Simultaneous aspirator and dispenser for multiwell plates and similar devices

• US 20080115567A1
• Filed: 11/17/2006
• Published: 05/22/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: X-Body Incorporated (Bristol-Myers Squibb Company)
• Original Assignee: Sru Biosystems Incorporated
• Inventors: Gerstenmaier, John, Jogikalmath, Gangadhar, Laing, Lance G., Smith, Timothy F.
• Granted Patent: US 7,628,085 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 73/53.01
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/1011 Control of the position or alignment of the transfer device
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/1074 arranged in a two-dimensional array

Abstract

A device for simultaneously dispensing a solution containing a sample to a test device and aspirating the sample from the device. In one embodiment the device is hand-held and includes a control mechanism, e.g., button for activating the dispensing and aspiration of the sample. The testing device may take the form of a multi-well plate with a plurality of wells arranged in rows and columns, with the bottom of the wells formed as a photonic crystal biosensor. The device can be configured with dispense and aspirate manifolds and associated dispense and aspirate ports which are positioned in all the wells along a row or column of wells so as to simultaneously aspirate and dispense solution to all the wells in a row or column of the multi-well plate.

Claims

1. A device for simultaneously dispensing and aspirating a sample to a testing device comprising:

a) a body having a portion thereof adapted for engagement with the testing device;

b) dispense tubing coupled to the body for receiving a sample from a source;

c) aspirate tubing coupled to the body connected to a source of vacuum;

d) a dispense manifold connected to the dispense tubing having at least one dispensing port;

e) an aspirate manifold connected to the aspirate tubing having at least one aspirating port; and

f) a control mechanism for controlling movement of the sample from the dispense tubing to the dispense port and for simultaneously controlling application of vacuum in the aspirate tubing to the aspirating port.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein testing device comprises a multi-well testing device arranged in one or more rows of a plurality of wells, and wherein the dispense and aspirate manifolds include a dispensing and aspirating port for each well in the row of wells in the multi-well test device.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the body is sized and shaped so as to be held in a human hand and wherein the control mechanism includes a manually-activated control device incorporated into the body,

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the control device activates a valve coupling the dispense tubing to the dispensing manifold and a valve coupling the aspirate tubing to the aspirate manifold.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the device further comprises an auxiliary injection port for receiving a second sample for introduction to the testing device.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the testing device includes a plurality of wells for receiving the sample and wherein the wells have a bottom surface for receiving the sample constructed as a grating-based biosensor.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the body further comprises a lower surface for engaging a top surface of the testing device, and wherein the testing device further comprises a plurality of wells, and wherein the dispensing and aspirating ports further comprise tips thereof which extend into wells formed in the top surface of the testing device when the lower surface of the body is engaged with the top surface of the testing device.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the control mechanism is manually operated.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the control mechanism is automatically operated.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the device comprises at least eight aspirating ports and at least eight dispensing ports.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the aspirating and dispensing ports are spatially arranged in at least eight pairs of aspirating and dispensing ports.

12. The device of claim 1, further comprising a variable flow pump for directing sample to the testing device via the dispense tubing.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein the device further comprises at least one sensor for measurement of a sample delivered by the device to the testing device.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the sensor selected from the group of sensors consisting of a) a temperature sensor, b) a pH sensor, and c) an ionic strength sensor.

15. The device of claim 13, wherein the at least one sensor is mounted adjacent to at least one of the aspirating port or the dispensing port.

16. The device of claim 13, further comprising a processing unit controlling delivery of the sample to the testing device using a feedback loop incorporating sensor data reported by the at least one sensor.

17. The device of claim 1, wherein the device further comprises a temperature controller controlling the temperature of the sample delivered to the testing device.

18. The device of claim 1, wherein the aspirate and dispense manifolds comprise elongate tubular channels having a length L, wherein the testing device comprises an array of wells arranged in rows and columns, and wherein at least one of the rows and columns of wells is of a linear dimension M, where L≧

M, and wherein there is one aspirating port and one dispensing port in a spaced relation along the length of the aspirate and dispense manifolds for each well in the rows or columns of wells of length M.

19. A method of simultaneously dispensing and aspirating a sample to a testing device having at least one well, comprising the steps of:

positioning an aspirating and dispensing device over the testing device such that an aspirating port and a dispensing port in the device are placed into the at least one well;

activating a control mechanism to thereby cause a sample to enter the well via the dispensing port and simultaneously aspirating the sample from the well.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the testing device comprises a multi-well device having a plurality of wells arranged in rows and columns, and wherein during the positioning step an aspirating port and a dispensing port are placed into all the wells in a row or column of wells of the multi-well device.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the activating step is performed manually.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the method further comprises the step of sensing the sample with a sensor selected from the group of sensors consisting of a) a temperature sensor, b) a pH sensor, and c) an ionic strength sensor.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the sensor comprises a temperature sensor and wherein the method further comprises the step of controlling the temperature of the sample delivered to the test device.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the sensing step is performed with a sensor placed in the sample well in proximity to the dispensing port and the aspirating port.

25. The method of claim 19, further comprising the step of making an optical measurement of the testing device simultaneously with the activating step.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the testing device comprises a grating-based biosensor, and wherein the optical measurement comprises a measurement of a shift in peak wavelength value of a sample dispensed onto the surface of the biosensor.

27. The method of claim 19, further comprising the step of introducing a second sample onto the testing device during the activating step.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the second sample is introduced via an auxiliary injection port provided in the aspirating and dispensing device.

29. The method of claim 19, wherein the testing device comprises a photonic crystal biosensor, and wherein the method further comprises the step of making a measurement of a shift in peak wavelength value from a well of the biosensor during the simultaneous aspirating and dispensing of the sample.

30. A method of making a measurement of binding affinity of a sample, comprising the steps of:

introducing the sample into a well having a bottom formed as a photonic crystal biosensor, wherein a portion of the sample becomes bound to the biosensor;

making a measurement of the change in the shift in peak wavelength value as a function of time (k_on) from the well as the sample is introduced into the well;

simultaneously aspirating and dispensing the sample from the well and measuring the change in the shift in peak wavelength value as a function of time (k_off) during the simultaneous aspirating and dispensing,

calculating an equilibrium association constant or an equilibrium dissociation constant for the sample from the values of k_on, and k_off.