Method and device for laminar flow on a sensing surface

• US 6,200,814 B1
• Filed: 01/20/1998
• Issued: 03/13/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: GE Healthcare Bio-Sciences AB (GE Healthcare Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Biacore AB (General Electric Company)
• Inventors: Tidare, Mattias, Malmqvist, Magnus, Sjölander, Stefan, Roos, Håkan, Sjödin, Håkan, Stålberg, Ralph
• Primary Examiner(s): Warden, Sr., Robert J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cross, Latoya I.
• Application Number:
  US09/009,139
• Time in Patent Office: 1,148 Days
• Field of Search: 436/43, 436/52, 436/164, 436/165, 436/166, 436/174, 436/179, 436/180, 422/81, 422/100
• US Class Current: 436/52
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00511 Walls of reactor vessels
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00572 Chemical means
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00585 Parallel processes
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00596 Solid-phase processes
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00605 the compounds being directly bound or immobilised to solid supports
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/0063 Other, e.g. van der Waals forces, hydrogen bonding
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00637 by coating it with another layer
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00657 One-dimensional arrays
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00659 Two-dimensional arrays
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00675 In-situ synthesis on the substrate
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00722 Nucleotides
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00725 Peptides
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00734 Lipids
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/0636 Focussing flows, e.g. to laminate flows
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/12 Specific details about manufacturing devices
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0636 Integrated biosensor, microarrays
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0877 Flow chambers
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502776 specially adapted for focusing or laminating flows
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 30/00 Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/0346 Capillary cells; Microcells
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/058 : Flat flow cell
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/05 : Flow-through cuvettes G01N21/09 takes precedence; handling fluid samples G01N1/10
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/553 : and using surface plasmons fluorescence excitation G01N21/648; enhanced Raman G01N21/658
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/648 : using evanescent coupling or surface plasmon coupling for the excitation of fluorescence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 366/01 : Micromixers: continuous laminar flow with laminar boundary mixing in the linear direction parallel to the fluid propagation with or without conduit geometry influences from the pathway
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 366/03 : Micromixers: variable geometry from the pathway influences mixing/agitation of non-laminar fluid flow
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/11 : Automated chemical analysis
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/117497 : with a continuously flowing sample or carrier stream
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/25 : including sample preparation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/25625 : Dilution
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/2575 : Volumetric liquid transfer

Abstract

Methods and devices are provided for controlling a fluid flow over a sensing surface within a flow cell. The methods employ laminar flow techniques to position a fluid flow over one or more discrete sensing areas on the sensing surface of the flow cell. Such methods permit selective sensitization of the discrete sensing areas, and provide selective contact of the discrete sensing areas with a sample fluid flow. Immobilization of a ligand upon the discrete sensing area, followed by selective contact with an analyte contained within the sample fluid flow, allows analysis by a wide variety of techniques. Sensitized sensing surfaces, and sensor devices and systems are also provided.

Claims

1. A method for analyzing association of an analyte in a fluid sample, which method comprises the steps of:

providing a flow cell having a sensing area on a wall surface thereof, the sensing area being capable of interacting with the analyte;

passing the fluid sample in a first laminar flow through the flow cell;

passing analyte-free fluid in a second laminar flow through the flow cell, the second laminar flow being adjacent to the first laminar flow and forming an interface therewith which extends along the wall surface;

in a first state, setting the relative flow rates of the laminar flows to place the interface between the laminar flows such that the fluid sample does not contact the sensing area;

in a second state, changing the relative flow rates of the laminar flows to displace the interface laterally such that the fluid sample contacts the sensing area; and

determining association of analyte in the fluid sample to the sensing area.

2. A method for analyzing dissociation of an analyte in a fluid sample, which method comprises the steps of:

providing a flow cell having a sensing area on a wall surface thereof, the sensing area being capable of interacting with the analyte;

passing the fluid sample in a first laminar flow through the flow cell;

passing analyte-free fluid in a second laminar flow through the flow cell, the second laminar flow being adjacent to the first laminar flow and forming an interface therewith which extends along the wall surface;

in a first state, setting the relative flow rates of the laminar flows to place the interface between the laminar flows such that the fluid sample contacts the sensing area;

in a second state, changing the relative flow rates of the laminar flows to displace the interface laterally such that the fluid sample does not contact the sensing area; and

determining dissociation of analyte from the sensing area.