System And Method For Dispensing Fluids

• US 20110127292A1
• Filed: 05/25/2010
• Published: 06/02/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Roche Diagnostics Operations Incorporated (Roche Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: Roche Diagnostics Operations Incorporated (Roche Holding AG)
• Inventors: Kopp, Martin, Sarofim, Emad, Cherubini, Claudio
• Application Number:
  US12/786,709
• Publication Number:
  US 20110127292A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 222/1
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0829 Multi-well plates; Microtitration plates
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 9/52 Supports specially adapted for flat sample carriers, e.g. for plates, slides, chips
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 9/523 for multisample carriers, e.g. used for microtitration plates
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/1065 Multiple transfer devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/1083 with one horizontal degree of freedom

Abstract

A system for dispensing one or more fluids into wells of a target multi-well plate, a holder and a method thereof are disclosed. The system provides the holder which holds the multi-well plate in a predefined holding position, the plate having a well region provided with wells for accommodating the fluids and an edge region surrounding the well region. The holder includes: a contact area which contacts the edge region to form a sealing zone which air-tightly seals a void formed between the holder and the plate; a supporting face which supports the well region in a planar condition; and a duct which connects to a pump to generate a negative pressure in the void so as to draw the well region onto the supporting face.

Claims

1. A system which dispenses one or more fluids into wells of at least one target multi-well plate, comprising:

a holder which holds said multi-well plate in a predefined holding position, said holder includes;

a contact area which contacts an edge region of said plate to form a sealing zone which air-tightly seals a void formed between said holder and said plate;

at least one supporting face which supports a well region of said plate in a planar condition, said well region being provided with a plurality of said wells and surrounded by said edge region; and

a duct which connects to a pump to generate a negative pressure in said void so as to pull said well region onto said at least one supporting face; and

at least one pipettor provided with at least one pipette which dispenses said fluids to said wells, wherein said pipettor has a predetermined spatial relationship with respect to said holder so that said plate has a predetermined spatial relationship with respect to said pipettor.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein said holder includes a planar surface provided with a plurality of grooves connected with respect to each other and connected to said duct.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein said duct is centrically arranged with respect to said planar surface.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein said sealing zone includes at least one sealing gasket which air-tightly seals said void.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein said at least one supporting face supports at least some of said wells.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein said pipettor includes a plurality of pipettes.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein said holder includes a temperature control mechanism which controls a temperature of said plate.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein said holder includes an adapter which adapts said holding position to each of a plurality of multi-well plates being different in sizes with respect to each other.

9. The system according to claim 1, further including an ejecting mechanism which ejects said plate from said holding position.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein said holder is supported by a substructure in such a manner that the holder can be removed from the substructure.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein said substructure supports said holder in at least two positions different with respect to each other.

12. The system according to claim 1, further comprising one or more source vessels from which said fluids are aspirated into said at least one pipette.

13. The system according to claim 3, wherein said sealing zone includes at least one sealing gasket which air-tightly seals said void.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein said at least one supporting face supports at least some of said wells.

15. The system according to claim 14, wherein said pipettor includes a plurality of pipettes.

16. The system according to claim 15, wherein said holder includes a temperature control mechanism which controls a temperature of said plate.

17. The system according to claim 16, wherein said holder includes an adapter which adapts said holding position to each of a plurality of multi-well plates being different in sizes with respect to each other.

18. A holder which holds at least one target multi-well plate in a predefined holding position, comprising:

a contact area which contacts an edge region of said plate to form a sealing zone which air-tightly seals a void formed between said holder and said plate in the holding position;

at least one supporting face which supports a well region in a planar condition, said well region being provided with a plurality of said wells and being surrounded by said edge region; and

a duct which connects to a pump to generate a negative pressure in said void so as to pull said well region onto said at least one supporting face.

19. A method for dispensing one or more fluids into wells of at least one target multi-well plate, comprising:

providing a holder which holds said target multi-well plate in a predefined holding position;

providing said target multi-well plate in said holding position, wherein a void is formed between said holder and said plate, said void being air-tightly sealed by a sealing zone formed between said holder and an edge region of said plate;

generating a negative pressure in said void so as to pull a well region of said plate, which is provided with a plurality of said wells and surrounded by said edge region, onto at least one supporting face which supports said well region in a planar condition; and

dispensing said fluids into one or more wells of said target multi-well plate.

20. The method according to claim 19, further comprises aspirating said fluids from one or more source vessels into said one or more wells of said target multi-well plate.