apparatus, the apparatus comprising: one or more respective storage chambers (5,6) for containing the one or more liquid reagents and arranged generally above the reaction or test chamber (2); and a plunger element (4) arranged and operable for insertion into the mouth of a selected storage chamber so as to displace a selected reagent from therewithin into the reaction or test chamber (2) generally therebelow by gravitational liquid overflow from the mouth of the chamber. The apparatus may conveniently be provided as a discrete delivery unit, with the storage chambers (5,6) prefilled with the selected reagents.

Claims

1. A reagent delivery system for selectively delivering one or more liquid reagents into a reaction or test chamber, the system comprising:

a disposable unit comprising a reaction or test chamber, and one or more storage chambers prefilled with the one or more liquid reagents, the one or more storage chambers having closed bottoms and openably sealed mouths which mouths are arranged above the reaction or test chamber; and

a plunger element arranged and operable for insertion into the mouth of a selected storage chamber so as to displace a selected reagent from therewithin into the reaction or test chamber generally therebelow by gravitational liquid overflow from the mouth of the storage chamber.

2. A reaction system according to claim 1 wherein the one or more storage chambers are prefilled with one or more selected reagents in predetermined amounts and the mouth of the or each storage chamber is sealed with a respective sealing means.

3. A reaction system according to claim 2, wherein the sealing means closing each of the said chambers is breakable or perforatable by the tip of the plunger element as it moves into a respective chamber'"'"'s mouth.

4. A reaction, test or assay apparatus comprising a reagent delivery system according to claim 1, together with control means for controlling physical movement of the plunger element.

5. A reaction, test or assay apparatus according to claim 4 which is an apparatus for detecting or assaying bacterial contamination of food, or an apparatus for extracting and purifying DNA.

6. A reaction, test or assay apparatus according to claim 4 which further comprises heating means for the reaction or test chamber and/or the storage chamber(s).

7. A reaction, test or assay apparatus according to claim 6 wherein the heating means comprises an electrically conducting polymer, which is heatable by means of a controlled electric current.

8. An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the plunger element is arranged and controllable for insertion into and retraction from each storage chamber containing a reagent to be delivered, in a sequential manner.

9. An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the plunger element is in the form of a solid or hollow cylindrical rod or wand and the one or more reagent storage chambers are in the form of supported cylindrical tubes.

10. An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the plunger element is movable both along a substantially vertical axis and in a substantially horizontal plane.

11. An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the plunger element is in the form of a hollow rod for accommodating therein a retractable magnet.

12. An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the plunger element is formed as a downwardly extending rod attached to an upper closure lid which seals the delivery apparatus prior to use, the lid incorporating means by which it can be physically engaged by plunger control means once it is disengaged from the apparatus.

13. An apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the plunger is mounted off-centre on the lid and the lid forms a carousel-like component for engagement by the plunger control means, whereby horizontal movement of the plunger between symmetrically arranged reagent chambers is effected by rotation of the lid.

14. A disposable reaction or test unit for use in a reaction system according to claim 1, the unit comprising a reaction or test chamber, and one or more storage chambers for containing the one or more liquid reagents, wherein the one or more storage chambers have closed bottoms and open mouths which mouths are arranged above the reaction or test chamber.

15. A reaction or test unit according to claim 14, wherein the reaction or test chamber and the one or more storage chambers are contained within a moulded plastics housing.

16. A reaction or test unit according to claim 14, wherein the reaction or test chamber and the one or more storage chambers are of moulded polypropylene.

17. A reaction or test unit according to claim 15, wherein the housing includes an upper peripheral wall which collectively surrounds and extends upwardly past the mouths of the storage chamber(s) in order to act as a baffle to direct liquid reagent(s) overflowing from the chamber(s) into the reaction or test chamber therebelow.

18. A reaction or test unit according to claim 14, further comprising, below the reaction or test chamber, an auxiliary reagent chamber containing a predispensed amount of an auxiliary liquid or solid reagent into which the contents of the reaction or test chamber are deliverable at a desired stage in a reaction or test procedure, the mouth of the auxiliary reagent chamber being sealed with its own protective sealing means which defines the bottom of the reaction or test chamber prior to use.

19. A reaction or test unit according to claim 14, comprising a plurality of reagent storage chambers for delivery of a respective plurality of reagents, wherein the reagent storage chambers are arranged symmetrically around and generally above the periphery of the reaction or test chamber.

20. A reaction of test unit according to claim 6 wherein the test chamber and/or storage chamber(s) further comprise heating means.

21. A reaction or test unit according to claim 20 wherein the heating means comprises an electrically conducting polymer.

22. A reaction or test unit according to claim 21 wherein the electrically conducting polymer is in intimate contact with the test chamber and/or storage chamber(s).

23. A reaction or test unit according to claim 21 wherein the electrically conducting polymer is integral with the test chamber and/or storage chamber.

24. A reaction or test unit according to claim 23 wherein the electrically conducting polymer is overmoulded into a portion of the test chamber and/or storage chamber.

25. A method for carrying out a chemical reaction, comprising selectively delivering one or more liquid reagents into a reaction or test chamber in a test or assay apparatus, the method comprising:

providing the one or more liquid reagents in one or more respective storage chambers arranged generally above the reaction or test chamber, the one or more storage chambers having closed bottoms and openable or open mouths; and

inserting a plunger element into the mouth of a selected storage chamber so as to displace a selected reagent from therewithin into the reaction or test chamber generally therebelow by gravitational liquid overflow from the mouth of the chamber.

26. Use, in a reaction test or assay apparatus, of a plunger inserted into a liquid reagent containing storage chamber of a disposable unit to cause displacement of the reagent so that it overflows from the storage chamber mouth and flows under gravity into a reaction or test chamber of the apparatus arranged generally below the storage chamber, the storage chamber having a closed bottom and an openable or open mouth.

27. A delivery apparatus, or a reaction, test or assay apparatus, or a reaction or test unit, or a method, or a use, substantially as described herein with reference to any of the accompanying drawings.