Biological sample treatment apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10036690-B2
Application number	US-201214358375-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 15, 2012
Priority date	Nov 16, 2011
Publication date	Jul 31, 2018
Grant date	Jul 31, 2018

Abstract

Apparatus for treating biological samples disposed on substrates, including: an input buffer for receiving one or more substrate holders each being adapted to support a plurality of the substrates; a treatment zone including a plurality of treatment stations each being adapted to receive one of the substrates; a reagent dispenser configured by a controller to dispense reagents to the substrates at the treatment stations; a substrate transport device configured by the controller to transport individual substrates between the substrate holders in the input buffer and the treatment stations.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. Apparatus for treating biological samples disposed on substrates, including:
an input buffer for receiving one or more substrate holders each being adapted to support a plurality of the substrates;
a treatment zone including a plurality of treatment stations each being adapted to receive one of the substrates;
a reagent dispenser configured by a controller to dispense reagents to the substrates at the treatment stations;
a substrate transport device configured by the controller to transport individual substrates between the substrate holders in the input buffer and the treatment stations.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 , and further including:
a substrate identification reader for reading, when the substrate is in the input buffer, a substrate identifier borne by each substrate; and
a database for storing a plurality of protocols, each protocol defining a sequence of treatment operations to be applied to one or more substrates,
wherein the controller is further configured to cause the substrate transport device to group individual substrates within the treatment zone to efficiently treat the biological samples disposed on substrates.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the controller is configured to perform one or more of:
a. cause the substrate transport device to group individual substrates to which a common protocol is to be applied;
b. cause the substrate transport device to group individual substrates to which a common reagent is to be applied;
c. cause the substrate transport device to group individual substrates that share a common treatment time;
d. cause the substrate transport device to transport the individual substrates so as to optimise throughput of the substrates during protocols and/or treatment operations in the apparatus; and
e. maximise the number of protocols or treatment operations that can be consecutively performed on one or more substrates.

4. Apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the controller is configured to optimise the number of reagent dispensing operations performed by the reagent dispenser to different substrates without changing reagents.

5. Apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the substrate identification reader and, optionally the reagent dispenser, is supported by the substrate transport device.

6. Apparatus according to claim 1 , and further including:
a substrate covering unit for applying a cover member to the biological sample on the substrate,
wherein the substrate transport device is further adapted to transport individual substrates into and out of the substrate covering unit.

7. Apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the treatment stations are disposed on a work surface, and wherein the apparatus further includes:
a plurality of reagent containers housed below the work surface; and
a reagent transfer system for transferring reagent from the reagent containers to the reagent dispenser.

8. Apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the reagent transfer system includes:
a reagent transfer port passing through the work surface; and
an aspiration probe for aspirating reagent from the reagent containers via the reagent transfer port.

9. Apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the reagent transfer system further includes:
a carousel supporting the reagent containers, the carousel being adapted to selectively bring each reagent container into fluidic communication with the reagent transfer port, and optionally, further including a reagent container access port for loading and unloading the reagent containers from the carousel.

10. Apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the input buffer includes:
a plurality of input compartments each adapted to receive one or more of the substrate holders in a disposition whereby the substrates in the substrate holders are accessible to the substrate transport device, and optionally, wherein one or more of the input compartments includes one or more baking stations for baking the substrates in the substrate holders, and further optionally, wherein the compartments are adapted to support the substrate holders in a substantially horizontal orientation.

11. Apparatus according to claim 1 , and further including:
an output buffer for receiving one or more of the substrate holders, wherein the substrate transport device is further configured by the controller to transport individual substrates between the treatment stations and the substrate holders in the output buffer.

12. Apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the output buffer includes:
a plurality of output compartments each adapted to receive one or more of the substrate holders in a disposition whereby the substrates in the substrate holders are accessible to the substrate transport device and optionally wherein one or more of the output compartments includes one or more curing stations for curing the substrates in the substrate holders.

13. Apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the substrate holders received in the input buffer supports substrates from a common patient case, and wherein the controller is further configured to group substrates into at least one of the substrate holders received in the output buffer according to that common patient case.

14. An automated method, by the apparatus of claim 1 , for treating the biological samples disposed on the substrates, wherein the substrates are treated at the plurality of treatment stations in the treatment zone, the method including the steps of:
receiving the one or more substrate holders in the input buffer, each substrate holder being adapted to support the plurality of the substrates;
using the substrate transport device, configured by the controller, to transport the individual substrates between the substrate holders in the input buffer and the treatment stations;
and using the reagent dispenser, configured by the controller, to dispense the reagents to the substrates at the treatment stations.

15. A method according to claim 14 , and further including the step of:
using the substrate transport device, configured by the controller, to transport the individual substrates between the treatment stations and substrate holders in an output buffer for receiving one or more of the substrate holders.

16. A method according to claim 14 , and further including the step of:
using the substrate transport device, configured by the controller, to transport the individual substrates into and out of a substrate covering unit for applying a cover member to the biological sample on the substrate.

17. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more substrate holders of the input buffer are ones of first substrate holders,
wherein the substrate transport device is further configured by the controller to individually transport one of the substrates from a first slot in one of the first substrate holders in the input buffer to one of the treatment stations,
wherein the substrate transport device is further configured by the controller to individually transport the one of the substrates from the one of the treatment stations to a second slot in one of a plurality of second substrate holders in an output buffer, and
wherein the apparatus comprises the output buffer.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17 , wherein the substrate transport device comprises a robotic arm comprising a scanner and a suction cup at an end of the robotic arm.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18 , wherein the robotic arm is configured by the controller to
reach into th

Assignees

• Leica Biosystems Melbourne Pty

Inventors

• Dockrill Mark Brian
• Gason Samuel

Classifications

• G01N2035/0094

  optimisation; experiment design · CPC title

• G01N2035/00079

  Evaporation covers for slides · CPC title

• G01N1/312 Primary

  for samples mounted on planar substrates · CPC title

• G01N35/00029

  provided with flat sample substrates, e.g. slides (G01N35/028 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01N1/31 Primary

  Apparatus therefor · CPC title