Arrangement for taking up liquid analytes

• US 7,163,660 B2
• Filed: 05/30/2001
• Issued: 01/16/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Angle Europe Limited (ANGLE Plc)
• Original Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
• Inventors: Lehmann, Volker
• Primary Examiner(s): Gordon; Brian R.
• Application Number:
  US09/867,830
• Publication Number:
  US 20020076353A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,057 Days
• Field of Search: 422/68.1, 422 99-104, 436/180, 436168-169, 436/175, 436/177
• US Class Current: 422/514
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0829 Multi-well plates; Microtitration plates
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0481 squeezing of channels or chambers
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/021 Pipettes, i.e. with only one conduit for withdrawing and redistributing liquids
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/1062 for testing the liquid while it is in the transfer device
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/028 having reaction cells in the form of microtitration plates
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/1074 arranged in a two-dimensional array
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/25125 Digestion or removing interfering materials
• 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 436/255 including use of a solid sorbent, semipermeable membrane, or liquid extraction
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/2575 Volumetric liquid transfer

Abstract

Apparatus for taking up liquid analytes having a microtitre plate with a plurality of wells and a plurality of pipettes, as well as a pump, which is coupled to several pipettes in such a way that an analytes can be simultaneously sucked out of several wells or introduced into several wells by actuating the pump.

Claims

1. An apparatus for aspirating and dispensing liquid analytes, comprising:

a microtitre plate with a plurality of wells for holding an analyte therein

a plurality of pipettes, corresponding with each well;

by which an analyte can be withdrawn from said corresponding wells if the pipettes are immersed into the analyte of the corresponding wells;

at least one pump, which is coupled to a plurality of said pipettes in such a way that an analyte in each well is transferred through corresponding pipette by means of the pump, wherein analytes can be simultaneously aspirated out of a plurality of said wells or introduced into a plurality of said wells by actuating the pump;

a plurality of analysis chips arranged in an intermediate plate for analyzing the analyte and a plurality of corresponding chambers; and

wherein said analysis chips correspond respectively with each well in order to analyze an analyte introduced into each respective well, wherein each analysis chip comprises a plurality of liquid channels, wherein each analysis chip is arranged between a respective chamber in a flow path of the analyte from a well into a pipette and into a chamber or from a chamber into a pipette and into a well;

wherein the analyte is transferred through the liquid channels of the analysis chip into a chamber or out of a chamber, respectively, and wherein a portion of a surface area of the liquid channels of the analysis chips comes into contact with the analyte, said surface area is constructed to allow biological material for binding molecules contained in the analyte to be fixed thereon.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising upper bodies coupled to lower bodies, the lower bodies comprising the pipettes, wherein the intermediate plate is arranged between the upper bodies and the lower bodies.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a portion of the surface of the liquid channels that comes into contact with the analyte, further comprises biological material for binding molecules contained in the analyte.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the microtitre plate comprises 96 wells or 384 wells.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an elastic, pump-diaphragm is arranged over at least one of the pipettes, so that an analyte can be aspirated out of the corresponding well or introduced into the corresponding well by deforming the diaphragm.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, in which a buffer plate is provided for each pipette, in order to mix the analyte delivered by the pipette.

7. An apparatus for analyzing an analyte, comprising:

a microtitre plate having a plurality of wells;

a plurality of pipettes;

a plurality of analysis chips, each analysis chip comprising a plurality of channels containing probe molecules for analyzing the analyte, and being located between one well of said plurality of wells and with one pipette of said plurality of pipettes; and

a pumping means for passing the analyte through the channels of the analysis chips, thereby contacting the probe molecules, by extracting the analyte from or introducing the analyte, through the pipettes, into the wells.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the probe molecules of the analysis chips are macromolecular biopolymers.

9. The apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a plurality of buffer plates in the flow path of the analyte for improving the contact between the analyte and the probe molecules of the analysis chips.

10. The apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a plate on which the plurality of analysis chips are fitted.