JP2008149221A - Dispensing device - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed are a dispensing device capable of making a dispensing amount of a sample constant while reducing the size of the device, and a dispensing system using the dispensing device.
A dispensing apparatus according to the present embodiment includes a first member 1 including a sample chamber 11 and a rotatable member surrounding the first member 1, and a first flow path that can communicate with the sample chamber 11. The second member 2 including 12 and the third member 3 surrounding the second member 2 and including a plurality of reaction chambers 32 that can communicate with the quantitative chamber 22.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a dispensing device for extracting a certain amount of a liquid sample and reacting it with a reagent or the like.

In clinical examinations and the like, usually, various examinations are continuously performed on many different specimens obtained from many patients, for example, urine, serum, plasma, blood cells, and the like. In order to continuously perform various tests on each sample, it is necessary to dispense a certain amount of each sample and react with a predetermined reagent. Various apparatuses including a mechanism for dispensing a sample are disclosed (for example, see Patent Documents 1 and 2).
Japanese Patent No. 3704425 JP 2005-83510 A

  Patent Document 1 discloses an automatic analyzer equipped with a mechanism for dispensing a large number of specimens and reagents, but has the disadvantage of being large and expensive. In recent years, there has been a growing demand for point of care (POC) tests that can be performed in the examination room or hospital room in a short time, and a mechanism that can be miniaturized is preferable.

  Patent Document 2 discloses a microchip that controls the flow of a sample by providing a channel in each of three adjacent members and shifting the middle member. Although this microchip has a configuration suitable for miniaturization as compared with Patent Document 1, since the members are linearly shifted to connect the flow paths, a space for shifting the members around the chip is ensured. Need arises. In addition, the technique of Patent Document 2 has a drawback that the operation of members becomes complicated when a certain amount of sample is distributed to a plurality of reaction chambers.

  The objective of this invention is providing the dispensing apparatus excellent in operativity and size reduction.

  The dispensing apparatus of the present invention is configured to be able to circulate around a sample chamber into which a liquid sample is introduced and the sample chamber, and can communicate with the sample chamber at a predetermined position to fill a certain amount of the sample. And a plurality of reaction chambers that communicate with the quantification chamber at a position different from the predetermined position and that perform a predetermined operation on the sample sent from the quantification chamber.

  According to this, a predetermined amount of sample is introduced from the sample chamber to the quantification chamber by communicating the sample chamber and the quantitation chamber at a predetermined position. Then, by connecting the quantification chamber and the reaction chamber at a position different from the predetermined position, a predetermined amount of sample is sent to the reaction chamber, and a desired reaction, analysis, or the like is performed in the reaction chamber.

  The dispensing apparatus of the present invention includes a first member having a sample chamber into which a liquid sample is introduced, and a rotatable member surrounding the first member, and can communicate with the sample chamber at a predetermined rotational position. A second member provided with a quantification chamber, and a third member comprising a plurality of reaction chambers surrounding the second member and capable of communicating with the quantitation chamber at a rotational position different from the predetermined rotational position; Have.

  According to this, a predetermined amount of sample is introduced from the sample chamber into the quantification chamber by the communication between the sample chamber and the quantitation chamber at a predetermined rotational position. Then, when the quantitative chamber and the reaction chamber communicate with each other at a rotational position different from the predetermined rotational position, a predetermined amount of sample is sent to the reaction chamber, and a desired reaction, analysis, or the like is performed in the reaction chamber. . Since the dispensing operation is performed only by rotating the second member, the operation is simplified. Moreover, since the rotational movement is adopted, it is not necessary to secure a space for moving the member outside the apparatus.

  The third member further includes a suction flow channel arranged to communicate with the metering chamber at the predetermined rotational position. By sucking through the suction channel, the liquid sample can be flowed.

  A gas-liquid separator is provided at any position of the suction flow path. Thereby, since a sample can be prevented from flowing downstream from the gas-liquid separator, the amount of sample (dead volume) discarded without being used can be suppressed.

  The first member includes a plurality of vent passages arranged to communicate with the metering chamber in communication with the reaction chamber. Thereby, the liquid sample can be flowed.

