Automation-optimized microarray package

• US 7,166,258 B2
• Filed: 11/04/2002
• Issued: 01/23/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Agilent Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Agilent Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Bass, Jay K., McEntee, John F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Warden; Jill
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEVKOVICH, NATALIA A
• Application Number:
  US10/287,338
• Publication Number:
  US 20030068253A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,541 Days
• Field of Search: 422/102, 422/104
• US Class Current: 422/552
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00527 Sheets
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00529 DNA chips
• 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 2219/00659 Two-dimensional arrays
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0822 Slides
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/50853 with covers or lids
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 9/52 Supports specially adapted for flat sample carriers, e.g. for plates, slides, chips
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 75/327 and forming several compartments

Abstract

A method and system for economically packaging microarrays into sealed reaction chambers and storage vessels. A pocket strip is manufactured as a linear sequence of pockets, or wells, into which microarrays are positioned. A cover strip is then heat sealed to the upper surface of the pocket strip to create a linear sequence of sealed reaction chambers or storage vessels, each containing a microarray. Mechanical features or optical features are included along the length of the pocket strip to facilitate mechanical translation and positioning of microarrays embedded within the microarray strip. Septa are affixed to, or embedded within, the cover strip to provide resealable ports through which solutions can be introduced into, or extracted from, the reaction chambers. In an alternate embodiment, the microarrays are deposited directly onto the cover strip, eliminating the need for separate microarray substrates.

Claims

1. A microarray package and reaction chamber comprising:

a well-shaped pocket having a top edge; and

a flexible cover, onto which a microarray has been deposited on an inner surface thereof, wherein the inner surface of the flexible cover is bonded to the top edge of the pocket and is lying in a plane flush with the top edge of the pocket to create an enclosed reaction chamber containing the microarray; and

one or more septa affixed to the flexible cover, providing resealable ports through which solutions and gasses can be introduced into the reaction chamber and through which solutions and gasses can be extracted from the reaction chamber.

2. The microarray package and reaction chamber of claim 1 wherein one or both of the pocket and flexible cover are made from one of:

plastic;

a polymer/metal foil laminate; and

a metal foil.

3. The microarray package and reaction chamber of claim 1 wherein the flexible cover is chemically treated to facilitate binding or synthesis of probe molecules that comprise features of the microarray.

4. The microarray package and reaction chamber of claim 1 wherein the flexible cover is bonded to the pocket by one of:

an adhesive sealant;

heat sealing; and

mechanical force applied to complementary molded features of the pocket and flexible cover.

5. The microarray package and reaction chamber of claim 1 wherein the flexible cover bonded to the top edge of the well-shaped pocket to form the enclosed reaction chamber prevents exchange of liquid and vapor phase substances between the interior of the reaction chamber and an external environment.

6. A number of microarray packages and reaction chambers forming a microarray strip, the number of microarray packages and reaction chambers comprising:

a pocket strip comprising an upper surface and a number of well-shaped pockets extending below the upper surface; and

a flexible cover strip, onto which a number of microarrays have been deposited on an inner surface thereof, wherein the inner surface of the flexible cover strip is bonded to the upper surface of the pocket strip and is lying in a plane flush with the upper surface of the pocket strip to create a number of enclosed reaction chambers, each containing a microarray wherein each reaction chamber includes one or more septa affixed to the flexible cover strip, providing resealable ports through which solutions and gasses can be introduced into the reaction chambers and through which solutions and gasses can be extracted from the reaction chambers.

7. The number of microarray packages and reaction chambers forming a microarray strip of claim 6 wherein one or both of the pocket strip and flexible cover strip are made from one of:

plastic;

a polymer/metal foil laminate; and

a metal foil.

8. The number of microarray packages and reaction chambers forming a microarray strip of claim 6 wherein the flexible cover strip is chemically treated to facilitate binding or synthesis of probe molecules that comprise features of the microarray.

9. The number of microarray packages and reaction chambers forming a microarray strip of claim 6 wherein the flexible cover strip is bonded to the pocket by one of:

an adhesive sealant;

heat sealing; and

mechanical force applied to complementary molded features of the pocket and cover.

10. The number of microarray packages and reaction chambers forming a microarray strip of claim 6 wherein the flexible cover strip bonded to the upper surface of the pocket strip to form the enclosed reaction chamber prevents exchange of liquid and vapor phase substances between the interiors of the reaction chambers and an external environment.

11. The number of microarray packages and reaction chambers forming a microarray strip of claim 6 further including regularly spaced features that facilitate automatic translation and positioning of the microarray strip.

12. The number of microarray packages and reaction chambers forming a microarray strip of claim 11 wherein the regularly spaced features comprise two sets of tractor feed perforations along each edge of the microarray strip.

13. The number of microarray packages and reaction chambers forming a microarray strip of claim 11 wherein the regularly spaced features comprise regularly spaced optical features that can be detected by optical scanning.

14. The number of microarray packages and reaction chambers forming a microarray strip of claim 11 wherein the regularly spaced features comprise regularly spaced features that engage with complementary features of a mechanical translation and positioning mechanism.

