ARRANGEMENT, SUBSTRATE AND METHOD FOR PREPARING A CELL SAMPLE

• US 20120115179A1
• Filed: 05/14/2010
• Published: 05/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Healthineers AG (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Hauden, Oliver, Tedde, Sandro Francesco
• Granted Patent: US 10,739,235 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 435/29
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00518 in the shape of tapes
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00702 Processes involving means for analysing and characterising the products
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00743 Cells
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 1/2813 Producing thin layers of samples on a substrate, e.g. smearing, spinning-on G01N1/30 takes precedence

Abstract

A flexible, thin, elongated band is used as a substrate. Similarly to a magnetic tape, the band is unwound from a feed reel and is transported past an outlet opening of a receptacle containing the cells such that the cells are poured onto the band. Subsequently, the band containing the cells applied thereon is wound onto a take-up reel. The take-up reel is fixed on a drive shaft which can be rotated by a drive mechanism. The rotation thus achieved has the effect that the band is unwound, transported past the outlet opening and finally wound up. In addition, spacers are provided at the upper surface of the band in order to prevent the contacting of radially adjacent sections of the band containing the cells in a wound-up state.

Claims

1-14. -14. (canceled)

15. A system for depositing cells, comprising:

a rotatable drive shaft;

a take-up reel attached to the rotatable drive shaft, the take up reel receiving a flexible band substrate wound thereon;

a vessel to store cells to be deposited on the substrate, the vessel having an outlet opening for removing cells; and

a drive device to rotate the drive shaft, move the substrate past the outlet opening and wind the substrate provided with the cells, onto the take-up reel.

16. The system as claimed in claim 15, wherein the substrate is a polymer band or a metal band.

17. The system as claimed in claim 15, wherein spacers are provided on an upper side and/or a lower side of the substrate.

18. The system as claimed in claim 15, wherein

the cells are deposited on an upper side of the substrate,

an adhesive layer is provided on the upper side of the substrate to promote adhesion of the cells.

19. The system as claimed in claim 15, wherein

the substrate has upper and lower sides,

cells are deposited on the upper side of the substrate,

a non-adhesive layer to which the cells do not adhere is provided on a lower side of the substrate.

20. The system as claimed in claim 15, wherein a tensioning device is provided for tensing the substrate.

21. The system as claimed in claim 20, wherein

the tensioning device is provided opposite the outlet opening such that the substrate runs between the tensioning device and the outlet opening, and

the tensioning device comprises a moveable support or moveable reel, movable in a direction substantially perpendicular to a movement direction of the substrate.

22. The system as claimed in claim 15, wherein

the cells are deposited on the substrate by forming a liquid film on the substrate, and

the liquid film has a thickness that is controlled by varying a distance between the outlet opening and the substrate.

23. The system as claimed in claim 15, wherein

the cells are deposited on the substrate by forming a liquid film on the substrate,

a stripping object is provided adjacent to the substrate, and

the liquid film has a thickness that is controlled by varying a distance between the stripping object and the substrate.

24. A living cell substrate assembly, comprising:

a feed reel; and

a flexible band cell substrate to receive a multiplicity of cells, the cell substrate being formed of a flexible polymer or a flexible metal, the cell substrate being wound onto the feed reel.

25. The substrate as claimed in claim 24, wherein

the substrate has an leader end to connect with a take-up reel, and

spacers are provided on an upper side and/or a lower side of the substrate.

26. The substrate as claimed in claim 24, wherein

the cells are deposited on an upper side of the substrate,

an adhesive layer is provided on the upper side of the substrate to promote adhesion of the cells.

27. The substrate as claimed in claim 26, wherein

the cells include marked cells and unmarked cells,

the adhesive layer preferentially promotes adhesion of marked cells over unmarked cells.

28. The substrate as claimed in claim 26, wherein the adhesive layer is provided only at defined positions on the upper side of the substrate.

29. The substrate as claimed in claim 24, wherein

the substrate has upper and lower sides,

cells are deposited on an upper side of the substrate,

a non-adhesive layer to which the cells do not adhere is provided on a lower side of the substrate.

30. A method for preparing a cell sample, comprising:

storing cells in a vessel having an outlet opening for removing cells; and

rotating a drive shaft to move a flexible band substrate past the outlet opening, to deposit the cells on the substrate and to wind the substrate onto a take-up reel attached to the drive shaft.

31. The method as claimed in claim 30, wherein the cells are deposited only on intermittent sections of the substrate.

32. The method as claimed in claim 30, wherein the cells are analyzed after the cells have been deposited on the substrate and before the substrate is wound onto the take-up reel.