Apparatus and methodology to carry out biochemical testing on a centrifugal platform using flow splitting technique

• US 8,945,480 B2
• Filed: 02/08/2013
• Issued: 02/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zhejiang Pushkang Biotechnology Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Feng Chia University
• Inventors: Shih, Chih-Hsin, Wu, Ho-Chin, Yang, Yu-Ping
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown, Melanie Y
• Assistant Examiner(s): MARTINEZ, REBECCA L
• Application Number:
  US13/763,620
• Publication Number:
  US 20140038209A1
• Time in Patent Office: 725 Days
• US Class Current: 422/504
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/0605 Metering of fluids
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0803 Disc shape
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0864 comprising only one inlet and multiple receiving wells, e.g. for separation, splitting
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0883 Serpentine channels
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0409 centrifugal forces
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0688 surface tension valves, capillary stop, capillary break
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/086 using baffles or other fixed flow obstructions
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502738 characterised by integrated valves microvalves F16K99/0001
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502746 characterised by the means for controlling flow resistance, e.g. flow controllers, baffles B01L3/502738 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/5302 Apparatus specially adapted for immunological test procedures
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/111666 Utilizing a centrifuge or compartmented rotor

Abstract

The invention provides an apparatus and methodology to carry out biochemical testing on a centrifugal platform using flow splitting technique. In conventional biochemical testing, reagents need to be loaded individually into each reservoir. By using the flow splitting technique in this invention, one reagent only need to be loaded once, then, it can be evenly distributed into each reaction chambers in single or multiple layers format. The invention greatly reduces the required manpower when large numbers of assays are integrated on one platform. Because of the invention, many medical examinations can be performed efficiently, thus reduce the waste of manpower, time and cost.

Claims

1. An apparatus using flow splitting technique to carry out antibody-related tests comprises a rotator platform and a microfluidic disc set on the rotator platform, both shaped like a disc, round and flat;

the microfluidic disc comprising a layer of microfluidic structures, wherein the layer of microfluidic structures, from the center to the periphery, comprising;

an injection chamber with a reagent injection orifice, wherein the injection chamber is configured on the center of the microfluidic disc and the center of the layer of the microfluidic structures, and wherein the reagent injection orifice is also configured on the center of the microfluidic disc;

at least one microfluidic channel arranged radially in the layer of the microfluidic structures and connected with the injection chamber, the at least one microfluidic channel used as the channel for liquid to flow through and for reagents flowing from the center of the layer of the microfluidic structures to the periphery;

at least one detection chamber with a sample injection orifice, placed at the periphery of the layer of the microfluidic structures and connected with the at least one microfluidic channel for the reagents to carry out reactions; and

at least one waste chamber, set next to and connected to the at least one detection chamber for waste storage after the reactions;

wherein

the at least one microfluidic channel comprising;

a splitting chamber set outside and connected with the injection chamber, equally splitting the reagents from the injection chamber; and

a herringbone shape microvalve set between and connected with the splitting chamber and the at least one detection chamber, controlling the reagents flowing from the splitting chamber to the at least one detection chamber.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the layer of the microfluidic structures further comprises at least one mixing chamber with a sample injection orifice set between and connected with the herringbone shape microvalve and the at least one detection chamber.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the layer of the microfluidic structures further comprises at least one secondary microvalve set between and connected with the at least one detection chamber and the at least one waste chamber, controlling the reagents flowing from the at least one detection chamber to the at least one waste chamber.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one notch set evenly on the periphery of the rotator platform, the microfluidic disc fixed on the rotator platform via the at least one notch.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein material of the rotator platform is aluminum.

6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein material of the microfluidic disc is polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA).

7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein volume of the splitting chamber is at least three times as much as the at least one detection chamber.

8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein distance from each herringbone shape microvalve of each at least one microfluidic channel to the center of the layer of the microfluidic structures is the same.

9. An apparatus using flow splitting technique to carry out antibody-related tests comprises a rotator platform and a microfluidic disc set on the rotator platform, both shaped like a disc, round and flat;

the microfluidic disc comprising at least two layers of microfluidic structures, wherein each layer of the at least two layers of microfluidic structures, from the center to the periphery, comprising;

an injection chamber with a reagent injection orifice, wherein the injection chamber is configured on the center of the microfluidic disc and the center of the at least two layers of the microfluidic structures, and wherein the reagent injection orifice is also configured on the center of the microfluidic disc;

at least one microfluidic channel arranged radially in the at least two layers of the microfluidic structures and connected with the injection chamber, the at least one microfluidic channel used as the channel for liquid to flow through and for reagents flowing from the center of the at least two layers of microfluidic structures to the periphery;

at least one detection chamber with a sample injection orifice placed at the periphery of the at least two layers of the microfluidic structures for the reagents to carry out reactions and connected with each at least one microfluidic channel placed in the different layers but at the same position corresponding to that in an upper layer and a lower layer of the at least two layers of the microfluidic structures; and

at least one waste chamber set next to and connected to the at least one detection chamber for waste storage after the reactions;

wherein

the at least one microfluidic channel comprising;

a splitting chamber set outside and connected with the injection chamber, equally splitting the reagents from the injection chamber; and

a herringbone shape microvalve set between and connected with the splitting chamber and the at least one detection chamber, controlling the reagents flowing from the splitting chamber to the at least one detection chamber.

10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the at least two layers of the microfluidic structures comprise at least one mixing chamber with a sample injection orifice set between and connected with the herringbone shape microvalve and the at least one detection chamber.

11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the at least two layers of the microfluidic structures comprises at least one secondary microvalve set between and connected with the at least one detection chamber and the at least one waste chamber, controlling the reagents flowing from the at least one detection chamber to the at least one waste chamber.

12. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein at least one notch set evenly on the periphery of the rotator platform, the microfluidic disc fixed on the rotator platform via the at least one notch.

13. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein material of the rotator platform is aluminum.

14. The apparatus as s claimed in claim 9, wherein material of the microfluidic disc is polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA).

15. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein each injection chamber with the reagent injection orifice in different layers of the at least two layers of microfluidic structures is not mutually connected.

16. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein volume of the splitting chamber is at least three times as much as the at least one detection chamber.

17. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein distance between each herringbone shape microvalve in the same layer of the at least two layers of microfluidic structures and the center of the at least two layers of microfluidic structures is the same.