  The dispensing apparatus according to the present invention includes a sample chamber, a disk-shaped first member including a plurality of first flow paths extending radially around the sample chamber, and a plurality of ventilation channels, and the first member. And a plurality of second flow paths that can selectively communicate with the first flow path or the air flow path, and are provided in the middle of each of the second flow paths. A second member provided with the determined quantitative chamber, an annular member surrounding the second member, a plurality of third flow channels that can communicate with the second flow channel, and each of the third flow channels And a third member provided with a plurality of suction flow channels that can communicate with the second flow channel.

According to this, the sample chamber and the quantitative chamber are communicated by rotating the second member and communicating the first channel and the second channel of the first member. A fixed amount of the sample in the sample chamber is filled into the fixed amount chamber by sucking the fixed amount chamber through the suction channel.
Next, the second member is rotated so that the second flow path communicates with the ventilation path of the first member and the third flow path of the third member. Thereby, a fixed_quantity | assay chamber and a reaction chamber are connected. Then, by sucking the third flow path, the sample in the quantitative chamber flows into the reaction chamber, and a desired operation is performed in the reaction chamber.

  For example, the ventilation path and the first flow path of the first member are alternately arranged along the outer periphery of the disk. Accordingly, all the second flow paths can be communicated with the first flow path at a predetermined rotational position, and all the second flow paths can be communicated with the ventilation path at a rotational position different from the rotational position. It becomes possible to make it.

  The suction channel of the third member is arranged on an extension line of the first channel of the first member. Thereby, the other end of the second flow path and the suction flow path communicate with each other in a state where the first flow path and one end of the second flow path are in communication.

  The ventilation path of the first member is disposed on an extension line of the third flow path of the third member. Thereby, the other end of the second channel and the third channel communicate with each other in a state where the one end of the ventilation channel and the second channel communicates.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a plan view of a dispensing device 100 according to the present embodiment.
A dispensing apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1 includes a first member 1 filled with a sample to be dispensed, a second member 2 that extracts a certain amount of the sample, and a first member that causes the extracted certain amount of sample to react with the reagent. And three members 3. Each member 1-3 is arrange | positioned concentrically.

  The first member 1 is a disk-shaped member and includes a sample chamber 11 at the center thereof. A liquid sample is introduced into the sample chamber 11. In the present embodiment, the first member 1 is provided with one sample chamber 11. The first member 1 further includes a plurality of first flow paths 12 extending radially around the sample chamber 11 and a vent path 13 disposed between the plurality of first flow paths 12.

  The second member 2 is an annular member surrounding the first member 1 and is configured to be rotatable. The second member 2 includes a plurality of second flow paths 21 and a metering chamber 22 provided in the middle of each second flow path 21. The quantification chamber 22 is provided for extracting a certain amount of sample from the sample chamber 11, and its volume is determined according to the application of the dispensing device 100. In the present embodiment, the same number of second flow paths 21 as the first flow paths 12 are provided, and all the second flow paths 21 are arranged to be able to communicate with all the first flow paths 12 at the same time. ing.

  The third member 3 is an annular member that surrounds the second member 2, and includes a plurality of third flow paths 31 that can communicate with the metering chamber 22, and a reaction chamber 32 provided in the middle of each third flow path 31. And a plurality of suction flow paths 33. On the extension line of the third flow path 31, the ventilation path 13 is disposed. The suction flow path 33 is disposed on an extension line of the first flow path 12. For example, the third flow path 31 and the suction flow path 33 are alternately arranged. A sample is fed into the reaction chamber 32 from the quantitative chamber 22. In the reaction chamber 32, a reaction between a predetermined reagent and the sample is performed.

  FIG. 1 shows a state where the sample chamber 11 of the first member 1 and the fixed amount chamber 22 of the second member 2 communicate with each other. More specifically, the first flow path 12 of the first member 1, the second flow path 21 of the second member 2, and the suction flow path 33 of the third member 3 communicate with each other, The sample chamber 11 and the quantification chamber 22 communicate with each other through 21 and 33.

  FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a state in which the second member 2 is rotated. FIG. 2 shows a state in which the fixed amount chamber 22 of the second member 2 and the reaction chamber 32 of the third member 3 are communicated with each other. More specifically, the second flow path 21 of the second member 2 and the third flow path 31 of the third member 3 communicate with each other, and the quantitative chamber 22 and the reaction chamber 32 are passed through the flow paths 21 and 31. And communicate. At this time, the second flow path 21 is in communication with the ventilation path 13 of the first member 1.

