ACOUSTICALLY MEDIATED FLUID TRANSFER METHODS AND USES THEREOF

• US 20080092968A1
• Filed: 12/17/2007
• Published: 04/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Lawrence Lee, Michael Forbush, N Mansour, Roger Williams, Tarlochan Singh
• Original Assignee: Lawrence Lee, Michael Forbush, N Mansour, Roger Williams, Tarlochan Singh
• Inventors: Lee, Lawrence, WILLIAMS, Roger, Mansour, N., Forbush, Michael, Singh, Tarlochan
• Application Number:
  US11/958,354
• Publication Number:
  US 20080092968A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 137/828
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/0046 Sequential or parallel reactions, e.g. for the synthesis of polypeptides or polynucleotides; Apparatus and devices for combinatorial chemistry or for making molecular arrays synthesis methods per se C40B50/00
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00362 Acoustic nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00378 Piezoelectric or ink jet dispensers
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00527 Sheets
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00585 Parallel processes
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00596 Solid-phase processes
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00605 the compounds being directly bound or immobilised to solid supports
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00612 the surface being inorganic
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00637 by coating it with another layer
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00641 the porous medium being continuous, e.g. porous oxide substrates
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00659 Two-dimensional arrays
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00725 Peptides
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0819 Microarrays; Biochips
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0433 vibrational forces
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0436 acoustic forces, e.g. surface acoustic waves [SAW]
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/0268 using pulse dispensing or spraying, eg. inkjet type, piezo actuated ejection of droplets from capillaries
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 17/0615 spray being produced at the free surface of the liquid or other fluent material in a container and subjected to the vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: C40B 30/04 by measuring the ability to specifically bind a target molecule, e.g. antibody-antigen binding, receptor-ligand binding
• CPC Class Codes: C40B 40/02 Libraries contained in or displayed by microorganisms, e.g. bacteria or animal cells; Libraries contained in or displayed by vectors, e.g. plasmids; Libraries containing only microorganisms or vectors
• CPC Class Codes: C40B 40/04 Libraries containing only organic compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C40B 40/08 : Libraries containing RNA or DNA which encodes proteins, e.g. gene libraries
• CPC Class Codes: C40B 40/10 : Libraries containing peptides or polypeptides, or derivatives thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C40B 50/00 : Methods of creating libraries, e.g. combinatorial synthesis
• CPC Class Codes: C40B 60/14 : for creating libraries
• CPC Class Codes: F04F 7/00 : Pumps displacing fluids by using inertia thereof, e.g. by generating vibrations therein
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/11 : Filling or emptying of cuvettes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/206 : Flow affected by fluid contact, energy field or coanda effect [e.g., pure fluid device or system]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/2196 : Acoustical or thermal energy
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/2575 : Volumetric liquid transfer

Abstract

Acoustic waves are used to transfer small amounts of fluid in a non-contact manner. Acoustic waves are propagated through a pool of a source fluid in such a manner that causes the ejection of a single micro-droplet from the surface of the pool. The droplet is ejected towards a target with sufficient force to provide for contact of the droplet with the target. Because the fluid is not contacted by any fluid transfer device such as a pipette, the opportunities for contamination are minimized. Methods may be employed to transfer fluids from an array of source sites to an array of target sites, thereby enabling the precise automation of a wide variety of procedures including screening and synthesis procedures commonly used in biotechnology.

Claims

1-57. -57. (canceled)

58. A method for generating an array of molecular moieties on a porous substrate surface divided into a plurality of discrete surface sites, the method comprising applying focused acoustic energy to each of a plurality of a reservoirs each containing a molecular moiety in a fluid, wherein the focused acoustic energy is applied using an acoustic ejector comprised of an acoustic radiation generator and a focusing means in a manner effective to eject a droplet from each reservoir toward the substrate surface such that the molecular moiety in each droplet attaches to a localized region within a different surface site.

59. The method of claim 58, wherein each molecular moiety is different.

60. The method of claim 59, wherein a droplet is ejected toward each surface site, such that every surface site has a molecular moiety attached thereto.

61. The method of claim 60, wherein each molecular moiety is different.

62. The method of claim 58, wherein the molecular moieties are biomolecules.

63. The method of claim 62, wherein the biomolecules are nucleotidic.

64. The method of claim 63, wherein the biomolecules are oligonucleotides.

65. The method of claim 64, wherein the biomolecules are nucleotidic monomers, and the method further comprises stepwise synthesis of an oligonucleotide within each surface site by repeated deposition of individual nucleotidic monomers at each site using focused acoustic energy.

66. The method of claim 62, wherein the biomolecules are peptidic.

67. The method of claim 60, wherein the porous substrate surface is comprised of more than one thousand discrete surface sites.

68. The method of claim 60, wherein the porous substrate surface is comprised of thousands of discrete surface sites.

69. The method of claim 60, wherein the porous substrate surface is comprised of many thousands of discrete surface sites.

70. The method of claim 60, wherein the porous substrate surface is comprised of more than one thousand discrete surface sites on a microscope slide.

71. The method of claim 60, wherein the porous substrate surface is comprised of thousands of discrete surface sites on a microscope slide.

72. The method of claim 60, wherein the porous substrate surface is comprised of many thousands of discrete surface sites on a microscope slide.

73. A molecular array comprised of a plurality of different molecular moieties on a porous substrate surface divided into a plurality of discrete surface sites, each site containing one molecular moiety attached to the substrate surface in a localized region within the site, wherein more than one thousand different sites are present.

74. The molecular array of claim 73, wherein the more than one thousand different sites are present on a microscope slide.

75. The molecular array of claim 73, wherein thousands of different sites are present.

76. The molecular array of claim 73, wherein the thousands of different sites are present on a microscope slide.

77. The molecular array of claim 73, wherein many thousands of different sites are present.

78. The molecular array of claim 73, wherein the many thousands of different sites are present on a microscope slide.

79. The molecular array of claim 73, wherein each molecular moiety is different.

80. The molecular array of claim 73, wherein the molecular moieties are biomolecules.

81. The molecular array of claim 80, wherein the biomolecules are oligonucleotides.

82. The molecular array of claim 81, wherein the biomolecules are peptidic.