Integrated devices and method of use for performing temperature controlled reactions and analyses

• US 6,541,274 B2
• Filed: 10/17/2001
• Issued: 04/01/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Caliper Technologies Corp (Revvity, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Caliper Technologies Corp (Revvity, Inc.)
• Inventors: Dubrow, Robert S., Nagle, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Beisner, William H.
• Application Number:
  US09/981,298
• Publication Number:
  US 20020086439A1
• Time in Patent Office: 531 Days
• Field of Search: 435/6, 435/91.2, 435/4, 435/787.2, 435/788.1, 435/788.4, 435/303.1, 435/305.2, 435/809, 435/288.5, 204/451, 204/453, 204/455, 204/601, 204/604, 204/605, 219/428, 219/436, 219/437, 219/438, 219/540, 422/102, 422/104, 422/943, 436/174, 436/177, 436/180
• US Class Current: 436/180
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00313 the reactor vessels being formed by arrays of wells in blocks
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00495 Means for heating or cooling the reaction vessels
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00585 Parallel processes
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/046 Function or devices integrated in the closure
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0816 Cards, e.g. flat sample carriers usually with flow in two horizontal directions
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0829 Multi-well plates; Microtitration plates
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/1805 Conductive heating, heat from thermostatted solids is conducted to receptacles, e.g. heating plates, blocks
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0415 electrical forces, e.g. electrokinetic
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0487 fluid pressure, pneumatics
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/5027 by integrated microfluidic structures, i.e. dimensions of channels and chambers are such that surface tension forces are important, e.g. lab-on-a-chip B01L3/5023 takes precedence; micromixers B01F33/30; microreactors for synthesis B01J19/0093; microcapillary devices in general B81B1/00
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/50851 specially adapted for heating or cooling samples laboratory heating apparatus B01L7/00; incubators C12M
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/50853 with covers or lids
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 7/52 with provision for submitting samples to a predetermined sequence of different temperatures, e.g. for treating nucleic acid samples amplification or hybridisation processes per se C12Q1/68; controlling sequential reactions for synthesis B01J19/0046
• CPC Class Codes: C40B 60/14 for creating libraries
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/25 including sample preparation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/25375 Liberation or purification of sample or separation of material from a sample [e.g., filtering, centrifuging, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/2575 Volumetric liquid transfer

Abstract

Reactor systems that include a reaction receptacle that includes a plurality of reservoirs disposed in the surface of a substrate. The reactor system also typically includes a temperature control element having at least a first heat exchanger thermally coupled to it. The heat exchanger is, in turn, disposed within the at least one of the reservoirs whereby the heat exchanger transfers heat to or from a fluid disposed within the reservoir, which heat is conducted to or from the temperature control element.

Claims

1. A method for performing simultaneous temperature dependent reactions on a plurality of samples comprising:

providing a device having a plurality of reservoirs in fluid communication with at least one microscale channel network, a temperature control element, and an array of heat exchanger elements in thermal contact with said temperature control element;

placing a first reaction mixture into at least one of said plurality of reservoirs;

placing said heat exchanger elements in contact with contents of a subset of said plurality of reservoirs;

controlling a temperature in each of said subset of said plurality of reservoirs by modulating the temperatures of said temperature control element; and

transporting at least a portion of said reaction mixture from said at least one reservoir into the microscale channel network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said array of heat exchanger elements comprises an array of coils.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said array of heat exchanger elements comprises an array of sintered metal elements.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said array of heat exchanger elements comprises an array of randomly compressed wires.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein each of said heat exchanger elements further comprises structures selected from a group consisting of fins, spines or ribs.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least first reaction mixture comprises a plurality of molecular species, and the channel network is configured to separate the plurality of molecular species into constituent components.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of controlling a temperature comprises elevating a temperature within the plurality of reservoirs to a preselected temperature for each reservoir.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of controlling a temperature comprises cycling a temperature in a subset of the plurality of reservoirs between at least first and second preselected temperatures.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least first reaction mixture comprises nucleic acids.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the at least first reaction mixture further comprises amplification reagents.