Apparatus and Methodology to Carry Out Biochemical Testing on a Centrifugal Platform Using Flow Splitting Technique

• US 20140038209A1
• Filed: 02/08/2013
• Published: 02/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zhejiang Pushkang Biotechnology Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Feng Chia University
• Inventors: SHIH, CHIH-HSIN, WU, HO-CHIN, YANG, YU-PING
• Granted Patent: US 8,945,480 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 435/7.92
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/0605 Metering of fluids
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0803 Disc shape
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0864 comprising only one inlet and multiple receiving wells, e.g. for separation, splitting
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0883 Serpentine channels
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0409 centrifugal forces
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0688 surface tension valves, capillary stop, capillary break
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/086 using baffles or other fixed flow obstructions
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502738 characterised by integrated valves microvalves F16K99/0001
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502746 characterised by the means for controlling flow resistance, e.g. flow controllers, baffles B01L3/502738 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/5302 Apparatus specially adapted for immunological test procedures
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/111666 Utilizing a centrifuge or compartmented rotor

Abstract

The invention provides an apparatus and methodology to carry out biochemical testing on a centrifugal platform using flow splitting technique. In conventional biochemical testing, reagents need to be loaded individually into each reservoir. By using the flow splitting technique in this invention, one reagent only need to be loaded once, then, it can be evenly distributed into each reaction chambers in single or multiple layers format. The invention greatly reduces the required manpower when large numbers of assays are integrated on one platform. Because of the invention, many medical examinations can be performed efficiently, thus reduce the waste of manpower, time and cost.

Claims

1. An apparatus using flow splitting technique to carry out biochemical tests comprises a rotator platform and a microfluidic disc set on the rotator platform, both shaped like a disc, round and flat;

the microfluidic disc comprising a layer of microfluidic structures, from the center to the periphery of the layer of the microfluidic structures comprising;

an injection chamber with a reagent injection orifice, set at the center of the layer of the microfluidic structures;

at least one microfluidic channel arranged radially in the layer of the microfluidic structures and connected with the injection chamber, the at least one microfluidic channel used as the channel for liquid to flow through and for reagents flowing from the center of the layer of the microfluidic structures to the periphery;

at least one detection chamber with a sample injection orifice, placed at the periphery of the layer of the microfluidic structures and connected with the at least one microfluidic channel for the reagents to carry out reactions; and

at least one waste chamber, set next to and connected to the at least one detection chamber for waste storage after the reactions;

wherein

the at least one microfluidic channel comprising;

a splitting chamber set outside and connected with the injection chamber, equally splitting the reagents from the injection chamber; and

a flow-resistant element set between and connected with the splitting chamber and the at least one detection chamber, controlling the reagents flowing from the splitting chamber to the at least one detection chamber.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the layer of the microfluidic structures further comprises at least one mixing chamber with a sample injection orifice set between and connected with the flow-resistant element and the at least one detection chamber.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the layer of the microfluidic structures further comprises at least one secondary microvalve set between and connected with the at least one detection chamber and the at least one waste chamber, controlling the reagents flowing from the at least one detection chamber to the at least one waste chamber.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one notch set evenly on the periphery of the rotator platform, the microfluidic disc fixed on the rotator platform via the at least one notch.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein material of the rotator platform is aluminum.

6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein material of the microfluidic disc is polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA).

7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein volume of the splitting chamber is at least three times as much as the at least one detection chamber.

8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein distance from each flow-resistant element of each at least one microfluidic channel to the center of the layer of the microfluidic structures is the same.

9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the flow-resistant element has choices of a herringbone shape microvalve and a high-resistance-buffer flow channel.

10. An apparatus using flow splitting technique to carry out biochemical tests comprises a rotator platform and a microfluidic disc set on the rotator platform, both shaped like a disc, round and flat;

the microfluidic disc comprising at least two layers of microfluidic structures, from the center to the periphery of the at least two layers of the microfluidic structures comprising;

an injection chamber with a reagent injection orifice, set at the center of the at least two layers of the microfluidic structures;

at least one microfluidic channel arranged radially in the at least two layers of the microfluidic structures and connected with the injection chamber, the at least one microfluidic channel used as the channel for liquid to flow through and for reagents flowing from the center of the at least two layers of microfluidic structures to the periphery;

at least one detection chamber with a sample injection orifice placed at the periphery of the at least two layers of the microfluidic structures for the reagents to carry out reactions and connected with each at least one microfluidic channel placed in the different layers but at the same position corresponding to that in an upper layer and a lower layer of the at least two layers of the microfluidic structures; and

at least one waste chamber set next to and connected to the at least one detection chamber for waste storage after the reactions;

wherein

the at least one microfluidic channel comprising;

a splitting chamber set outside and connected with the injection chamber, equally splitting the reagents from the injection chamber; and

a flow-resistant element set between and connected with the splitting chamber and the at least one detection chamber, controlling the reagents flowing from the splitting chamber to the at least one detection chamber.

11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein the at least two layers of the microfluidic structures comprise at least one mixing chamber with a sample injection orifice set between and connected with the flow-resistant element and the at least one detection chamber.

12. The apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein the at least two layers of the microfluidic structures comprises at least one secondary microvalve set between and connected with the at least one detection chamber and the at least one waste chamber, controlling the reagents flowing from the at least one detection chamber to the at least one waste chamber.

13. The apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein at least one notch set evenly on the periphery of the rotator platform, the microfluidic disc fixed on the rotator platform via the at least one notch.

14. The apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein material of the rotator platform is aluminum.

15. The apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein material of the microfluidic disc is polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA).

16. The apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein each injection chamber with the reagent injection orifice in different layers of the at least two layers of microfluidic structures is not mutually connected.

17. The apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein volume of the splitting chamber is at least three times as much as the at least one detection chamber.

18. The apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein distance between each flow-resistant element in the same layer of the at least two layers of microfluidic structures and the center of the at least two layers of microfluidic structures is the same.

19. The apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein the flow-resistant element has choices of a herringbone shape microvalve and a high-resistance-buffer flow channel.

20. A method to operate an apparatus with flow splitting technique to carry out biochemical tests comprises following steps:

a. injecting in reagents;

b. rotating a rotate platform;

making the reagents in an injection chamber split equally into a splitting chamber of at least one microfluidic channel;

c. raising a rotational speed of the rotate platform to a certain rotational speed;

after increasing to the certain rotational speed, the reagents in the splitting chamber breaking through a flow-resistant element and flow into at least one detection chamber, mixing the reagents in the at least one detection chamber to carry out reactions; and

d. testing the reactions and obtaining results.

21. The method as claimed in claim 20, wherein the certain rotational speed in the step c is a constant value.

22. The method as claimed in claim 20, wherein a step is further comprised in the step c, which is after the reagents break through the flow-resistant element, rotation of the rotate platform persists for certain time, making the flow-resistant element dry to regain the characteristic of obstructing the reagents.

23. The method as claimed in claim 22, wherein the certain time is 10 minutes.

24. The method as claimed in claim 20, wherein after the step c is completed, the step b and c are repeated depending on the need and step d is carried out for the results of the tests.