System and Methods for Sampling Materials

• US 20100294046A1
• Filed: 02/13/2007
• Published: 11/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Johns Hopkins University
• Original Assignee: Johns Hopkins University
• Inventors: Long, Shunyou, Li, Min, Zhu, Heng, Boeke, Jef D.
• Granted Patent: US 8,616,072 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 73/863.01
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 33/07 Dosage or metering devices therefore
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 45/22 Means for packing or storing viable microorganisms casings for storing cell samples A61B10/0096, preservation of living parts of the human or animal body A01N1/02
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 1/42 Low-temperature sample treatment, e.g. cryofixation
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/042 moved independently, e.g. by fork manipulator
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/0425 Stacks, magazines or elevators for plates
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/1032 Dilution or aliquotting
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/0099 comprising robots or similar manipulators robots per se B25J

Abstract

Provided herein are systems and methods for storage, retrieval and sampling of materials.

Claims

1. A system for retrieving a subset of a stored sample, comprising:

an automated freezer comprising a dispenser,

a climate controlled receiving chamber adjacent to the dispenser,

a transfer device (plate handler) within the receiving chamber, and

an addressable sampler(picking robot).

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the dispenser communicates with the climate controlled receiving chamber through a port.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the addressable sampler comprises a tip.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the tip comprises a metal tip with high thermal heat capacity, metal pin, a ceramic pin, a hollow pin, a core sampler for retrieving a portion of a sample

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the tip comprises a tip head.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the tip is disposable.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein the tip comprises a volume control mechanism.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a heat sensor to monitor the temperature in the vicinity of the tip.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the addressable sampler comprises one or more of a sample locator, a rotating tip station for maintaining sampling tips at a sampling temperature, an addressable sample picker.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the sample locator comprises a barcode reader.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising a delidder (delid slide).

12. The system of claim 1, further comprising a tip sterilizer.

13. The system of claim 1, further comprising one or more destination plates for receiving retrieved samples.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the automated freezer is a vertical or horizontal storage freezer.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the climate controlled receiving chamber comprises

one or more of a humidity controller, an atmospheric gas control mechanism, a temperature controlling mechanism, or a reading device to identify the containers as they are inserted into and retrieved from the chamber.

16-39. -39. (canceled)

40. A method for sampling a frozen sample, comprising:

retrieving a sample in a container from a freezer,

transferring the sample to an addressable sampler, and

sampling the sample and transferring the sample to the freezer.

41. The system of claim 40, further comprising delidding a sample plate in a climate controlled chamber

42. The system of claim 40, further comprising determining the location of the sample in the container prior to sampling.

43. The system of claim 40, wherein retrieving the sample comprises ejecting the container to an exterior of the freezer for transport to an addressable sampler.

44. The system of claim 40, wherein sampling comprises transiently thawing at least a portion of the sample.

45. The system of claim 40, wherein the sample rapidly refreezes upon return to the freezer.

46. The system of claim 40, wherein the container comprises a multiwell plate.

47. The system of claim 46, wherein adjacent samples to the sample being sampled are not thawed.

48. The system of claim 40, further comprising sealing the container with a seal prior to freezing in the freezer a first time.

49. The system of claim 48, wherein the seal comprises a foil seal, a plastic seal, a polymer seal or a septum.

50-67. -67. (canceled)