Honeycomb tube

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10190165-B2
Application number	US-201314431259-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 26, 2013
Priority date	Sep 26, 2012
Publication date	Jan 29, 2019
Grant date	Jan 29, 2019

Abstract

A honeycomb tube with a planar frame defining a fluidic path between a first planar surface and a second planar surface. A fluidic interface is located at one end of the planar frame. The fluidic interface has a fluidic inlet and fluidic outlet. The fluidic path further includes a well chamber having an well-substrate with a plurality of wells. The well chamber is arranged in the planar frame between the first or second surface and the well-substrate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
providing a reaction tube, wherein the reaction tube comprises a planar frame defining a fluidic path including a well chamber comprising a plurality of wells between a first planar substrate and a second planar substrate, wherein the planar frame extends between a first end and a second end opposite the first end, a fluidic interface disposed along the first end of the reaction tube, the fluidic interface comprising a fluidic inlet and a fluidic outlet of the fluidic path;
introducing a liquid sample through the fluidic inlet of the fluidic interface of the reaction tube and advancing the liquid sample along the fluidic path via application of pressure to the fluidic inlet or the fluidic outlet of the fluidic interface;
filling a pre-amplification chamber of the fluidic path with the liquid sample by advancing the liquid sample along the fluidic path, the pre-amplification chamber being an enlarged portion of the fluidic path disposed along the fluidic path between the fluidic inlet and the well chamber so as to allow amplification of the liquid sample in the pre-amplification chamber before entering the well chamber and filling the plurality of wells;
filling the well chamber along the fluidic path with the liquid sample by further advancing the liquid sample along the fluidic path thereby depositing the fluid liquid sample within a plurality of wells of the well chamber; and
evacuating at least a portion of the liquid sample from the well chamber outside of the plurality of wells via application of pressure to the fluidic inlet or the fluidic outlet of the fluidic interface such that at least some of the liquid sample remains deposited within the plurality of wells.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pre-amplification chamber includes an upper-most exit of the pre-amplification chamber when the first and second planar substrates are vertically oriented with the fluidic outlet positioned above the fluidic inlet during filling of the well chamber, and wherein the pre-amplification chamber is filled at a level below the upper-most pre-amplification exit.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the upper-most pre-amplification chamber exit is fluidly connected to a well chamber entrance via a downward leading passage when the first and second planar substrates are vertically oriented with the fluidic outlet positioned above the fluidic inlet during filling of the well chamber.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the fluidic path is valveless.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
filling the well chamber with a hydrophobic fluid substance after the evacuating the at least a portion of the liquid sample from the well chamber outside of the plurality of wells.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the hydrophobic fluid substance is supplied from an oil chamber of the planar frame that is in fluid communication with the well chamber, wherein the hydrophobic fluid substance comprises an oil.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fluidic path includes a serpentine channel portion between the fluidic inlet and the well chamber, the serpentine channel including at least two elongate channel portions connected in a serpentine manner.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
applying heating and cooling cycles to the first planar substrate and the second planar substrate.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein application of pressure comprises applying a positive or negative pressure via the fluidic inlet or the fluidic outlet of the fluidic interface.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the well chamber is disposed along the second end of the reaction tube.

11. A method comprising:
providing a reaction tube, wherein the reaction tube comprises a planar frame defining a fluidic path between a first planar substrate and a second planar substrate, wherein the planar frame extends between a first end and a second end opposite the first end, a fluidic disposed along the first end of the reaction tube, the fluidic interface comprising a fluidic inlet and a fluidic outlet of the fluidic path;
coupling the fluidic interface of the reaction tube to a liquid sample cartridge so as to fluidically couple the fluidic inlet and the fluidic outlet with corresponding fluid ports of the liquid sample cartridge;
introducing a liquid sample through the fluidic inlet of the fluidic interface of the reaction tube and advancing the liquid sample along the fluidic path via application of pressure to the fluidic inlet or the fluidic outlet of the fluidic interface;
filling a well chamber along the fluidic path with the liquid sample by further advancing the liquid sample along the fluidic path thereby depositing the liquid sample within a plurality of wells of the well chamber; and
evacuating at least a portion of the liquid sample from the well chamber outside of the plurality of wells via application of pressure to the fluidic inlet or the fluidic outlet of the fluidic interface such that at least some of the liquid sample remains deposited within the plurality of wells.

Assignees

• Cepheid

Inventors

• Chiang Yuh-Min
• Dority Doug
• Dickens Dustin
• Glass Jennifer
• Van Atta Reuel

Classifications

• B01L2400/0487

  fluid pressure, pneumatics · CPC title

• B01L3/5027

  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 · 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

• B01L2200/0673

  Handling of plugs of fluid surrounded by immiscible fluid · CPC title

• B01L2300/0636

  Integrated biosensor, microarrays · CPC title