Redrawn capillary imaging reservoir

• US 6,596,237 B1
• Filed: 04/26/1999
• Issued: 07/22/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Corning Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Corning Incorporated
• Inventors: Borrelli, Nicholas F., Root, David, Wusirika, Raja Rao, Carre, Alain R. E., Eid, Bernard, Dannoux, Thierry L. A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Warden, Jill
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gordon, Brian R.
• Application Number:
  US09/299,766
• Time in Patent Office: 1,548 Days
• Field of Search: 422/100, 738/633.2, 738/633.1, 738/64, 738/640.1, 436/174, 436/180, 101/327, 101/335, 101/368
• US Class Current: 422/507
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/0046 Sequential or parallel reactions, e.g. for the synthesis of polypeptides or polynucleotides; Apparatus and devices for combinatorial chemistry or for making molecular arrays synthesis methods per se C40B50/00
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00274 Sequential or parallel reactions; Apparatus and devices for combinatorial chemistry or for making arrays; Chemical library technology
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/0031 the racks or blocks being mounted in stacked arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00315 Microtiter plates
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00317 Microwell devices, i.e. having large numbers of wells
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00369 in multiple or parallel arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00378 Piezoelectric or ink jet dispensers
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/005 Beads
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00511 Walls of reactor vessels
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00522 in a multiple parallel arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00524 in the shape of fiber bundles
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00547 Bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00549 2-dimensional
• 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 2219/0061 The surface being organic
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00612 the surface being inorganic
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00621 by physical means, e.g. trenches, raised areas
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00626 Covalent
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00637 : by coating it with another layer
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00641 : the porous medium being continuous, e.g. porous oxide substrates
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00648 : by the use of solid beads
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00659 : Two-dimensional arrays
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00673 : Slice arrays
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00722 : Nucleotides
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 4/02 : for feeding measured , i.e. prescribed quantities of reagents
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/021 : Adjust spacings in an array of wells, pipettes or holders, format transfer between arrays of different size or geometry
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0819 : Microarrays; Biochips
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0838 : Capillaries
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0893 : having a very large number of wells, microfabricated wells
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/02 : Burettes; Pipettes
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/0244 : using pins
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/0262 : using touch-off at substrate or container
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/50857 : using arrays or bundles of open capillaries for holding samples
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/563 : Joints or fittings in general F16L; Separable fluid transfer means to transfer fluids between at least two containers, e.g. connectors
• CPC Class Codes: C03B 19/06 : by sintering, e.g. by cold isostatic pressing of powders and subsequent sintering, by hot pressing of powders, by sintering slurries or dispersions not undergoing a liquid phase reaction
• CPC Class Codes: C03B 23/047 : by drawing C03B23/091 , C03B37/025 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C03B 23/06 : by bending C03B23/096 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C03B 37/028 : Drawing fibre bundles, e.g. for making fibre bundles of multifibres , image fibres; drawing multicore or photonic crystal fibres C03B37/027
• CPC Class Codes: C40B 40/06 : Libraries containing nucleotides or polynucleotides, or derivatives thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C40B 60/14 : for creating libraries
• CPC Class Codes: C40B 70/00 : Tags or labels specially adapted for combinatorial chemistry or libraries, e.g. fluorescent tags or bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/00237 : Handling microquantities of analyte, e.g. microvalves, capillary networks
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/1037 : Using surface tension, e.g. pins or wires
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/1069 : by adjusting the spacing between multiple probes of a single transferring head
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/54306 : Solid-phase reaction mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/1065 : Multiple transfer devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/1067 : for transfer to or from containers having different spacing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/2575 : Volumetric liquid transfer

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for depositing a high density biological or chemical array onto a solid support. Specifically, the apparatus is made up of a plurality of open ended channels collectively forming a matrix. The matrix has been redrawn and cut such that the pitch of the channels on the loading end is larger than the pitch of the channels on the liquid delivery end. The upper portion of each channel serves as a reservoir, while the opposing end, which has been formed by the redrawing process, is diametrically sized such that liquid in the reservoir is retained by capillary pressure at the delivery end. At any point along the height of the capillary reservoir device, all cross-sectional dimensions and areas are uniformly reduced. In other words, the on-center orientation of any two channels, also referred to as the pitch between 2 channels, measured as a function of the diameter of any cross section, is constant throughout the structure. The liquid within the channels is either printed directly from the tool onto a substrate or transferred to a substrate by a typographical pin plate. In another embodiment, the device may be used in transferring sample between multiwell plates of different well density.

Claims

1. A device for depositing an array onto a substrate comprising:

a plurality of channels collectively forming a matrix having a top and bottom of predetermined cross sectional area, each channel having walls defining an open inlet of predetermined cross sectional area and an open outlet of predetermined cross sectional area;

at least one of said plurality of channels containing a liquid and being configured to retain the liquid by capillary force;

said cross sectional area of said inlet being greater than said cross sectional area of said outlet; and

the cross sectional area of any one channel as a proportion of the cross sectional area of said matrix being substantially identical on said top and said bottom.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein said channels have interior walls having a wetting surface and said bottom is a non-wetting surface.

