Amplification system with spatial separation

• US 8,809,039 B2
• Filed: 08/08/2013
• Issued: 08/19/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Roche Molecular Systems Inc (Roche Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: Roche Molecular Systems Inc (Roche Holding AG)
• Inventors: Bernet, Roland, Gisler, Andreas, Kaeppeli, Marcel, Ochsenbein, Raymond, Schlaubitz, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Lu, Frank
• Application Number:
  US13/962,818
• Publication Number:
  US 20130323741A1
• Time in Patent Office: 376 Days
• Field of Search: 435/6.1, 435/6.11, 435/7.1, 435/91.1, 435/283.1, 435/287.1, 435/287.2, 422/50, 422/68.1, 530/300, 530/350, 436/94, 436/501
• US Class Current: 435/287.1
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/025 Align devices or objects to ensure defined positions relative to each other
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/028 Modular arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/141 Preventing contamination, tampering
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/04 Closures and closing means
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/044 pierceable, e.g. films, membranes
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/043 magnetic forces
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/0275 Interchangeable or disposable dispensing tips
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 9/543 for disposable pipette tips, e.g. racks or cassettes
• CPC Class Codes: C12Q 1/6848 characterised by the means for preventing contamination or increasing the specificity or sensitivity of an amplification reaction
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/00277 Special precautions to avoid contamination (e.g. enclosures, glove- boxes, sealed sample carriers, disposal of contaminated material)
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/00326 Analysers with modular structure
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/0098 involving analyte bound to insoluble magnetic carrier, e.g. using magnetic separation magnetic particles used in immunoassays G01N33/54326; magnetic separation in general B03C
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/0099 comprising robots or similar manipulators robots per se B25J
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/11 Automated chemical analysis

Abstract

An automated nucleic acid analysis method and analytical system are described comprising separate modules, wherein the air flow of any one of said modules is controlled and wherein at least the air flow between the module for isolation and purification of the analyte and the module for analysis of the analyte are separated.

Claims

1. A method for isolating and analyzing an analyte present in a fluid sample in an automated analyzer, the method comprising the automated steps of:

a) providing a fluid sample to a multiwell plate in a sample cell;

b) combining together a solid support material and said fluid sample in a well of said multiwell plate for a period of time under conditions sufficient to permit said analyte to be immobilized on the solid support material;

c) isolating the solid support material from other material present in the fluid sample of said well in a separation station;

d) purifying the analyte in the separation station by washing the solid support material one or more times with a wash buffer and separating the analyte from the solid support material isolated from step c); and

e) analyzing said analyte in an amplification cell,

wherein steps b) to d) are performed in a process cell of said automated analyzer, and step e) is performed in said amplification cell, wherein said process cell of said automated analyzer comprises a first air flow and said amplification cell comprises a second air flow, the first air flow and the second air flow are separated, and wherein said sample cell has an air flow which is separate from said first air flow of said process cell and said second air flow of said amplification cell, and wherein said sample cell comprises an air pressure that is the same as the air pressure of said process cell.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said amplification cell comprises an air pressure that is lower than said air pressure of said sample cell and said air pressure of said process cell.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said process cell and said amplification cell are separated by a wall.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said analyte is transferred from said process cell in step d) to said amplification cell in step e) through an air-lock located between said process cell and said amplification cell.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said analyzer further comprises, on a front side, movable walls for accessing the sample cell and said process cell.