Dual inlet microchannel device and method for using same

• US 20080247907A1
• Filed: 11/08/2007
• Published: 10/09/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Corning Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Corning Incorporated
• Inventors: Lewis, Mark A., Li, Cheng-Chung, Bergman, Richard, Miller, William J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,974,748 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 422/68.1
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/027 for microfluidic devices
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/0621 Control of the sequence of chambers filled or emptied
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0636 Integrated biosensor, microarrays
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0829 Multi-well plates; Microtitration plates
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0887 Laminated structure
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/084 Passive control of flow resistance
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/086 using baffles or other fixed flow obstructions
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/5025 for parallel transport of multiple samples
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502746 characterised by the means for controlling flow resistance, e.g. flow controllers, baffles B01L3/502738 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/565 Seals in general F16L
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/557 using kinetic measurement, i.e. time rate of progress of an antigen-antibody interaction

Abstract

A dual inlet microchannel device and a method for using the device to perform a flow-through kinetic assay are described. A microplate having an array of the dual inlet microchannel devices and in particular their specially configured flow chambers is also described. Several embodiments of the dual inlet microchannel devices and specially configured flow chambers are also described.

Claims

1. A dual inlet microchannel device comprising:

a body having formed therein;

a first fluid inlet;

a second fluid inlet;

a fluid outlet; and

a flow chamber including;

a first flow restrictor associated with the first fluid inlet;

a second flow restrictor associated with the second fluid inlet;

a central portion having one end associated with the first flow restrictor and the second flow restrictor; and

an outlet portion associated with the fluid outlet and an opposite end of the central portion.

2. The device of claim 1, further comprising a sensor that has a sensing surface located within the central portion of the flow chamber.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the first flow restrictor is a first porous material and the second flow restrictor is a second porous material.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the first flow restrictor is a first weir and the second flow restrictor is a second weir.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the flow chamber further includes:

a first inlet portion located between the first fluid inlet and the first flow restrictor; and

a second inlet portion located between the second fluid inlet and the second flow restrictor.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the first flow restrictor is a first flow restrictive neck and the second flow restrictor is a second flow restrictive neck.

7. The dual inlet microchannel device of claim 6, wherein the central portion further includes a third flow restrictive neck associated with the first flow restrictive neck and the second flow restrictive neck.

8. The dual inlet microchannel device of claim 7, wherein:

the flow chamber has a height of about 10 μ

m-500 μ

m, a length of about 2 mm-8 mm, and a width of about 1 mm-5 mm;

the first fluid inlet portion and the second fluid inlet portion each has a diameter of about 0.25 mm-1 mm;

the first flow restrictive neck and the second flow restrictive neck fluid inlet each has a width of about 100 μ

m-1000 μ

m, and a length of about 200 μ

m-3000 μ

m; and

the third flow restrictive neck has a width of about 200 μ

m-1500 μ

m, and a length of about 200 μ

m-1500 μ

m.

9. A method for performing a kinetic assay, the method comprising the steps of:

attaching a fluid handling system to a device, where the fluid handling system includes a first fluid delivery tip, a second fluid delivery tip, and a fluid removal tip all of which are connected to the device, where the device has a body including;

a first fluid inlet connected to the first fluid delivery tip;

a second fluid inlet connected to the second fluid delivery tip;

a fluid outlet connected to the fluid removal tip;

a flow chamber including;

a first flow restrictor associated with the first fluid inlet;

a second flow restrictor associated with the second fluid inlet;

a central portion having a first end associated with the first flow restrictor and the second flow restrictor;

the central portion having a sensing surface on which there is immobilized a target; and

an outlet portion associated with fluid outlet and an opposite end of the central portion;

and

flowing a buffer solution through the first fluid delivery tip and into and through the flow chamber and then out the fluid removal tip while an inspection system obtains a baseline measurement;

stopping the flow of the buffer solution;

flowing an analyte solution through the second fluid delivery tip and into and through the flow chamber and then out the fluid removal tip while the inspection system obtains an association measurement;

stopping the flow of the analyte solution; and

flowing the buffer solution through the first fluid delivery tip and into and through the flow chamber and then out the fluid removal tip while the inspection system obtains a disassociation measurement.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first flow restrictor is a first porous material and the second flow restrictor is a second porous material.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the first flow restrictor is a first weir and the second flow restrictor is a second weir.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the flow chamber further includes:

a first inlet portion located between the first fluid inlet and the first flow restrictor; and

a second inlet portion located between the second fluid inlet and the second flow restrictor.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first flow restrictor is a first flow restrictive neck and the second flow restrictor is a second flow restrictive neck.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the first flow restrictive neck is sized to minimize and possibly eliminate the buffer solution from flowing into the second inlet portion and up the second fluid inlet.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the second flow restrictive neck is sized to minimize and possibly eliminate the analyte solution from flowing into the first inlet portion and up the first fluid inlet.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the central portion further includes a third flow restrictive neck which is in fluid communication with the first flow restrictive neck and the second flow restrictive neck.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the third flow restrictive neck is sized to assure the buffer solution or analyte solution flows directly over the sensing surface.

18. The method of claim 9, wherein the inspection system comprises at least one of:

a grating-based inspection system;

a surface plasmon resonance inspection system;

a fluorescence inspection system;

an acousto-optic inspection system;

a capacitive inspection system;

a visual inspection system;

or

a combination thereof.

19. A microplate, comprising:

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

the 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 at least two fluid inlet ports and at least one fluid outlet port; and

the body having one or more fluid delivery-removal channels extending therethrough where each fluid delivery-removal channel has at least two fluid inlet channels and at least one fluid outlet channel which are respectively aligned with the at least two fluid inlet ports and the at least one fluid outlet port that are located within the corresponding fluid delivery-removal sealing interface of the sealing substance; and

a lower plate including a top surface which is attached to the bottom surface of the upper plate such that one or more flow chambers are present therebetween, where each one of the flow chambers is in fluid communication with a corresponding one of the fluid delivery-removal channels extending through the body of the upper plate and where each of the flow chambers further includes;

a first flow restrictor associated with one of the corresponding fluid inlet ports;

a second flow restrictor associated with another one of the corresponding fluid inlet ports;

a central portion having one end associated with the first flow restrictor and the second flow restrictor; and

an outlet portion associated with the corresponding fluid outlet port and an opposite end of the central portion.

20. The microplate of claim 19, wherein the first flow restrictor is a first porous material and the second flow restrictor is a second porous material.

21. The microplate of claim 19, wherein the first flow restrictor is a first weir and the second flow restrictor is a second weir.

22. The microplate of claim 19, wherein the flow chamber further includes:

a first inlet portion located between the first fluid inlet and the first flow restrictor;

a second inlet portion located between the second fluid inlet and the second flow restrictor; and

the first flow restrictor is a first flow restrictive neck and the second flow restrictor is a second flow restrictive neck; and

23. The microplate of claim 22, wherein the central portion further includes a third flow restrictive neck associated with the first flow restrictive neck and the second flow restrictive neck.

24. The microplate of claim 19, wherein the bottom surface of the upper plate has one or more ridges that encompass the one or more fluid delivery-removal channels which enables the formation of the one or more flow chambers when the upper plate is attached to the lower plate.

25. The microplate of claim 19, further comprising a film used to attach the upper plate to the lower plate, wherein the film has one or more sections removed therefrom, and wherein each removed section forms one of the flow chambers when the upper plate is attached to the lower plate.