Closed flow-through microplate and methods for using and manufacturing same

• US 20070237685A1
• Filed: 04/05/2007
• Published: 10/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Corning Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Corning Incorporated
• Inventors: Yuen, Po Ki, Bergman, Richard, Miller, William J., Morrell, Mark L., Roswech, Todd M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,824,624 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 422/102
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/025 Align devices or objects to ensure defined positions relative to each other
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/027 for microfluidic devices
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/028 Modular arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0636 Integrated biosensor, microarrays
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0829 Multi-well plates; Microtitration plates
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0864 comprising only one inlet and multiple receiving wells, e.g. for separation, splitting
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0887 Laminated structure
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/5025 for parallel transport of multiple samples
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502715 characterised by interfacing components, e.g. fluidic, electrical, optical or mechanical interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502738 characterised by integrated valves microvalves F16K99/0001
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/565 Seals in general F16L

Abstract

A closed flow-through microplate is described herein that can be used to perform high-throughput kinetic flow-through assays to detect biomolecular interactions like material bindings, adsorptions etc. . . . that is helpful for example with testing new drugs. A method for manufacturing the closed flow-through microplate is also described herein.

Claims

1. A microplate, comprising:

an upper plate including a top surface, a body and a bottom surface, where;

said top surface has located thereon a sealing substance which has one or more fluid delivery/removal sealing interfaces where each fluid delivery/removal sealing interface has one or more inlet ports and one or more outlet ports; and

said body has one or more fluid delivery/removal channels extending therethrough where each fluid delivery/removal channel has one or more inlet channels and one or more outlet channels which are respectively aligned with the one or more inlet ports and the one or more outlet ports located within the corresponding fluid delivery/removal sealing interface of said sealing substance; and

a lower plate including a top surface which is attached to said bottom surface of said upper plate such that one or more flow chambers are present there between, where each one of the flow chambers is in communication with a corresponding one of the fluid delivery/removal channels extending through said body of said upper plate.

2. The microplate of claim 1, wherein said bottom surface of said upper plate has one or more ridges extending therefrom and encompassing the one or more fluid delivery/removal channels which enables the formation of the one or more flow chambers when said upper plate is attached to said lower plate.

3. The microplate of claim 2, wherein said bottom surface of said upper plate has one or more channels formed therein which extend outside a perimeter of the one or more ridges.

4. The microplate of claim 1, further comprising a film which is used to attach said upper plate to said lower plate, wherein said film has one or more sections removed therefrom, and wherein each removed section forms one of the flow chambers when said upper plate is attached to said lower plate.

5. The microplate of claim 1, wherein each flow chamber has a height that is between about 5 microns and about 200 microns.

6. The microplate of claim 1, wherein said lower plate has one or more biosensors incorporated therein such that at least one of the biosensors has a sensing surface located within one of the flow chambers.

7. A method for using a microplate, said method comprising the steps of:

attaching a fluid delivery system to said microplate, where said fluid delivery system has one or more sets of fluid delivery/removal tips where each set of fluid delivery/removal tips has one or more fluid delivery tips and one or more fluid removal tips all of which are inserted into said microplate, where said microplate includes;

an upper plate having a top surface, a body and a bottom surface, where;

said top surface has located thereon a sealing substance which has one or more fluid delivery/removal sealing interfaces where each fluid delivery/removal sealing interface has one or more inlet ports and one or more outlet ports, where the inlet port(s) are size to receive and seal the fluid delivery tip(s) and the outlet port(s) are sized to receive and seal the fluid removal tip(s); and

said body has one or more fluid delivery/removal channels extending therethrough where each fluid delivery/removal channel has one or more inlet channels and one or more outlet channels which are respectively aligned with the one or more inlet ports and the one or more outlet ports located within the corresponding fluid delivery/removal sealing interface; and

a lower plate having a top surface which is attached to said bottom surface of said upper plate such that one or more flow chambers are present there between, where each one of the flow chambers is in communication with a corresponding one of the fluid delivery/removal channels extending through said body;

inserting one or more fluids within each set of fluid delivery/removal tips and in particular the fluid delivery tip(s) such that the fluid(s) flow through the inlet channel(s) and the flow chamber(s) within said microplate; and

removing the fluid(s) from each set of fluid delivery/removal tips and in particular the fluid removal tip(s) such that the fluid(s) are able to flow through the flow chamber(s) and out the outlet channel(s) within said microplate.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising a step interrogating one or more biosensors incorporated within said lower plate of said microplate so as to monitor one or more sensing areas adjacent to the fluid(s) flowing within the one or more flow chamber(s) located within said microplate.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein said microplate and in particular said bottom surface of said upper plate has one or more ridges extending therefrom and encompassing the one or more fluid delivery/removal channels which enables the formation of the one or more flow chambers when said upper plate is attached to said lower plate.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said microplate and in particular said bottom surface of said upper plate has one or more channels formed therein which extend outside a perimeter of the one or more ridges.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein said microplate has a film which is used to attach said upper plate to said lower plate, wherein said film has one or more sections removed therefrom, and wherein each removed section forms one of the flow chambers when said upper plate is attached to said lower plate.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein said microplate and in particular each of the flow chambers located therein has a height that is between about 5 microns and about 200 microns.

13. A method of manufacturing a microplate, said method comprising the steps of:

injection molding an upper plate which includes a top surface, a body and a bottom surface, where;

said top surface has located thereon one or more depressions configured to receive one or more sealing substances; and

said body has one or more fluid delivery/removal channels where each fluid delivery/removal channel has one or more inlet channels and one or more outlet channels extending there through and opening at said bottom surface;

injection molding the sealing substance(s) into the depression(s) located within said top surface of said upper plate;

attaching a top surface of a lower plate to said bottom surface of said upper plate such that one or more flow chambers are present there between, where each one of the flow chambers is in communication with one of the fluid delivery/removal channels extending through said body of said upper plate which in turn are in communication with one or more inlet ports and one or more outlet ports located within one or more fluid delivery/removal sealing interfaces of said sealing substance.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said bottom surface of said upper plate is molded to have one or more ridges extending therefrom and encompassing the one or more fluid delivery/removal channels which enables the formation of the one or more flow chambers when said upper plate is attached to said lower plate.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said bottom surface of said upper plate is molded to have one or more channels formed therein which extend outside a perimeter of the one or more ridges.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein said step of attaching said upper plate to said lower plate further includes using an adhesive film to attach said upper plate to said lower plate, wherein said film has one or more sections removed therefrom, and wherein each removed section forms one of the flow chambers when said upper plate is attached to said lower plate.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein each flow chamber has a height that is between about 5 microns and about 200 microns.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein said lower plate has one or more biosensors incorporated therein such that at least one of the biosensors has a sensing surface located within one of the flow chambers.