Fluidic devices for biospecimen preservation

• US 9,808,798 B2
• Filed: 04/22/2013
• Issued: 11/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: California Institute of Technology, University of Chicago
• Original Assignee: California Institute of Technology
• Inventors: Ismagilov, Rustem F., Pan, Qichao, Begolo, Stefano
• Primary Examiner(s): White, Dennis M
• Application Number:
  US13/868,009
• Publication Number:
  US 20130280725A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,660 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/027 for microfluidic devices
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/0605 Metering of fluids
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/0673 Handling of plugs of fluid surrounded by immiscible fluid
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/0678 Facilitating or initiating evaporation
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/045 whereby the whole cover is slidable
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0681 Filter
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0803 Disc shape
• 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 2300/0867 Multiple inlets and one sample wells, e.g. mixing, dilution
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0874 Three dimensional network
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0406 capillary forces
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0487 fluid pressure, pneumatics
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0644 rotary valves
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/065 sliding valves
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/5027 by integrated microfluidic structures, i.e. dimensions of channels and chambers are such that surface tension forces are important, e.g. lab-on-a-chip B01L3/5023 takes precedence; micromixers B01F33/30; microreactors for synthesis B01J19/0093; microcapillary devices in general B81B1/00
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502715 characterised by interfacing components, e.g. fluidic, electrical, optical or mechanical interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/50273 characterised by the means or forces applied to move the fluids micropumps F04B19/006, of the membrane type F04B43/043
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502738 characterised by integrated valves microvalves F16K99/0001
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502784 specially adapted for droplet or plug flow, e.g. digital microfluidics automatic analysis using a stream of discrete samples in a tube system G01N35/08
• 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: G01N 33/54366 : Apparatus specially adapted for solid-phase testing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/143333 : Saccharide [e.g., DNA, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/2525 : Stabilizing or preserving

Abstract

The present invention relates to fluidic devices for preparing, processing, storing, preserving, and/or analyzing samples. In particular, the devices and related systems and methods allow for preservation or storage of samples (e.g., biospecimen samples) by using one or more of a bridge, a membrane, and/or a desiccant.

Claims

1. A device for preservation or storage of a sample comprising:

(i) a first layer comprising a plurality of first chambers configured to hold the sample;

(ii) a second layer comprising one or more second chambers and comprising one or more desiccants in at least one of said one or more second chambers;

(iii) an intermediate layer disposed between said first layer and said second layer, wherein said intermediate layer comprises a porous membrane; and

wherein at least one of said plurality of first chambers configured to hold the sample, at least one of said one or more second chambers comprising one or more desiccants, and said porous membrane are configured to be connected by relative movement thereby permitting the one or more desiccants to absorb or adsorb solvent from the sample.

2. The device of claim 1, further comprising one or more reagents for said preservation of a sample.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein said device is a microfluidic device.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein at least one of said plurality of first chambers, or at least one feature of said membrane has a dimension of 1,000 μ

m or less.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein at least two of said plurality of first chambers and said membrane are able to be connected by relative movement.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein said intermediate layer comprises a continuous membrane.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein said first layer, said intermediate layer, or said second layer is planar or non-planar.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein said first layer, said intermediate layer, or said second layer, or a portion thereof, is differentially wetted.

9. The device of claim 1, further comprising a deformable layer between said first layer and said intermediate layer and/or between said second layer and said intermediate layer.

10. The device of claim 9, further comprising a coating on one or more of said first layer, said intermediate layer, said second layer, or said deformable layer.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein said coating comprises a fluoropolymer.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein said first layer, said second layer,

and/or said intermediate layer translates longitudinally.

13. The device of claim 1, said first layer, said second layer, and/or said intermediate layer rotates axially.

14. The device of claim 1, further comprising a third layer comprising one or more third chambers, wherein said third layer is beneath said second layer, and wherein at least one of said plurality of first chambers, at least one of said one or more second chambers, at least one of said one or more third chambers, and said membrane are able to be connected by relative movement.

15. The device of claim 14, further comprising a lubricant between said first layer and said intermediate layer and/or between said second layer and said intermediate layer and/or between said second layer and said third layer.

16. The device of claim 1, wherein one or more of said plurality of first chambers or at least one of said one or more second chambers comprise a sample, a washing buffer, an elution buffer, a lysis agent, a reagent, a dye, a stabilizer, a protein, a nucleic acid, a filter, a membrane, or a marker.

17. The device of claim 1, wherein one or more of said plurality of first chambers or at least one of said one or more second chambers is a well, a microchannel, or a duct.

18. The device of claim 1, further comprising an injection port for serial and/or sequential filling of said plurality of first chambers or at least one of said one or more second chambers.

19. The device of claim 1, further comprising a receiving chamber for controlling the volume of one or more fluids in said plurality of first chambers or at least one of said one or more second chambers.

20. A method of storing and/or preserving a sample, said method comprising:

(i) providing a device of claim 1;

(ii) introducing a test sample to said device; and

(iii) moving said first layer, said intermediate layer, and/or said second layer, if present, thereby resulting in sample storage and/or preservation.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein said sample storage and/or preservation comprises one or more of the following steps:

partitioning said test sample into separate aliquots, drying one or more of said aliquots, recovering one or more of said aliquots, and/or quantifying the volume of said one or more aliquots after partitioning, before drying, after drying, or after recovering.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein said sample storage and/or preservation comprises filtering, lysing, dehydrating, rehydrating, binding, washing, eluting, assaying, and/or detecting said test sample.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein said sample storage and/or preservation comprises nucleic acid extraction, nucleic acid purification, nucleic acid enrichment, concentrating of a nucleic acid, protein extraction, protein purification, protein enrichment, concentrating of a protein, cell separation, sample enrichment, nucleic acid amplification, nucleic acid detection, and/or protein detection.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein step (iii) results in sample analysis prior to said sample storage and/or preservation.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising relaying results from said sample analysis with a cell phone.

26. The method of claim 20, wherein said test sample comprises blood, plasma, serum, sputum, urine, fecal matter, sweat, spinal fluid, amniotic fluid, interstitial fluid, tear fluid, bone marrow, a swab, a tissue sample, a buccal mouthwash sample, an aerosol, a nucleic acid, a cell, a protein, and/or an enzyme.

27. A kit comprising:

(i) a device of claim 1; and

(ii) a collector for collecting a sample for use with said device.

28. The kit of claim 27, wherein said device further comprises one or more of a sample, a washing buffer, an elution buffer, a lysis agent, a reagent, a dye, a stabilizer, a protein, a nucleic acid, a filter, a membrane, or a marker.