  3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A ′ of FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A ′ of FIG. 2. 3 and 4, the members 1, 2, and 3 are separated from each other in order to clarify the configuration of the members 1, 2, and 3. is doing.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the first member 1 includes an opening 11 a at the top of the sample chamber 11. A sample is introduced into the sample chamber 11 from the opening 11a. As shown in FIG. 3, one end of the first flow path 12 communicates with the sample chamber 11, and the other end of the first flow path 12 reaches the side surface of the first member 1. As shown in FIG. 4, one end of the air passage 13 reaches the side surface of the first member 1, and the other end of the air passage 13 reaches the upper surface of the first member 1.

  The second member 2 includes a quantitative chamber 22 therein. In the present embodiment, an example in which the height of the second flow path 21 is different between the upstream side and the downstream side of the fixed amount chamber 22 is shown, but they may be provided at the same height. One end of the second flow path 21 is set at the same height as the end portions of the first flow path 12 and the ventilation path 13, and the other end of the second flow path 21 is the third flow path 31 and the suction flow path 33. Set to the same height.

  The third member 3 includes two annular members 3a and 3b. The inner annular member 3a is provided with a third flow path 31, a reaction chamber 32, and a suction flow path 33, and the third member 3b is provided with a third flow path 31 and a suction flow path 33. In the present embodiment, the gas-liquid separator 5 is provided on the side surface of the third member 3 and inside the third member 3. Specifically, the gas-liquid separator 5 is disposed in front of the suction flow path 33 (see FIG. 3), and the gas-liquid separator 5 is disposed immediately after the reaction chamber 32 (see FIG. 4). The gas-liquid separation material 5 is made of, for example, PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) having minute pores with an average pore diameter of about 3 μm. By disposing the gas-liquid separating material 5, the liquid does not enter downstream from the gas-liquid separating material 5, so that dead volume can be suppressed. Further, by dividing the third member 3 into two annular members 3a and 3b, the gas-liquid separation material 5 can be provided immediately after the reaction chamber 32, and the dead volume can be further suppressed.

  Sealing members 4 are provided at the communication positions of the flow paths 12, 13, 21, 31, 33 between the members 1, 2, 3a, 3b. As a result, liquid leakage at the communication position is prevented.

  Although the material and manufacturing method of said members 1-2 are not specifically limited, As for member 3, it is desirable to use a transparent material. For example, as the material of the members 1 to 3, a glass material such as quartz, a silicon rubber such as polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), or an acrylic resin such as polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) can be used. Further, glass epoxy resin or polypropylene (PP) may be used. The members 1 and 2 may be made of a fluororesin such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), a semiconductor material such as silicon, a metal, or the like. Furthermore, as a method of forming the flow path to the members 1 to 3, it can be manufactured by using an uneven thermal transfer technique, an etching technique, a laser processing technique, or the like.

  A suction means 101 is attached to the side wall of the third member 3. The suction means 101 includes, for example, a suction cap attached to one end of the third flow path 31 and the suction flow path 33 of the third member 3 and a tube pump communicating with the suction cap.

  Although not shown, the above-described dispensing device is used by being mounted on a table on which an annular region corresponding to the second member 2 rotates, for example. The amount of rotation of the second member 2 can be controlled by fixing the second member 2 to the rotatable annular region of the table using a jig or the like. Note that the rotation of the second member 2 may be performed manually.

