Flow-through drum centrifuge
First Claim
1. A process for separation of specimen particles, the process comprising coating a cylinder having an inner wall and a cylinder axis with an optical gel coating on the inner wall by injecting an optical gel into the cylinder and centrifuqating the optical gel to produce a uniform coating of the optical gel on the inner wall, then flowing a specimen mixture including solvent through the cylinder while the cylinder is being continuously rotated, wherein the specimen mixture is initially directed to flow along the cylinder axis and such that specimen particles from the specimen mixture are accelerated off the cylinder axis toward the inner wall, so as to form a film of specimen particles embedded into the uniform coating of the optical gel, and ejecting the film of specimen particles embedded into the uniform coating of the optical gel using a plunger mechanism having a tip and a base where the tip has a diameter matched to that of the inner diameter of the film of biological cell specimen particles embedded into the gel, so that the film of specimen particles embedded into the uniform coating of the optical gel is not actuated by the plunger tip, but so that there is a gap left between the film of specimen particles embedded into the uniform coating of the optical gel and the plunger tip, and wherein the plunger base has its diameter matched to that of the inner diameter of the cylinder, so that the film of specimen particles embedded into the uniform coating of the optical gel is forced forward when the plunger mechanism base engages the inner wall of the cylinder.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A process includes coating a cylinder having an inner wall and a cylinder axis with a gel coating on the inner wall. Then a specimen mixture including solvent is made to flow through the cylinder while the cylinder is being continuously rotated. The specimen mixture is initially directed to flow along the cylinder axis and such that specimen particles from the specimen mixture are accelerated off the cylinder axis toward the inner wall, so as to form a film of specimen particles embedded into the gel coating.
92 Citations
17 Claims
- 1. A process for separation of specimen particles, the process comprising coating a cylinder having an inner wall and a cylinder axis with an optical gel coating on the inner wall by injecting an optical gel into the cylinder and centrifuqating the optical gel to produce a uniform coating of the optical gel on the inner wall, then flowing a specimen mixture including solvent through the cylinder while the cylinder is being continuously rotated, wherein the specimen mixture is initially directed to flow along the cylinder axis and such that specimen particles from the specimen mixture are accelerated off the cylinder axis toward the inner wall, so as to form a film of specimen particles embedded into the uniform coating of the optical gel, and ejecting the film of specimen particles embedded into the uniform coating of the optical gel using a plunger mechanism having a tip and a base where the tip has a diameter matched to that of the inner diameter of the film of biological cell specimen particles embedded into the gel, so that the film of specimen particles embedded into the uniform coating of the optical gel is not actuated by the plunger tip, but so that there is a gap left between the film of specimen particles embedded into the uniform coating of the optical gel and the plunger tip, and wherein the plunger base has its diameter matched to that of the inner diameter of the cylinder, so that the film of specimen particles embedded into the uniform coating of the optical gel is forced forward when the plunger mechanism base engages the inner wall of the cylinder.
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8. A process for separation of specimen particles, the process comprising the steps of:
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injecting optical gel into a centrifuge having an inner wall; centrifuging the optical gel to produce a coating of optical gel on the inner wall; flowing a specimen mixture including solvent through the centrifuge while the centrifuge is rotated such that specimen particles from the specimen mixture are accelerated toward the inner wall and embedded into the coating of optical gel; removing solvent from the coating of optical gel and specimen particles to form a film of specimen particles in optical gel; and ejecting the film of specimen particles in optical gel into a microcapillary tube by using a plunger mechanism having a tip and a base where the tip has a diameter matched to that of the inner diameter of the film of specimen particles in optical gel, so that the film of specimen particles in optical gel is not actuated by the plunger tip, but so that there is a gap left between the coating and the plunger tip, and wherein the plunger base is matched to engage the inner wall, so that the film of specimen particles in optical gel is forced forward when the base engages the inner wall of the centrifuge. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A process for separation of specimen particles, the process comprising the steps of:
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coating a cylinder having an inner wall and a cylinder axis by injecting an optical gel into the cylinder and centrifugating the optical gel to produce a uniform coating of the optical gel on the inner wall, wherein the optical gel has a selected index of refraction matched for subsequent imaging of the specimen particles; flowing a specimen mixture including solvent through the cylinder while the cylinder is being continuously rotated, wherein the specimen mixture is initially directed to flow along the cylinder axis and such that specimen particles from the specimen mixture are accelerated off the cylinder axis toward the inner wall, so as to form a film of specimen particles embedded into the uniform coating of the optical gel; and ejecting the film of specimen particles embedded into the uniform coating of the optical gel from the cylinder into a microcapillary tube for imaging by an imaging system.
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15. A flow-through centrifuge system comprising:
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a centrifuge having a gel-coated inner surface; a mixture container for holding a specimen mixture coupled to the centrifuge, wherein the specimen mixture is injected into the centrifuge and rotated to embed specimen particles into the gel-coated inner surface of the centrifuge to form a film of gel and specimen particles; and a plunger mechanism having a tip and a base where the tip is sized so that there is a gap left between the film of gel and specimen particles and the tip when the tip is inserted into the centrifuge, and wherein the base is sized so that the film of gel and specimen particles is forced forward when the base engages the inner surface of the centrifuge. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17)
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Specification