APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR THE PURIFICATION OF BIOMOLECULES

• US 20090176308A1
• Filed: 11/13/2008
• Published: 07/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Stratec Es
• Original Assignee: Stratec Biomedical Systems AG
• Inventors: Joos, Hans, Bendzko, Peter, Griebel, Ralf
• Granted Patent: US 8,685,322 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 436/8
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 31/441 performing a rectilinear reciprocating movement
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 15/1013 by using magnetic beads
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/0098 involving analyte bound to insoluble magnetic carrier, e.g. using magnetic separation magnetic particles used in immunoassays G01N33/54326; magnetic separation in general B03C
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/10 Composition for standardization, calibration, simulation, stabilization, preparation or preservation; processes of use in preparation for chemical testing

Abstract

The invention comprises an apparatus 10 and a method 100 for automatically lysing, extracting and purifying biomolecules 28. As the central technology for purifying the biomolecules magnetizable particles 35 and an adapted magnet device 40 are used for binding and transferring the particles 35. The apparatus 10 comprises a highly efficient incubation unit 60 with options for upscaling the maximum sample amount. Furthermore the apparatus 10 in particular comprises a group of magnetizable pins 40 as transport magnets and furthermore counter magnets 50 which are arranged on the cavities 20, in which solutions 30 with the biomolecules 28 to be lysed and magnetizable particles 35 are disposed. The use of counter magnets 50 improves the quality of the eluate. Furthermore the invention comprises a fully automatic system 800 and a method 100 for controlling the process steps and the selection of the reagents and the aids (e.g. magnetizable particles 35) on the basis of automatically detected information, such as gathered e.g. from the loaded samples and/or from the used reagents. The automated overall system 800 in particular fulfils the requirements of medical diagnostics.

Claims

1-34. -34. (canceled)

35. A system for diagnostically purifying biomolecules comprising:

a plurality of cavities for accommodating solutions with magnetizable particles,

at least one magnetizable pin arranged in such a fashion that it can be inserted in at least one of the cavities,

a control unit for controlling the system, wherein the system yields an eluate with diagnostically purified biomolecules from the sample material, and

a detection unit for recognizing a coding and for transferring the coding to a yield cavity after the diagnostically purifying.

36. The system according to claim 35 furthermore comprising:

a loading bay for accommodating substances, wherein the substances are at least one of a sample material, a buffer solution or magnetizable particles,

a reading module for automatically identifying the substances and the sample material upon accommodating in the loading bay,

an incubation unit for heating, thermostating and incubating the samples in a lysis cavity,

a pipetting unit for transferring the substances,

a receptacle, and

at least one yield cavity.

37. The system according to claim 35, furthermore comprising:

apparatus for improving the quality of the eluate before removing by pipetting adapted to keep the magnetizable particles away from a tip of the pipetting device.

38. The system according to claim 35, furthermore comprising:

sensors for recording and logging a plurality of parameters using a documentation unit.

39. The system according to claim 35, furthermore comprising:

a plurality of parameter controls for controlling the plurality of parameters using the control unit.

40. The system according to 36, wherein the control unit is adapted to check a consistency of the substances disposed in the loading bay based on the substances in the loading bay.

41. The system according to claim 40, wherein the control unit is adapted to check, if the consistency of the substances disposed in the loading bay is correct based on a composition of a kit.

42. The system according to claim 40, wherein the control unit is adapted to output a message in the case that the consistency of the substances in the loading bay is not correct.

43. The system according to claim 40, wherein the control unit is adapted to prevent an opening of the loading bay during the controlling of the system, in case that the consistency of the substances disposed in the loading bay is correct.

44. The system according to claim 36, wherein the system is adapted to determine a substance amount of required buffer solutions in the loading bay based on the identified substance in the loading bay.

45. The system according to claim 36, wherein the system is adapted to determine a substance amount of the required magnetizable particles based on the identified substance in the loading bay.

46. The system according to claim 36, wherein the system is adapted such that the system determines a number and a sequence of process steps of a method for diagnostically purifying biomolecules based on the identified substance in the loading bay.

47. The system according to claim 36, wherein the system is adapted to determine an appropriate incubation volume for incubating based on the identified substance in the loading bay.

48. The system according to claim 47, wherein the system is adapted to determine a suitable multiwell plate for incubating based on the appropriate incubation volume.

49. The system according to claim 35, wherein the system is adapted to automatically select, request and use a suitable cavity from the group consisting of lysis cavity, incubator cavity, work plate, cavity of the work plate, yield plate.

50. A method for diagnostically purifying biomolecules comprising:

mixing the biomolecules with a binding buffer and magnetizable particles thus forming a particle-biomolecule complex, wherein the biomolecules are bound by the binding buffer to the magnetizable particles,

switching on at least one magnetizable pin,

transporting the particle-biomolecule complex to a first cavity with a first solution,

switching off the magnetizable pin,

mixing the particle-biomolecule complex with the first solution;

for yielding an eluate with the diagnostically purified biomolecules from a sample material subjected to the effect of magnetizable particles.

51. The method according to claim 50, wherein the method furthermore comprises:

inserting at least one sample cavity with the sample material in the loading bay,

identifying the sample material upon accommodation in the loading bay,

inserting at least one substance cavity with a substance in the loading bay,

identifying at least one substance upon accommodation in the loading bay,

checking a consistency of the substances in the loading bay with the sample material,

transferring the substances and/or the sample material.

52. The method according to claim 50, the method furthermore comprising:

recording a plurality of parameters,

controlling the plurality of parameters.

53. The method according to claim 50, furthermore comprising:

determining a plurality of process parameters based on the at least one identified substance.

54. The method according to claim 53, wherein the determining of the plurality of process parameters based on the at least one identified substance comprises:

determining at least one buffer solution,

determining one required magnetizable particle,

determining one required elution solution.

55. The method according to claim 50, furthermore comprising

determining one substance amount of the substances,

determining required parameter values for executing the method,

determining a number and a sequence of process steps of the method for diagnostically purifying biomolecules,

determining a suitable incubation volume,

determining a suitable multiwell plate for incubating based on the suitable incubation volume.

56. The method according to claim 55, wherein determining the substance amount of the substances comprises:

determining one substance amount of at least one buffer solution,

determining one substance amount of one magnetizable particle,

determining one suitable elution solution.