Sample support

• US 7,560,073 B1
• Filed: 03/11/1999
• Issued: 07/14/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Merlin Lilliput GmbH
• Original Assignee: Boehringer Ingelheim Europe GmbH (C.H. Boehringer Sohn AG & Co. KG), Merlin Lilliput GmbH
• Inventors: Osterloh, Dirk Klaus, Backes, Herbert, Unal, Nezih, Peters, Ralf-Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): ALEXANDER, LYLE
• Application Number:
  US09/623,910
• Time in Patent Office: 3,778 Days
• Field of Search: 422 99-102, 435/29, 435/30, 435/33, 435/40, 435/287.3, 435/288.5, 435/288.7, 435/305.2
• US Class Current: 422/646
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/0642 Filling fluids into wells by specific techniques
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0816 Cards, e.g. flat sample carriers usually with flow in two horizontal directions
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0864 comprising only one inlet and multiple receiving wells, e.g. for separation, splitting
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0406 capillary forces
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0487 fluid pressure, pneumatics
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0683 mechanically breaking a wall or membrane within a channel or chamber
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0688 surface tension valves, capillary stop, capillary break
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/5025 for parallel transport of multiple samples
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502723 characterised by venting arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502738 characterised by integrated valves microvalves F16K99/0001

Abstract

The comprises at least one sample receiving chamber for a sample liquid, and a distributor channel for sample liquid connected to said at least one sample receiving chamber, with at least one such distributor channel extending from each sample receiving chamber. The sample support further comprises at least one reaction chamber entered by an inflow channel branched off said at least one distributor channel, and a venting opening for each reaction chamber. Each distributor channel and each inflow channel are dimensioned to have the liquid transport through the distributor and inflow channels effected by capillary forces. In each reaction chamber, the entrance region of the inflow channel is provided with a means for generating a capillary force causing the sample liquid to flow from the inflow channel into the reaction chamber.

Claims

1. A sample support, comprising

at least one sample receiving chamber for a sample liquid,

a distributor channel for sample liquid, connected to said at least one sample receiving chamber, with at least one such distributor channel extending from said at least one sample receiving chamber,

more than one reaction chamber comprising a cavity which is delimited by surfaces and is entered by an inflow channel branched off said at least one distributor channel, wherein each reaction chamber comprises a bottom surface and a side surface which forms an angle with respect to the bottom surface, and a venting opening for each reaction chamber,

and valves arranged in each distributor channel and/or the venting openings of the reaction chambers or downstream thereof for causing a controlled flow of the sample liquid through the distributor channel or channels into reaction chamber or chambers,

wherein each valve comprises a burst film and/or comprises a porous hydrophobic insert and/or comprises a hydrophobic inner wall and each valve can be switched hydraulically and pneumatically, respectively, from a closed condition into an open condition by external control and/or by application of pressure onto the sample liquid or the as bearing against the valve and each distributor channel and each inflow channel is dimensioned to have the liquid transport through the distributor and inflow channels effected by capillary forces, wherein, in each reaction chamber, said surfaces in the entrance region of the inflow channel which are provided for delimiting said cavity, are configured as a means for generating a capillary force causing the sample liquid to flow from the inflow channel into the reaction chamber exclusively by capillary force, and wherein said capillary force generating means is realized by a sufficiently small rounding radius in the transition region between said side surface and said bottom surface to cause sample liquid to flow along said transition regions under the effect of capillary forces.

2. The sample support according to claim 1, wherein each venting opening includes a means for preventing a further flow of sample liquid effected by capillary forces.

3. The sample support according to claim 2, wherein each of said capillary-force prevention means is provided as a widened portion of a connecting channel or venting opening, which widened portion respectively comprises a side surface with a connecting channel entering thereinto, and that the entrance region of the portion of the connecting channel extending from the reaction chamber is not delimited in the widened portion by any corner regions or only by such a small number of corner regions with rounding radii generating a capillary force that the flow of the sample liquid in the entrance region is prevented.

4. The sample support according to claim 3, wherein each venting collecting channel is arranged to extend from a reagent receiving chamber for receiving a reagent liquid, with the flow of the reagent liquid performed via the venting collecting channels by capillary forces generated within the venting collecting channels, and that, within the entrance region of each venting collecting channel into the widened portions and/or within the entrance regions where the portions of the connecting channels extending from the venting collecting channels enter the widened portions, a means is arranged for generating a capillary force for filling the widened portions.

5. The sample support according to claim 4, wherein each reagent receiving chamber comprises a bottom surface and side surfaces extending at an angular orientation thereto, and that the venting collecting channel assigned to a reagent receiving chamber is arranged to enter the reagent receiving chamber above said bottom surface, and that a means for generating a capillary force to cause reagent liquid to flow from the reagent receiving chamber into the venting collecting channel is arranged between said entrance and said bottom surface.

6. The sample support according to claim 5, wherein said capillary-force generating means is formed as an outflow groove having a cross-sectional area and shape suited to generate a flow of the reagent liquid by capillary force.

7. The sample support according to claim 6, wherein said outflow groove is provided as a trough formed in a side surface.

8. The sample support according to claim 6, wherein said outflow groove is provided as a transition region between two adjacent and mutually angled side surfaces, the transition region having a rounding radius sufficiently small to generate capillary forces causing a flow of the reagent liquid.

9. The sample support according to claim 3, wherein each venting collecting channel is arranged to extend from a reagent receiving chamber for receiving a reagent liquid, and that, within the entrance region of each venting collecting channel into the widened portions and/or within the entrance regions where the portions of the connecting channels extending from the venting collecting channels enter the widened portions, a means is arranged for generating a capillary force for filling the widened portions.