Automatic immunological measuring system

• US 5,482,839 A
• Filed: 05/04/1993
• Issued: 01/09/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fujirebio Inc. (H.U. Group Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Fumio Watanabe, Hidetaka Minakawa, Isao Nishizono, Masahisa Okada, Shin-Ichi Wakana, Yasusuke Sakurabayashi, Yoshihiro Ashihara
• Inventors: Watanabe, Fumio, Ashihara, Yoshihiro, Okada, Masahisa, Nishizono, Isao, Wakana, Shin-ichi, Minakawa, Hidetaka, Sakurabayashi, Yasusuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Scheiner, Toni R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chin, Christopher L.
• Application Number:
  US08/057,503
• Time in Patent Office: 980 Days
• Field of Search: 356/244, 356/246, 422/58, 422/63, 422/64, 422/65, 422/102, 435/7.9, 435/7.92, 435/291, 436/45-47, 436/525, 436/526, 436/809
• US Class Current: 435/7.9
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/00534 Mixing by a special element, e.g. stirrer
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/0465 Loading or unloading the conveyor
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/0498 Drawers used as storage or dispensing means for vessels or cuvettes
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/53 Immunoassay; Biospecific binding assay; Materials therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/54326 Magnetic particles
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/0098 involving analyte bound to insoluble magnetic carrier, e.g. using magnetic separation magnetic particles used in immunoassays G01N33/54326; magnetic separation in general B03C
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/02 using a plurality of sample containers moved by a conveyor system past one or more treatment or analysis stations G01N35/0098 and G01N35/0099 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/1079 with means for piercing stoppers or septums
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 436/807 Apparatus included in process claim, e.g. physical support structures
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 436/809 Multifield plates or multicontainer arrays
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/113332 with conveyance of sample along a test line in a container or rack
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/114998 with treatment or replacement of aspirator element [e.g., cleaning, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/119163 with aspirator of claimed structure

Abstract

An automatic immunoassay apparatus utilizes cartridges each having at least two wells, a first well of said wells containing solid phase material carrying antigen or antibody, a second well of said wells containing antibody or antigen labelled with labelling compound. The wells may be sealed with a suitable sealing film before use and the sealing film is broken when the cartridge is to be used. The cartridges are transported to a predetermined position on a steppingly movable reaction line and conveyed thereby at a predetermined interval. While the reaction line steps, a sample, labelled antigen or antibody contained in the second well and substrate, if necessary, are added to the first well and stirred at predetermined timings and reaction between the sample and a reactive solution is measured under control of a control device having memory means storing operator selectable programs for various measuring methods.

Claims

1. A cartridge for use in immunoassay, comprising a resin mold block having a rectangular flat portion formed at opposite ends with notches and a plurality of wells, at least a first one of said wells being deeper than the other wells and containing magnetic particles carrying antigen or antibody and at least one of the other wells being filled with labelled antigen or antibody solution.

2. The cartridge claimed in claim 1, wherein said wells comprise the first well, a second well being empty, and a third well containing antibody or antigen labelled with labelling compound.

3. The cartridge claimed in claim 1, wherein said labelled antigen or antibody is antigen or antibody labelled with an enzyme.

4. The cartridge claimed in claim 2, wherein said labelled antigen or antibody is antigen or antibody labelled with an enzyme.

5. The cartridge claimed in claim 1, wherein said cartridge is of optically transparent and non-magnetic material.

6. The cartridge claimed in claim 2, wherein said cartridge is of optically transparent and non-magnetic material.