DEVICE AND METHOD FOR PRESSURE-DRIVEN PLUG TRANSPORT AND REACTION

• US 20100233026A1
• Filed: 05/10/2010
• Published: 09/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Bo Zheng, Cory John Gerdts, Joshua David Tice, Rustem F. Ismagliov
• Original Assignee: Bo Zheng, Cory John Gerdts, Joshua David Tice, Rustem F. Ismagliov
• Inventors: Ismagliov, Rustem F., Gerdts, Cory John, Zheng, Bo, Tice, Joshua David
• Application Number:
  US12/777,099
• Publication Number:
  US 20100233026A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 422/68.100
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2009/0086 Processes or apparatus therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 9/0072 Crystallisation in microfluidic devices
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 25/433 Mixing tubes wherein the shape of the tube influences the mixing, e.g. mixing tubes with varying cross-section or provided with inwardly extending profiles
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 25/4331 Mixers with bended, curved, coiled, wounded mixing tubes or comprising elements for bending the flow
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 33/3021 the components to be mixed being combined in a single independent droplet, e.g. these droplets being divided by a non-miscible fluid or consisting of independent droplets
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 14/00 Chemical processes in general for reacting liquids with liquids; Apparatus specially adapted therefor B01J8/00, B01J19/08 take precedence
• 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 19/0093 Microreactors, e.g. miniaturised or microfabricated reactors laboratory containers with capillary fluid transport in microfabricated channels or chambers B01L3/5027
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00286 Reactor vessels with top and bottom openings
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00576 fluorophore
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00585 Parallel processes
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00599 Solution-phase processes
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00722 Nucleotides
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00725 Peptides
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00736 Non-biologic macromolecules, e.g. polymeric compounds
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00756 Compositions, e.g. coatings, crystals, formulations
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00783 Laminate assemblies, i.e. the reactor comprising a stack of plates
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00837 comprising coatings other than catalytically active coatings
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/0086 Dimensions of the flow channels
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00869 Microreactors placed in parallel, on the same or on different supports
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00889 : Mixing micromixers B01F33/30
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00891 : Feeding or evacuation
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00894 : More than two inlets
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00903 : Segmented flow
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00975 : Ultraviolet light
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00977 : Infrared light
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/0673 : Handling of plugs of fluid surrounded by immiscible fluid
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/12 : Specific details about manufacturing devices
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0867 : Multiple inlets and one sample wells, e.g. mixing, dilution
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0487 : fluid pressure, pneumatics
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502715 : characterised by interfacing components, e.g. fluidic, electrical, optical or mechanical interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/50273 : characterised by the means or forces applied to move the fluids micropumps F04B19/006, of the membrane type F04B43/043
• 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: B82Y 30/00 : Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites
• CPC Class Codes: C07K 14/43 : Sweetening agents, e.g. thaumatin, monellin
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 9/2462 : Lysozyme (3.2.1.17)
• CPC Class Codes: C12Q 1/6806 : Preparing nucleic acids for analysis, e.g. for polymerase chain reaction [PCR] assay C12Q1/6804 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C12Y 302/01017 : Lysozyme (3.2.1.17)
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 29/54 : Organic compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 29/58 : Macromolecular compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 7/14 : the crystallising materials being formed by chemical reactions in the solution
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 1/28 : Preparing specimens for investigation including physical details of (bio-)chemical methods covered elsewhere, e.g. G01N33/50, C12Qmounting specimens on microscopic slides G02B21/34; means for supporting the objects or the materials to be analysed in electron microscopes H01J37/20 ; laboratory gas handling apparatus B01L5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/08 : using a stream of discrete samples flowing along a tube system, e.g. flow injection analysis
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 117/10 : Apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/0318 : Processes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/117497 : with a continuously flowing sample or carrier stream
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/143333 : Saccharide [e.g., DNA, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/25 : including sample preparation

Abstract

The present invention provides microfabricated substrates and methods of conducting reactions within these substrates. The reactions occur in plugs transported in the flow of a carrier-fluid.

Claims

1. A capillary tube comprising a plurality of plugs in an immiscible carrier-fluid, where a cross section of each plug is substantially the same size as a cross section of the capillary tube, said plurality of plugs comprising at least one plug having a crystallized target substance.

2. The capillary tube of claim 1, where the crystallization target is a member of the group consisting of protein, peptide, polynucleotide, oligonucleotide, subcellular organelle, subcellular protein complex, drug, small molecule/biological macromolecule complex, virus, colloidal particle, nanoparticle. and combinations thereof.

3. The capillary tube of 1, where the crystallization target is a first protein.

4. The capillary tube of claim 3, where the first protein is bound to a synthetic molecule or a small molecule.

5. The capillary tube of claim 3, where the first protein is bound to a drug.

6. The capillary tube of claim 3, where the first protein is bound to a second protein or peptide.

7. The capillary tube of claim 3, where the first protein is bound to a member of the group consisting of oligonucleotides, carbohydrates and sugars.

8. The capillary tube of claim 3, where the carrier-fluid comprises an oil.

9. The capillary tube of claim 3, where the carrier-fluid comprises a fluorinated compound.