Method of Reaction in Flow Channel of Microchip and Analysis Device

• US 20090233378A1
• Filed: 02/21/2007
• Published: 09/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Konica Minolta Medical & Graphic Incorporated (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Konica Minolta Medical & Graphic Incorporated (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Inventors: Tanimoto, Kohsuke, Higashino, Kusunoki, Aoki, Youichi, Sando, Yasuhiro, Nakajima, Akihisa
• Application Number:
  US12/225,598
• Publication Number:
  US 20090233378A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 436/174
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/0673 Handling of plugs of fluid surrounded by immiscible fluid
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/16 Reagents, handling or storing thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0816 Cards, e.g. flat sample carriers usually with flow in two horizontal directions
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0487 fluid pressure, pneumatics
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0688 surface tension valves, capillary stop, capillary break
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502723 characterised by venting arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502738 characterised by integrated valves microvalves F16K99/0001
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502784 specially adapted for droplet or plug flow, e.g. digital microfluidics automatic analysis using a stream of discrete samples in a tube system G01N35/08
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/00158 Elements containing microarrays, i.e. "biochip"
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/44756 Apparatus specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/1095 for supplying the samples to flow-through analysers for a specific analyser see relevant groups, e.g. under G01N15/00, G01N21/00, G01N27/00, G01N30/00, H01J49/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/11 Automated chemical analysis
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/25 including sample preparation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/25375 Liberation or purification of sample or separation of material from a sample [e.g., filtering, centrifuging, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/255 including use of a solid sorbent, semipermeable membrane, or liquid extraction
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/2575 Volumetric liquid transfer

Abstract

In case of performing a reaction between reacting material and reagent by bringing the reagent in contact with the reacting material through flowing the reagent into a reaction flow channel in which the reaction material which reacts with the reagent is carried on a wall surface of the reaction flow channel of a microchip, the reaction is expedited efficiently by passing the reagent to the reacting material. The reagent 30a is flowed such that a peripheral portion of a gas-liquid interface at a front end of the reagent moves back and forth on the wall surface of the reaction flow channel 10 when the reaction is performed.

Claims

1. A method of reaction in a flow channel of a microchip, which performs a reaction by bringing reagent in contact with reacting material by flowing the reagent into a reaction flow channel in which the reacting material which reacts with the reagent is carried on a wall surface of the reaction flow channel of the microchip, wherein the method of reaction comprises flowing the reagent such that a peripheral portion of a gas-liquid interface at a front end of the reagent moves back and forth on the wall surface of the reaction flow channel when the reaction is performed.

2. The method of reaction in the flow channel of the microchip according to claim 1, wherein, when the reaction is performed, after the peripheral portion of the gas-liquid interface at the front end of the reagent passes in a forward direction on the wall surface of the reaction flow channel and reaches to a flow channel ahead of the reaction flow channel, an operation is performed at least once which flows back the reagent such that the peripheral portion passes in a reverse direction on the wall surface of the reaction flow channel and then flows the reagent in the forward direction such that the peripheral portion once again passes in the forward direction on the wall surface of the reaction flow channel.

3. The method of reaction in the flow channel of the microchip according to claim 1, wherein, when a reaction between other reagent and the reacting material is performed, the method further comprises:

flowing the other reagent which reacts with the reacting material carried on the wall surface of the reaction flow channel into the reaction flow

channel with intervening gas at a front end side of the other reagent after the reaction between the reagent and the reacting material is performed; and

flowing other reagent such that the peripheral portion of the gas-liquid interface at the front end of the other reagent moves back and forth on the wall surface of the reaction flow channel.

4. The method of reaction in the flow channel of the microchip according to claim 3, wherein, when the reaction between the other reagent and the reacting material is performed, after the peripheral portion of the gas-liquid interface at the front end of the other reagent passes in the forward direction on the wall surface of the reaction flow channel and reaches to a flow channel ahead of the reaction flow channel, an operation is performed at least once which flows back the other reagent such that the peripheral portion passes in the reverse direction on the wall surface of the reaction flow channel and then flows the other reagent in the forward direction such that the peripheral portion once again passes in the forward direction on the wall surface of the reaction flow channel.

5. The method of reaction in the flow channel of the microchip according to claim 3, wherein, the microchip comprises,

a reagent holding flow channel which stores the other reagent;

a gas storage flow channel which is disposed at a downstream side of the reagent holding flow channel, communicates directly or indirectly with the reaction flow channel at the downstream side thereof, and stores gas; and

a water repellent valve which intervenes between a downstream end of the reagent holding flow channel and an upstream end of the gas storage flow channel and includes a flow control path that has a smaller cross-sectional area than these flow channels and passes the other reagent forward from the reagent holding flow channel by applying a flow fluid pressure larger than a predetermined pressure from an upstream side,

wherein, after the reaction between the reagent and the reacting material is performed, the reaction between the other reagent and the reacting material is performed,

by pushing the other reagent stored in the reagent holding flow channel forward from the reagent holding flow channel through the water repellent valve;

flowing the other reagent into the reaction flow channel with intervening the gas stored in the gas storage flow channel at the front end of the other reagent; and

,

flowing the other reagent such that the peripheral portion of the gas-liquid interface at the front end of the other reagent moves back and forth on the wall surface of the reaction flow channel and the other reagent reacts with the reacting material.

6. The method of reaction in the flow channel of the microchip according to claim 1, wherein a flow channel ahead of the reaction flow channel forms a closed air tight space and the peripheral portion of the gas-liquid interface at the front end of the reagent moves back and forth on the wall surface of the reaction flow channel through reducing a pressure from out side after flowing the reagent into the reaction flow channel by the pressure.

7. The method of reaction in the flow channel of the microchip according to claim 6, wherein a volume of the closed flow channel ahead of the reaction flow channel is larger than a volume of the reaction flow channel.

8. The method of reaction in the flow channel of the microchip according to claim 6, wherein a gas vent channel which has an end opened to an outer atmosphere is provided at a position before the reaction flow channel.

9. An analysis device to which is loaded a microchip which includes a reaction flow channel in which a reacting material which reacts with a reagent is carried on a wall surface of the flow channels, and in which a reaction is performed by flowing the reagent into the reaction flow channel so that the reagent contacts and reacts with the reacting material, wherein the analysis device comprises a liquid flowing unit which flows the reagent such that a peripheral portion of the gas-liquid interface at a front end of the reagent moves back and forth on the wall surface of the reaction flow channel when the reaction is performed.