15. The number of microarray packages and reaction chambers forming a microarray strip of claim 11 wherein the regularly spaced features comprise regularly spaced features that can be detected by sensors to direct an electromechanical translating and positioning mechanism to translate and position the microarray strip.

31. The number of microarray packages and reaction chambers forming a microarray strip of claim 6 wherein the pocket strip is flexible.

16. A number of microarray packages and reaction chambers forming a two-dimensional microarray sheet, the number of microarray packages and reaction chambers comprising:

a flexible pocket sheet comprising an upper surface and a number of well-shaped pockets extending below the upper surface; and

a flexible cover sheet, onto which a number of microarrays have been deposited on an inner surface thereof, wherein the inner surface of the flexible cover sheet is bonded to the upper surface of the pocket sheet and is lying in a plane flush with the upper surface of the pocket sheet to create a number of enclosed reaction chambers, each containing a microarray wherein each reaction chamber includes one or more septa affixed to the flexible cover sheet, providing resealable ports through which solutions and gasses can be introduced into the reaction chambers and through which solutions and gasses can be extracted from the reaction chambers.

17. The number of microarray packages and reaction chambers forming a two-dimensional microarray sheet of claim 16 wherein one or both of the flexible pocket sheet and flexible cover sheet are made from one of:

plastic;

a polymer/metal foil laminate; and

a metal foil.

18. The number of microarray packages and reaction chambers forming a two-dimensional microarray sheet of claim 16 wherein the flexible cover sheet is chemically treated to facilitate binding or synthesis of probe molecules that comprise features of the microarray.

19. The microarray package and reaction chamber of claim 16 wherein the flexible cover sheet is bonded to the flexible pocket sheet by one of:

an adhesive sealant;

heat sealing; and

mechanical force applied to complementary molded features of the flexible pocket sheet and flexible cover sheet.

20. The number of microarray packages and reaction chambers forming a two-dimensional microarray sheet of claim 16 wherein the flexible cover sheet is chemically treated to facilitate binding or synthesis of probe molecules that comprise features of the number of microarrays.

21. The number of microarray packages and reaction chambers forming a two-dimensional microarray sheet of claim 16 wherein the flexible cover sheet bonded to the upper surface of the pocket sheet to form the enclosed reaction chambers prevents exchange of liquid and vapor phase substances between the interiors of the reaction chambers and an external environment.

22. The number of microarray packages and reaction chambers forming a two-dimensional microarray sheet of claim 16 further including regularly spaced features that facilitate automatic translation and positioning of the microarray sheet.

23. The number of microarray packages and reaction chambers forming a two-dimensional microarray sheet of claim 22 wherein the regularly spaced features comprise two sets of tractor feed perforations along edges of the microarray sheet.

24. The number of microarray packages and reaction chambers forming a two-dimensional microarray sheet of claim 22 wherein the regularly spaced features comprise regularly spaced optical features that can be detected by optical scanning.

25. The number of microarray packages and reaction chambers forming a two-dimensional microarray sheet of claim 22 wherein the regularly spaced features comprise regularly spaced features that engage with complementary features of a mechanical translation and positioning mechanism.

26. The number of microarray packages and reaction chambers forming a two-dimensional microarray sheet of claim 22 wherein the regularly spaced features comprise regularly spaced features that can be detected by sensors to direct an electromechanical translating and positioning mechanism to translate and position the microarray sheet.

32. The number of microarray packages and reaction chambers forming a two-dimensional microarray sheet of claim 16 present on a reel.

27. A method for packaging a microarray, the method comprising:

providing a well-shaped pocket comprising a top edge;

providing a flexible cover;

creating features of a microarray on an inner surface of the cover to create a microarray on the inner surface; and

bonding the inner surface of the cover onto the top edge of the pocket to seal the microarray within the pocket, thereby creating a package and reaction chamber with the cover lying in a plane flush with the top edge of the pocket.

28. The method of claim 27 further including affixing one or more septa to the cover, providing resealable ports through which solutions and gasses can be introduced into the reaction chamber and through which solutions and gasses can be extracted from the reaction chamber.

29. A method for packaging a number of microarrays, the method comprising:

providing a pocket strip comprising a number of well-shaped pockets;

providing a flexible cover strip;

creating features of the number of microarrays on an inner surface of the flexible cover strip to create a number of microarrays on the inner surface; and

bonding the inner surface of the flexible cover strip onto the pocket strip to seal the number of microarrays within the number of pockets, thereby creating a number of packages and reaction chambers, each containing a microarray.

30. A method for packaging a number of microarrays into a two-dimensional array sheet, the method comprising:

providing a flexible pocket sheet comprising a number of well-shaped pockets;

providing a flexible cover sheet;

creating features of the number of microarrays on an inner surface of the flexible cover sheet to create a number of microarrays on the inner surface; and

bonding the inner surface of the flexible cover sheet onto the flexible pocket sheet to seal the number of microarrays within the number of pockets, thereby creating a number of packages and reaction chambers, each containing a microarray.