Specimen processing apparatus for genetic testing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10161951-B2
Application number	US-201615190714-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 23, 2016
Priority date	Jun 30, 2015
Publication date	Dec 25, 2018
Grant date	Dec 25, 2018

Abstract

Disclosed is a specimen processing apparatus for genetic testing. The apparatus includes: a mode setting section configured to receive a setting of an operation mode from: an emulsion preparation mode for preparing a water-in-oil type (W/O type) emulsion having dispersed therein a plurality of droplets, each droplet containing a specimen which contains DNA and a bead to which a reagent component necessary for amplifying a target DNA molecule is bound; and an emulsion breaking mode for breaking the emulsion and collecting beads from the droplets; and a controller programmed to control the transfer unit and the dispensing unit in accordance with the operation mode set by the mode setting section.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A specimen processing apparatus for genetic testing, the specimen processing apparatus comprising:
a plurality of dispensing-tip-container placement parts, each configured to place a dispensing-tip-container having a plurality of dispensing tips and having a light emitter for providing an indication that urges placing of the dispensing-tip-container by emitting light;
a plurality of reagent-container placement parts each configured to place a reagent container containing a reagent and having a light emitter for providing an indication that urges placing of the reagent container by emitting light;
a microplate placement part in which a microplate having a plurality of wells is placed;
a dispensing unit configured to attach a dispensing tip with a distal end and aspirate or discharge a liquid using the attached dispensing tip;
a transfer unit configured to move the dispensing unit to at least one of the dispensing-tip-container placement parts, the reagent-container placement parts and the microplate placement part;
a mode setting button configured to receive a setting of an operation mode selected by an operator from a plurality of predetermined operation modes including an emulsion preparation mode for preparing an emulsion and an emulsion breaking mode for breaking the emulsion;
a start button configured to receive a start instruction of the operator to start a process according to the operation mode set by the mode setting button; and
a controller programmed to:
when the emulsion preparation mode has been set, control the light emitters so as to provide first indications that urge placing of a first reagent container containing an emulsion reagent for preparing the emulsion and one or more dispensing-tip-containers necessary for an emulsion preparation process, and, in accordance with the start instruction received by the start button, control the transfer unit and the dispensing unit so as to dispense the emulsion reagent contained in the first reagent container placed according to the first indications, into a well of the microplate in the microplate placement part; and
when the emulsion breaking mode has been set, control the light emitters so as to provide second indications that urge placing of a second reagent container containing a breaking reagent for breaking the emulsion and one or more dispensing-tip-containers necessary for an emulsion breaking process, and, in accordance with the start instruction received by the start button, control the transfer unit and the dispensing unit so as to dispense the breaking reagent contained in the second reagent container placed according to the second indications, into a well of the microplate in the microplate placement part.

2. The specimen processing apparatus for genetic testing of claim 1 , wherein the controller is programmed to control the transfer unit and the dispensing unit so as to aspirate a liquid from the well and discard the liquid after a predetermined time period necessary for stabilizing a state of the liquid in the well has elapsed after the breaking reagent had been dispensed into the well of the microplate.

3. The specimen processing apparatus for genetic testing of claim 1 , further comprising:
a target well setting button configured to receive a setting of the number of target wells by the operator among the plurality of wells provided in the microplate, wherein
the controller is programmed to control the light emitters so as to indicate the one or more dispensing-tip-container placement parts for which placing of the dispensing-tip-container is urged, on the basis of the number of target wells set by the target well setting button.

4. The specimen processing apparatus for genetic testing of claim 1 , wherein the controller is programmed to control the dispensing unit such that: after discharging a reagent into a well of the microplate, the dispensing unit repeats, a plurality of times, a step of stirring the liquid in the well by performing aspirating and discharging the liquid in the well; the dispensing tip is raised after the liquid has been discharged in the last stirring step; after a lapse of a predetermined time period necessary for the liquid remaining in the dispensing tip to gather to a tip of the dispensing tip, the liquid remaining in the dispensing tip is discharged; and then the dispensing tip is raised.

5. The specimen processing apparatus for genetic testing of claim 4 , wherein the controller is programmed to control the dispensing unit so as to repeat the discharge in the stirring step at two positions between which a center of the well is located, wherein each of the two positions is located near a lateral surface of the well.

6. The specimen processing apparatus for genetic testing of claim 1 , wherein the dispensing unit includes a cylindrical nozzle configured to insert into the dispensing tip, and
a lateral surface of an end portion of the nozzle is partially cut out so as to extend to be closer to a central axis of the nozzle toward a tip of the nozzle.

7. The specimen processing apparatus for genetic testing of claim 1 , wherein each of the light-emitters of the dispensing-tip-container placement parts is arranged at a position hidden by the dispensing-tip-container when the dispensing-tip-container is placed in the dispensing-tip-container placement part, and
each of the light-emitters of the reagent-container placement parts is arranged at a position hidden by the reagent container when the reagent container is placed in the reagent-container placement part.

8. The specimen processing apparatus for genetic testing of claim 1 , wherein the emulsion is a water-in-oil type (W/O type) emulsion having a plurality of droplets dispersed in an oil phase, and each droplet is composed of an aqueous phase containing a specimen which contains DNA and a bead which has a reagent component necessary for amplifying a target DNA molecule,
the emulsion reagent contains a component for forming the oil phase, and
the well of the microplate accommodates the aqueous phase containing the specimen and the bead.

9. The specimen processing apparatus for genetic testing of claim 8 , wherein the bead includes latex beads or magnetic beads.

10. The specimen processing apparatus for genetic testing of claim 8 , wherein the reagent component necessary for amplifying the target DNA molecule is a plurality of primer molecules which each bind to the target DNA molecule.

11. The specimen processing apparatus for genetic testing of claim 5 , wherein the controller is programmed to repeat a plurality of times a breaking process of sequentially performing steps of dispensing the breaking reagent and aspirating and discarding the liquid from the well, wherein in the breaking process for the first time, the breaking process is shifted to the aspirating step after the predetermined time period has elapsed after the breaking reagent had been dispensed, and in the breaking process for the second time and thereafter, the breaking process is shifted to the aspirating step before the predetermined time period has elapsed after the breaking reagent had been dispensed.

12. The specimen processing apparatus for genetic testing of claim 8 , wherein the second indications urge placing of a third reagent container containing a labelling reagent including a labeled probe capable of being hybridized to the amplified target DNA molecule, when the emulsion breaking mode has been set, the controller is programmed to:
control the light emitters so as to provide the second indications that urge placing of the second and third reagent containers and the one or more dispensing-tip-containers; and
control, i

Assignees

• Sysmex Corp

Inventors

• Shohmi Keiichiro
• Ishitsubo Ryousuke
• Asada Shoichiro

Classifications

• G01N2035/00564

  Handling or washing solid phase elements, e.g. beads · CPC title

• B01L7/52

  with provision for submitting samples to a predetermined sequence of different temperatures, e.g. for treating nucleic acid samples · CPC title

• G01N35/1065 Primary

  Multiple transfer devices · CPC title

• B01L3/0237

  Details of electronic control, e.g. relating to user interface · CPC title

• B01L3/0279

  co-operating with positive ejection means · CPC title