THERMAL-CYCLING DEVICES AND METHODS OF USING THE SAME

• US 20080026483A1
• Filed: 06/14/2007
• Published: 01/31/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Kevin Oldenburg
• Original Assignee: Kevin Oldenburg
• Inventors: Oldenburg, Kevin
• Application Number:
  US11/763,384
• Publication Number:
  US 20080026483A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 436/174
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/025 Align devices or objects to ensure defined positions relative to each other
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/147 Employing temperature sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/04 Closures and closing means
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0829 Multi-well plates; Microtitration plates
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/16 Surface properties and coatings
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/1822 using Peltier elements
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/00356 Holding samples at elevated temperature (incubation)
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/25 including sample preparation

Abstract

A thermal-cycling device for thermally processing at least one substance carried by a thermally-conductive microwell plate includes a heating-cooling unit that may be placed in thermal contact with a surface of the microwell plate. The microwell plate may include at least one well that may have low volume capacity. In one embodiment, the microwell plate is transported by a carrier in the thermal-cycling device and positioned in thermal communication with the heating-cooling unit. The heating-cooling unit may include one or more Peltier units, a heat sink and a heat spreader.

Claims

1. A thermal-cycling device for thermally processing at least one substance, the device comprising:

a thermally conductive apparatus adapted to retain the at least one substance;

a substance processing chamber having a substance-receiving region sized to removably receive the thermally conductive apparatus; and

a heating-cooling unit operable to translate with respect to the thermally conductive apparatus to be in thermal communication therewith when the thermally conductive apparatus is positioned in the device.

2. The thermal-cycling device of claim 1 wherein the heating-cooling unit comprises a plurality of Peltier thermoelectric modules and a heat sink.

3. The thermal-cycling device of claim 1 wherein the thermally conductive apparatus comprises a metallic microwell plate.

4. The thermal-cycling device of claim 3 wherein the metallic microwell plate further comprises copper and at least part of the plate comprises a non-reactive coating.

5. The thermal-cycling device of claim 1 wherein a surface of the thermally conductive apparatus comprises a sealing film.

6. The thermal-cycling device of claim 1 wherein the heating-cooling unit includes at least one heat spreader positioned proximate the thermally conductive apparatus.

7. An apparatus in the form of a plate for supporting at least one substance to be chemically or biologically processed, the apparatus comprising:

a thermally conductive material having an upper surface; and

at least one depression or well formed in the thermally-conductive material, the at least one depression or well configured to retain a desired volume of at least one substance,

wherein a thermal conductivity of the thermally-conductive material permits a temperature change of the material to rapidly affect a temperature of the substance.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 comprising between approximately 1 and 20,000 depressions or wells.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said thermally conductive material comprises copper.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein at least one depression or well is at least partially coated with a non-reactive coating.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising:

a sealing film placed on the upper surface of the thermally conductive plate to seal the at least one substance in the plurality of wells.

12. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the thermally conductive plate comprises a thermal conductivity of at least 5.0 calories/meter*Kelvin.

13-17. -17. (canceled)

18. A thermal-cycling device for thermally processing at least one substance, the device comprising:

a housing;

a heating-cooling unit moveably coupled to the housing; and

a plate having a plurality of wells, an upper surface and a lower surface, the wells being adapted to retain desired volumes of the at least one substance and at least a portion of the plate being operable to translate with respect to the heating-cooling unit to be in thermal communication therewith.

19. The thermal-cycling device of claim 18, further comprising:

a film located between at least a portion of the plate and the heating-cooling unit.

20. The thermal-cycling device of claim 19 wherein the portion of the plate is in direct contact with the film.

21. The thermal-cycling device of claim 19 wherein the film is a sealing film adapted to seal at least some of the plurality of wells.

22. The thermal-cycling device of claim 19 wherein the portion of the plate is in direct contact with the heating-cooling unit.

23. The thermal-cycling device of claim 18 wherein the heating-cooling unit comprises a Peltier thermoelectric module and a heat sink.

24-41. -41. (canceled)

42. A method for thermally processing at least one substance in a thermal-cycling device, the method comprising:

supporting a thermally-conductive microwell plate on a carrier, the plate carrying the at least one substance in at least one well formed in the plate;

moving the carrier and the microwell plate from a first position to a thermal processing position in the device, proximate a heating-cooling unit;

arranging at least a portion of a surface of the plate to be in thermal contact with at least a portion of the heating-cooling unit; and

changing a temperature of the plate by a desired amount by changing a temperature of the heating-cooling unit.

43. The method of claim 42 wherein moving the carrier and the plate includes moving the carrier and the plate on a conveyor transport system.

44. The method of claim 42 wherein arranging at least the portion of the surface of the plate to be in thermal contact with at least the portion of the heating-cooling unit includes placing a sealing film on the surface of the plate in direct contact with at least the portion of the heating-cooling unit.

45. The method of claim 42 wherein arranging at least a portion of the surface of the plate to be in thermal contact with at least the portion of the heating-cooling unit includes placing at least the portion of the surface of the plate in direct contact with at least the portion of the heating-cooling unit.