Robotic device for removing selected portions of a polyacrylamide gel
First Claim
1. A computer-controlled device for removing a selected portion of a polyacrylamide gel, the device comprising:
- (a) a locating mechanism for defined location of the gel;
(b) an excision component; and
(c) an x,y coordinate locating mechanism capable of driving the excision component to perform x and y movements, wherein the device is capable of removing the selected portion of the polyacrylamide gel under remote computer control.
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Abstract
The present invention provides computer-assisted methods and apparatus for identifying, selecting and characterizing biomolecules in a biological sample. A two-dimensional array is generated by separating biomolecules present in a complex mixture. A computer-readable profile is constructed representing the identity and relative abundance of a plurality of biomolecules detected by imaging the two dimensional array. Computer-mediated comparison of profiles from multiple samples permits automated identification of subsets of biomolecules that satisfy pre-ordained criteria. Identified biomolecules can be automatically isolated from the two dimensional array by a robotic device in accordance with computer-generated instructions. A supported gel suitable for electrophoresis is provided that is bonded to a solid support such that the gel has two-dimensional spatial stability and the solid support is substantially non-interfering with respect to detection of a label, such as a fluorescent label, associated with one or more biomolecules in the gel.
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Citations
43 Claims
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1. A computer-controlled device for removing a selected portion of a polyacrylamide gel, the device comprising:
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(a) a locating mechanism for defined location of the gel;
(b) an excision component; and
(c) an x,y coordinate locating mechanism capable of driving the excision component to perform x and y movements, wherein the device is capable of removing the selected portion of the polyacrylamide gel under remote computer control. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 39, 42)
an imaging device capable of imaging the gel to generate a computer-readable output;
a computer programmed to select a protein represented in the output and to generate machine-readable instructions that direct a robotic device to isolate the selected protein; and
a robotic device according to claim 1, 16, 17, 18, 20, 21, 23 or 25 capable of executing the instructions.
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42. A method for removing a selected portion of a polyacrylamide gel, comprising using the device according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 14 or 15 to remove the selected portion of the gel under computer control.
- 16. A robotic device for computer-assisted isolation of a protein present in a two dimensional array in a polyacrylamide gel, the device comprising an excision component that is capable of removing a portion of the polyacrylamide gel containing a selected protein in accordance with machine-readable instructions that have been obtained by imaging the gel with an imaging device to generate a computer-readable output and processing the output in a computer to select a protein for isolation and generate the instructions, wherein the robotic device is physically separate from the imaging device.
- 17. A robotic device for computer-assisted isolation of a protein present in a two dimensional array in a polyacrylamide gel, the device comprising an excision component that is capable of removing a portion of the polyacrylamide gel containing a selected protein in accordance with machine-readable instructions that have been obtained by imaging the gel with an imaging device to generate a computer-readable output and processing the output in a computer to select a protein for isolation and generate the instructions, wherein the robotic device is capable of isolating the selected protein after the gel has been transferred from the imaging device to the robotic device.
- 18. A robotic device for computer-assisted isolation of a protein present in a two dimensional array in a polyacrylamide gel, the device comprising an excision component that is capable of removing a portion of the polyacrylamide gel containing a selected protein in accordance with machine-readable instructions that have been obtained by imaging the gel with an imaging device to generate a computer-readable output and processing the output in a computer to select a protein for isolation and generate the instructions, wherein the robotic device is capable of executing a set of instructions by removing a plurality of portions of the gel containing a plurality of selected proteins.
- 20. A robotic device for computer-assisted isolation of a protein present in a two dimensional array in a polyacrylamide gel, the device comprising an excision component that is capable of removing a portion of the polyacrylamide gel containing a selected protein in accordance with machine-readable instructions that have been obtained by imaging the gel with an imaging device to generate a computer-readable output and processing the output in a computer to select a protein for isolation and generate the instructions, wherein the gel is covalently bonded to a generally planar solid support.
- 23. A robotic device for computer-assisted isolation of a protein present in a two dimensional array in a polyacrylamide gel, the device comprising an excision component that is capable of removing a portion of the polyacrylamide gel containing a selected protein in accordance with machine-readable instructions that have been obtained by imaging the gel with an imaging device to generate a computer-readable output and processing the output in a computer to select a protein for isolation and generate the instructions, wherein the instructions have been generated by computer-mediated analysis of a plurality of imaged gels.
- 25. A robotic device for computer-assisted isolation of a protein present in a two dimensional array in a polyacrylamide gel, the device comprising an excision component that is capable of removing a portion of the polyacrylamide gel containing a selected protein in accordance with machine-readable instructions that have been obtained by imaging a replica of the gel with an imaging device to generate a computer-readable output and processing the output in a computer to select a protein for isolation and generate the instructions.
Specification