Next, with reference to FIG. 5, the dispensing method using said dispensing apparatus is demonstrated.
As shown in FIG. 5 (a), the fixed amount chamber 22 of the second member 2 is communicated with the sample chamber 11 of the first member 1 and the suction flow path 33 of the third member 3, and the sample 10 is placed in the sample chamber 11. Supply. The plan view at this time is as shown in FIG. At this time, the suction flow path 33 is connected to the suction means 101 on the side surface of the third member 3. In addition, after supplying the sample 10 to the sample chamber 11, the second member 2 may be rotated to have the arrangement shown in FIG.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 5B, the suction means 101 is operated to suck the inside of the suction flow path 33. As a result, the sample 10 in the sample chamber 11 flows into the first flow path 12, the second flow path 21, and the quantification chamber 22, and stops at the gas-liquid separation material 5.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 5 (c), the second member 2 is rotated so that the metering chamber 22 communicates with the air passage 13 of the first member 1 and the reaction chamber 32 of the third member 3. At this time, the third flow path 31 communicating with the reaction chamber 32 is connected to the suction means 101 on the side surface of the third member 3.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 5D, the suction means 101 is operated to suck the inside of the third flow path 31. As a result, the sample 10 in the quantitative chamber 22 flows into the third flow path 31 and the reaction chamber 32 and stops at the gas-liquid separator 5. Thereafter, the suction by the suction means 101 is stopped.

  A detection reagent is fixed in the reaction container in advance, and a chemical reaction occurs when the sample flows. These changes are detected using light of a predetermined wavelength. There is no particular limitation on the detection method, and the detection method can be changed depending on the type of sample and reagent and the inspection item.

  According to the dispensing apparatus according to the present embodiment, the first member 1 including the sample chamber 11, the second member 2 including the quantification chamber 22, and the third member 3 including the reaction chamber 32 are provided concentrically. Then, by controlling the communication of the quantitative chamber 22 with respect to the sample chamber 11 and the reaction chamber 32 by the rotation of the second member 2, a predetermined amount of the liquid sample is introduced into the reaction vessel without using a complicated dispensing mechanism. be able to. Therefore, a small dispensing device can be realized.

  In addition, since a plurality of quantification chambers 22 are provided in the second member 2 and the plurality of quantification chambers 22 can be simultaneously connected to the sample chamber 11 or the reaction chamber 32, the sample in the sample chamber 11 is efficiently dispensed to each reaction chamber 32. can do. Therefore, throughput can be improved.

(Second Embodiment)
6 is a cross-sectional view of the dispensing apparatus according to the second embodiment, FIG. 6 (a) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA ′ in FIG. 1, and FIG. 6 (b) is a cross-sectional view along AA ′ in FIG. It is sectional drawing in a line. In the second embodiment, the third member 3 is constituted by one component.

  As shown in FIG. 6, in the second embodiment, the gas-liquid separation material 5 is provided between the third member 3 and the suction means 101 so as to close the suction flow path 33 and the third flow path 31. ing. The gas-liquid separating material 5 disposed in the suction flow path 33 may be provided between the second member 2 and the third member 3 as in the first embodiment.

  According to the dispensing apparatus according to the second embodiment, since the gas-liquid separation material 5 is not provided in the middle of the third flow path 31, the third member 3 can be formed by one member, and the structure is simple. Can be However, since the extra flow path (the suction flow path 33 and the third flow path 31 on the downstream side of the reaction chamber 32) in which the sample 10 is filled other than the reaction chamber 32 becomes longer than in the first embodiment. Increases dead volume. Therefore, when adopting the configuration of the second embodiment, it is preferable to narrow the widths of the third flow path 31 and the suction flow path 33 in order to suppress an increase in dead volume.

(Third embodiment)
FIG. 7 is a plan view of the dispensing device 100 according to the third embodiment. The third embodiment shows an example in which the quantitative chamber 22 of the second member 2 is equal to or less than the number of reaction chambers 32. FIG. 7 shows an example in which one quantitative chamber 22 is provided.

  As described above, the number of the determination chambers 22 may be equal to or less than the number of the reaction chambers 32. However, in order to introduce the sample 10 into the plurality of reaction chambers 32, it is necessary to repeat the operations of FIGS. 5A to 5D, and therefore the throughput is lower than that in the first embodiment.

(Fourth embodiment)
FIG. 8 is a plan view of the dispensing apparatus 100 according to the fourth embodiment. In the fourth embodiment, the number of sample chambers 11 is one or more and the number of quantification chambers 22 corresponds to the number of sample chambers 11, but the number of quantification chambers 22 and reaction chambers 32 does not correspond. Show.

  In this case, since there are a plurality of sample chambers 11, each sample chamber 11 can be filled with a different sample. Since the quantification chamber 22 communicated with each sample chamber 11 is different, there is no possibility of contamination due to mixing of samples.

