Ultrathin-walled multi-well plate for heat block thermocycling

• US 20040214315A1
• Filed: 05/17/2004
• Published: 10/28/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/1998
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Analytik Jena AG (Noblex GmbH)
• Original Assignee: Analytik Jena AG (Noblex GmbH)
• Inventors: Tretiakov, Alexandre, Saluz, Hans-Peter
• Application Number:
  US10/848,608
• Publication Number:
  US 20040214315A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 435/303.1
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/50851 specially adapted for heating or cooling samples laboratory heating apparatus B01L7/00; incubators C12M
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 7/52 with provision for submitting samples to a predetermined sequence of different temperatures, e.g. for treating nucleic acid samples amplification or hybridisation processes per se C12Q1/68; controlling sequential reactions for synthesis B01J19/0046

Abstract

An ultrathin-walled multiwell reactor for heat block thermocycling of samples includes an array of small-volume wells of identical height with similarly shaped sample wells formed in a top surface of a heat block. The multiwell plates are preferentially vacuum formed out of a 30-50 micron thick thermoplastic film and can be used for rapid, oil-free temperature cycling of small (1-10 μl) volume samples.

Claims

1. An ultrathin-walled multiwell plate for carrying samples for PCR in a heat block for heat block thermocycling of samples comprising:

a plate formed of a thin flexible film and having an array of wells of identical height and shaped for fitting into wells in a top surface of the heat block of the thermocycler, wherein the walls of the wells have an average thickness of 20-40 microns; and

a rigid frame fixed to the plate configured to provide support for said plate when outside of the heat block, the rigid frame containing an array of holes in a top surface matching the array of wells.

2. The ultrathin-walled multiwell plate according to claim 1, wherein the walls of the wells are conically shaped.

3. The ultrathin-walled multiwell plate according to claim 1, wherein the thickness of the walls of the wells decreases from top to bottom.

4. The ultrathin-walled multiwell plate according to claim 1, wherein the wells of said multiwell plate are thermoformed into negative mould.

5. The ultrathin-walled multiwell plate according to claim 1, wherein the walls of the wells are deformable.

6. The ultrathin-walled multiwell plate according to claim 1, wherein the volume of the well is in the range of 16-85 μ

l.

7. The ultrathin-walled multiwell plate according to claim 1, wherein the rigid frame is formed of a polypropylene sheet of thickness of 0.5 mm and heat bonded to the plate.

8. The ultrathin-walled multiwell plate according to claim 1, wherein the rigid frame is a rigid 0.5-1 mm thick plastic frame heat bonded to the plate.

9. The ultrathin-walled multiwell plate according to claim 1, wherein the rigid frame is below the plate and the array of wells extends through the array of holes.

10. A PCR device comprising;

a plate formed of a thin flexible film and having an array of plate wells having a wall thickness in the range of 20-40 microns;

a rigid frame fixed to the plate and configured to provide support for said plate permitting transport of said plate;

a heat block having heat block wells accepting said array of plate wells of said plate, said heat block wells of said heat block having apertureless bottoms; and

said plate wells having side walls equal in height to said heat block wells.

11. The PCR device according to claim 10, wherein the walls of the plate wells are conically shaped.

12. The PCR device according to claim 10, wherein the thickness of the walls of the plate wells decreases from top to bottom.

13. The PCR device according to claim 10, wherein the wells of said plate are thermoformed into negative mould.

14. The PCR device according to claim 10, wherein the walls of the plate wells are deformable.

15. The PCR device according to claim 10, wherein the volume of the plate wells is in the range of 16-85 μ

l.