Pasting edge heater

• US 7,659,109 B2
• Filed: 05/17/2004
• Issued: 02/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Applied Biosystems LLC (Thermo Fisher Scientific Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Applied Biosystems LLC (Thermo Fisher Scientific Incorporated)
• Inventors: Khoo, Hock Lai, Shin, Hon Siu
• Primary Examiner(s): Griffin; Walter D
• Assistant Examiner(s): EDWARDS, LYDIA E
• Application Number:
  US10/848,593
• Publication Number:
  US 20050255586A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,094 Days
• Field of Search: 435/303.1, 435/288.4, 136/242, 136/203, 700/1, 422/99, 422/102, 219/428
• US Class Current: 435/303.1
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0829 Multi-well plates; Microtitration plates
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/1822 using Peltier elements
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/1827 using resistive heater
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 7/52 with provision for submitting samples to a predetermined sequence of different temperatures, e.g. for treating nucleic acid samples amplification or hybridisation processes per se C12Q1/68; controlling sequential reactions for synthesis B01J19/0046

Abstract

An apparatus and method for thermal cycling including a pasting edge heater. The pasting edge heater can provide substantial temperature uniformity throughout the retaining elements during thermal cycling by a thermoelectric module.

Claims

1. An apparatus for thermally cycling biological samples, the apparatus comprising:

a plurality of retaining elements providing cavities for receiving a plurality of sample wells containing the biological samples, wherein the retaining elements comprise a bottom surface and a substantially flat edge surface;

a thermoelectric module coupled to the bottom surface of the retaining elements; and

an edge heater coupled to the substantially flat edge surface, wherein the edge heater is in proximity to cavities at the edge of the plurality of retaining elements;

said edge heater comprising a flexible heater adapted to provide surface area contact to the substantially flat edge surface.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the edge heater is adapted to provide substantial thermal uniformity to the plurality of retaining elements.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the edge heater is printed on the substantially flat edge surface of the retaining elements.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the edge heater and the thermoelectric module are separately controlled.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the edge heater is a resistive heater.

6. An edge heater for a device for thermally cycling biological samples, wherein the edge heater is adapted to couple to a substantially flat edge surface of a plurality of retaining elements;

said edge heater comprising a flexible heater adapted to provide surface area contact to the substantially flat edge surface.

7. The edge heater of claim 6, wherein the edge heater is adapted to provide substantial thermal uniformity to the plurality of retaining elements.

18. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the edge heater is adapted to adhesively couple to the substantially flat edge surface of a plurality of retaining elements.

8. A system for thermal cycling of biological samples, the system comprising:

a plurality of retaining elements providing cavities for receiving a plurality of sample wells containing the biological samples, wherein the retaining elements comprise a bottom surface and a substantially flat edge surface;

a thermoelectric module coupled to the bottom surface of the retaining elements;

an edge heater coupled to the substantially flat edge surface, wherein the edge heater is in proximity to cavities at the edge of the plurality of retaining elements;

said edge heater comprising a flexible heater adapted to provide surface area contact to the substantially flat edge surface,

an excitation light source adapted to induce fluorescent light to be emitted by the biological samples during thermal cycling; and

a detector adapted to collecting the fluorescent light emitted.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein an adhesive couples the edge heater to the substantially flat edge surface.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the edge heater is printed on the substantially flat edge surface of the retaining elements.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the edge heater is adapted to provide substantial thermal uniformity to the plurality of retaining elements.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the edge heater and the thermoelectric module are separately controlled.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the edge heater is a resistive heater.

14. A thermal cycler comprising:

a plurality of retaining elements providing cavities for receiving a plurality of sample wells containing the biological samples, wherein the retaining elements comprise a bottom surface and a substantially flat edge surface; and

an edge heater coupled to the substantially flat edge surface in proximity to the cavities at the edge of the plurality of retaining elements, wherein the edge heater provides substantial thermal uniformity to the plurality of retaining elements during thermal cycling;

said edge heater comprising a flexible heater adapted to provide surface area contact to the substantially flat edge surface.

15. The thermal cycler of claim 14, further comprising a thermoelectric module coupled to the bottom surface of the retaining elements.

16. The thermal cycler of claim 14, wherein the coupling comprises adhesive coupling.

17. The thermal cycler of claim 14, wherein the coupling comprises mechanical coupling.