(Fifth embodiment)
FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the dispensing device 100 according to the fifth embodiment. FIG. 9 corresponds to a cross-sectional view taken along line AA ′ of FIG. The fifth embodiment shows an example in which an opening for supplying a reagent to the reaction chamber 32 is provided.

  As shown in FIG. 9, an opening 32 a is provided in the upper part of the reaction chamber 32. On the upper surface of the third member 3, a sealing member 34 for sealing the opening 32a is provided. A sealing material 4 is disposed between the sealing member 34 and the third member 3 around the opening 32a. The sealing member 34 is configured to be slidable, for example, and the reaction chamber 32 can be opened and closed by sliding the sealing member 34.

  By enabling the opening and closing operation of the reaction chamber 32 in this manner, the reagent can be supplied to the reaction chamber 32 from the opening 32a, and the reagent can be easily supplied. Further, when the reaction chamber 32 is filled with a liquid sample, the opening 32a is sealed to prevent liquid leakage from the opening 32a.

The present invention is not limited to the description of the above embodiment.
In addition, various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

It is a top view of the dispensing apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a top view of the dispensing apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is sectional drawing in the A-A 'line of FIG. It is sectional drawing in the A-A 'line of FIG. It is process sectional drawing for demonstrating the dispensing method using a dispensing apparatus. It is sectional drawing of the dispensing apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a top view of the dispensing apparatus which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a top view of the dispensing apparatus which concerns on 4th Embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the dispensing apparatus which concerns on 5th Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... 1st member, 2 ... 2nd member, 3 ... 3rd member, 3a, 3b ... Annular member, 4 ... Sealing material, 5 ... Gas-liquid separation material, 10 ... Sample, 11 ... Sample chamber, 11a ... Opening part , 12 ... 1st flow path, 13 ... Air flow path, 21 ... 2nd flow path, 22 ... Fixed_quantity | quantitative_assay chamber, 31 ... 3rd flow path, 32 ... Reaction chamber, 32a ... Opening part, 33 ... Flow path for suction, 34 ... Sealing member, 100 ... Dispensing device, 101 ... Suction means, 102 ... Driving means, 103 ... Control means

Claims (9)

A sample chamber into which a liquid sample is introduced;
A quantification chamber configured to be able to circulate around the sample chamber and capable of filling a certain amount of the sample in communication with the sample chamber at a predetermined position;
A plurality of reaction chambers that communicate with the quantitation chamber at a position different from the predetermined position, and that perform a predetermined operation on the sample sent from the quantification chamber;
Dispensing device having. A first member including a sample chamber into which a liquid sample is introduced;
A rotatable member surrounding the first member, the second member comprising a quantitative chamber capable of communicating with the sample chamber at a predetermined rotational position;
A third member comprising a plurality of reaction chambers surrounding the second member and capable of communicating with the metering chamber at a rotational position different from the predetermined rotational position;
Dispensing device having. The third member further includes a suction channel arranged to communicate with the metering chamber at the predetermined rotational position.
The dispensing device according to claim 2. A gas-liquid separation material is provided at any position of the suction flow path.
The dispensing device according to claim 3. The first member includes a plurality of ventilation paths arranged to communicate with the metering chamber in communication with the reaction chamber.
The dispensing device according to claim 2. A disk-shaped first member comprising a sample chamber, a plurality of first flow paths extending radially around the sample chamber, and a plurality of ventilation paths;
A plurality of second flow paths that surround the first member and are configured to be rotatable, the second flow paths being capable of being selectively communicated with the first flow path or the ventilation path, and the second flow paths; A second member comprising a metering chamber provided in the middle of
An annular member that surrounds the second member, a plurality of third flow channels that can communicate with the second flow channel, a reaction chamber provided in the middle of each third flow channel, A third member comprising a plurality of suction flow paths capable of communicating with the two flow paths;
Dispensing device having. The ventilation path and the first flow path of the first member are alternately arranged along the outer periphery of the disk.
The dispensing device according to claim 6. The suction channel of the third member is disposed on an extension of the first channel of the first member;
The dispensing device according to claim 6. The ventilation path of the first member is disposed on an extension line of the third flow path of the third member.
The dispensing device according to claim 6.

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