3. The device of claim 1 further comprising a removable closure over said top and said bottom.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein said device is comprised of an organic polymer.

5. The device of claim 1 wherein said device is comprised of an inorganic polymer.

6. The device of claim 5 wherein said inorganic polymer is glass.

7. The device of claim 1 wherein said bottom of said matrix is approximately 1 inch square.

8. The device of claim 1 wherein said matrix contains approximately 10,000 channels.

13. A method of depositing an array of liquid drops onto a substrate surface comprising the steps of:

a) providing the device of claim 1

b) depositing liquid into said at least one channel

c) contacting at least one drop of said liquid, extending from at least one said outlet, to said substrate.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein said liquid contains a curing agent which, when activated, polymerizes.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein said curing agent is an acylamide.

16. The method of claim 15 including the step of curing the liquid immediately after said deposition.

9. A tool for transferring liquid from a first multiwell plate having a predetermined density of wells per unit area to a second multiwell plate having a proportionally greater density of wells per unit area comprising:

a plurality of channels collectively forming a matrix having a top and bottom of predetermined cross sectional area, each channel having an open input face of predetermined cross sectional area and an open output face of predetermined cross sectional area;

at least one of said plurality of channels containing the liquid and being configured to retain the liquid by capillary force;

said matrix being shaped such that said cross sectional area of said matrix bottom is smaller than said cross sectional area of said matrix top;

said input faces of said channels having substantially identical spacing to the spacing of said wells of said first multiwell plate such that said wells align with said input faces; and

said output faces of said channels having substantially identical spacing as that of said wells of said second multiwell plate such that a portion of said wells from said second multiwell plate align with said output faces.

10. The tool of claim 9 wherein said matrix contains 96 parallel channels.

11. The tool of claim 9 wherein said matrix contains 384 parallel channels.

12. The tool of claim 9 wherein said matrix contains 1536 parallel channels.

17. The tool of claim 9 wherein said channels have interior walls having a wetting surface and said bottom is a non-wetting surface.

18. A device for depositing an array onto a substrate comprising:

a plurality of channels collectively forming a matrix having a top and bottom, said bottom providing a nonwetting surface, each channel having walls defining an open inlet and an open outlet of smaller cross sectional area than said open inlet;

at least one of said plurality of channels containing a liquid and including an interior wall having a wetting surface; and

the cross sectional area of any one channel as a proportion of the cross sectional area of said matrix being substantially identical on said top and said bottom.

19. A tool for transferring liquid from a first multiwell plate having a predetermined density of wells per unit area to a second multiwell plate having a proportionally greater density of wells per unit area comprising:

a plurality of channels collectively forming a matrix having a top and bottom, said bottom providing a nonwetting surface, each channel having an open input face and an open output face;

at least one of said plurality of channels containing the liquid and including an interior wall having a wetting surface;

said matrix being shaped such that a cross sectional area of said matrix bottom is smaller than a cross sectional area of said matrix top;

said input faces of said channels having substantially identical spacing to the spacing of said wells of said first multiwell plate such that said wells align with said input faces; and

said output faces of said channels having substantially identical spacing as that of said wells of said second multiwell plate such that a portion of said wells from said second multiwell plate align with said output faces.

20. A device for depositing an array onto a substrate comprising:

a plurality of channels collectively forming a matrix having a top and bottom, each channel having walls defining an open inlet of predetermined cross sectional area and an open outlet of predetermined cross sectional area, the channel being configured such that the open inlet and the open outlet remain open during depositing of the array onto the substrate;

at least one of said plurality of channels containing a liquid;

said cross sectional,area of said inlet being greater than said cross sectional area of said outlet; and

the cross sectional area of any one channel as a proportion of the cross sectional area of said matrix being substantially identical on said top and said bottom.

21. A tool for transferring liquid from a first multiwell plate having a predetermined density of wells per unit area to a second multiwell plate having a proportionally greater density of wells per unit area comprising:

a plurality of channels collectively forming a matrix having a top and bottom of predetermined cross sectional area, each channel having an open input face and an open output face and being configured such that the open input face and the open output face remain open during transferring of the liquid from the first multiwell plate to the second multiwell plate;

said matrix being shaped such that said cross sectional area of said matrix bottom is smaller than said cross sectional area of said matrix top;

said input faces of said channels having substantially identical spacing to the spacing of said wells of said first multiwell plate such that said wells align with said input faces; and

said output faces of said channels having substantially identical spacing as that of said wells of said second multiwell plate such that a portion of said wells from said second multiwell plate align with said output faces.