Method and apparatus for transferring and combining reagents
First Claim
1. A multiwell plate system for handling articles suspended in a liquid, comprising:
- a plate body;
a plurality of wells, with each well having a bottom end;
a liquid retained in at least some of the wells;
at least one generally spherical article in at least some of the wells that have the retained liquid; and
a capillary hole having a non-circular profile in at least some wells of said plurality that have the retained liquid and the generally spherical article, the capillary hole extending through the plate body and being adapted to (i) retain said generally spherical article in the well having said hole, (ii) retain said liquid in said well while said liquid is not subjected to extrinsic forces, and (iii) permit said liquid in said well to flow around said generally spherical article and out of said hole when said liquid is subjected to an extrinsic force produced by centrifugation;
wherein the capillary holes are disposed in the bottom ends of said wells, and wherein said bottom ends are sloped toward said capillary holes.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The invention provides exemplary systems, methods, and apparatus for distinctly allocating liquids containing chemical compositions or compounds to known locations in an organized manner so that assays may be performed on the compositions, or so that the chemical compositions may be combined with other distinct chemical compositions or reagents prior to evaluation. In an exemplary embodiment, the invention includes a multiwell plate for handling articles such as resin beads suspended in a liquid. The plate comprises a plurality of wells. The wells in turn have a capillary hole that is adapted to (i) retain articles in the well, and (ii) retain liquid in the well while the liquid is not subjected to extrinsic forces, such as centrifugation or vacuum.
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Citations
19 Claims
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1. A multiwell plate system for handling articles suspended in a liquid, comprising:
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a plate body; a plurality of wells, with each well having a bottom end; a liquid retained in at least some of the wells; at least one generally spherical article in at least some of the wells that have the retained liquid; and a capillary hole having a non-circular profile in at least some wells of said plurality that have the retained liquid and the generally spherical article, the capillary hole extending through the plate body and being adapted to (i) retain said generally spherical article in the well having said hole, (ii) retain said liquid in said well while said liquid is not subjected to extrinsic forces, and (iii) permit said liquid in said well to flow around said generally spherical article and out of said hole when said liquid is subjected to an extrinsic force produced by centrifugation; wherein the capillary holes are disposed in the bottom ends of said wells, and wherein said bottom ends are sloped toward said capillary holes. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method for identifying compounds, the method comprising:
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providing a multiwell plate comprising a plate body having a plurality of wells that each have a bottom end, and a capillary hole having a non-circular profile in at least some wells of said plurality, with the capillary hole extending through the plate body, and wherein the bottom end is sloped toward the hole; providing a bottom plate having a plurality of holding vessels; introducing a liquid and at least one generally spherical article into at least some of the wells, with the article having a compound included thereon, wherein the liquid is retained in said well while said liquid is not subjected to extrinsic forces; releasing the compound from each of the articles; transferring at least a portion of the released compounds through the capillary holes and into at least one of the holding vessels of the bottom plate by centrifuging the plates to cause the liquid in the wells to flow around said generally spherical articles and out of said holes; and performing assays on the compounds transferred from the wells to assess activity of the compounds. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18)
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19. A multiwell plate adapted for handling articles suspended in a liquid, comprising:
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a plate body; a plurality of wells formed in the plate body, with each well having a bottom end and a capillary hole formed in at least some wells of said plurality, wherein the bottom end is sloped toward the capillary hole, and wherein the capillary hole extends through the plate body and is adapted to (i) retain a generally spherical article in the well having said hole, (ii) retain a liquid in said well while said liquid is not subjected to extrinsic forces, and (iii) permit said liquid in said well to flow around said generally spherical article and out of said hole when said liquid is subjected to an extrinsic force created by centrifugation.
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Specification