FIBER-CONTAINING CRYSTAL, METHOD OF PREPARING FIBER-CONTAINING CRYSTAL, APPARATUS FOR PREPARING FIBER-CONTAINING CRYSTAL, AND MEDICINE SOAKING APPARATUS

• US 20190177877A1
• Filed: 09/28/2016
• Published: 06/13/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toray Industries Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Toray Industries Incorporated
• Inventors: Nakabayashi, Iori, Tsuchikura, Hiroshi, Kuwabara, Atsushi, Adachi, Hiroaki
• Granted Patent: US 10,640,886 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: C07K 1/306 by crystallization
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 15/09 Recombinant DNA-technology
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 29/58 Macromolecular compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 7/00 Single-crystal growth from solutions using solvents which are liquid at normal temperature, e.g. aqueous solutions from molten solvents C30B9/00; by normal or gradient freezing C30B11/00; under a protective fluid C30B27/00

Abstract

A fiber-containing crystal includes a crystal body which is a crystal of a biological substance and a plurality of fibers at least partially incorporated in the crystal body; and a fiber-containing crystal includes a crystal body which is an easy-disintegrating crystal and a plurality of fibers at least partially incorporated in the crystal body.

Claims

1-16. -16. (canceled)

17. A fiber-containing crystal comprising a crystal body which is a crystal of a biological substance and a plurality of fibers at least partially incorporated in the crystal body.

19. The fiber-containing crystal according to claim 17, wherein the biological substance is a biopolymer, a protein, a peptide, a nucleic acid, or a sugar chain.

20. The fiber-containing crystal according to claim 19, wherein the biological substance is selected from a natural protein, a synthetic protein, an artificial protein, a natural peptide, a synthetic peptide, an artificial peptide, a natural nucleic acid, a synthetic nucleic acid, an artificial nucleic acid, a natural sugar chain, a synthetic sugar chain, and an artificial sugar chain.

21. The fiber-containing crystal according to claim 17, wherein the fiber has a thickness of 1 nm to 0.1 mm.

22. The fiber-containing crystal according to claim 17, wherein the fiber is an aramid fiber, a cellulose fiber, or a polyarylate fiber.

23. The fiber-containing crystal according to claim 17, which is for structural analysis.

24. The fiber-containing crystal according to claim 23, wherein the structure analysis is x-ray crystal structure analysis, neutron crystal structure analysis, or electron microscope observation.

18. A fiber-containing crystal comprising a crystal body which is an easy-disintegrating crystal and a plurality of fibers at least partially incorporated in the crystal body.

25. A method of preparing a fiber-containing crystal, comprising:

a preparation step of preparing a plurality of fibers;

an addition step of adding a solution in which a biological substance is dissolved to the plurality of fibers;

a crystallization step of precipitating a crystal by increasing the concentration of the biological substance in the solution; and

an extraction step of extracting, out of the obtained crystals, a fiber-containing crystal incorporating at least a part of a plurality of fibers inside.

26. The method according to claim 25, further comprising a chemical immersion step for immersing the fiber-containing crystal, which is extracted, in a chemical solution in which a chemical is dissolved.

27. The method according to claim 25, further comprising a freezing step of freezing the fiber-containing crystal after the extraction step.

28. The method according to claim 26, further comprising a freezing step of freezing the fiber-containing crystal after the chemical immersion step.

29. The method according to claim 27, wherein the freezing step is a step of freezing the fiber-containing crystal after the fiber-containing crystal is immersed in an anti-freeze agent.

30. An apparatus for preparing the fiber-containing crystal, comprising:

a fiber holding part on which a plurality of fibers are laid;

a solution holding part holding a solution in which a biological substance is dissolved;

a solution addition part extracting the solution from the solution holding part and adding the solution onto the plurality of fibers laid on the fiber holding part; and

an extraction part extracting, out of the crystals precipitated in the solution after a predetermined period of time, a fiber-containing crystal incorporating at least a part of the plurality of fibers inside.

31. A chemical soaking device, comprising:

a crystal holding part holding a fiber-containing crystal, wherein the fiber-containing crystal contains a crystal body which is a crystal of a biological substance and a plurality of fibers at least partially incorporated in the crystal body;

a chemical holding part holding a chemical solution in which a chemical is dissolved; and

a chemical addition part extracting the chemical from the chemical holding part and adding the chemical to the fiber-containing crystal.

32. The chemical soaking device according to claim 31, wherein

the chemical comprise different types of chemical agents;

the crystal holding part is provided with a plurality of wells, each of which stores the fiber-containing crystal; and

the chemical addition part drops each of the different types of chemical agents to the fiber-containing crystal stored in each of the wells.