Systems and methods for biochemical analysis including a base instrument and a removable cartridge

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10427155-B2
Application number	US-201515313643-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 27, 2015
Priority date	May 27, 2014
Publication date	Oct 1, 2019
Grant date	Oct 1, 2019

Abstract

Systems and methods for conducting designated reactions utilizing a base instrument and a removable cartridge. The removable cartridge includes a fluidic network that receives and fluidically directs a biological sample to conduct the designated reactions. The removable cartridge also includes a flow-control valve that is operably coupled to the fluidic network and is movable relative to the fluidic network to control flow of the biological sample therethrough. The removable cartridge is configured to separably engage a base instrument. The base instrument includes a valve actuator that engages the flow-control valve of the removable cartridge. A detection assembly held by at least one of the removable cartridge or the base instrument may be used to detect the designated reactions.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
a removable cartridge having a cartridge housing and including a fluidic network disposed within the cartridge housing, the fluidic network to receive and fluidically direct a biological sample to conduct at least one of sample analysis or sample preparation, the removable cartridge having a plurality of stacked layers to form a sample channel, the sample channel in flow communication with a first port, the removable cartridge also including a flow-control valve that is operably coupled to the fluidic network, the flow-control valve comprising a valve cavity in flow communication with the first port, the flow-control valve movable from a first condition to a second condition relative to the valve cavity, wherein the first port permits flow of the biological sample through the valve cavity when the flow-control valve is in the first condition and wherein the first port is blocked to control flow of the biological sample through the valve cavity when the flow-control valve is in the second condition, the cartridge housing including a housing side that defines an exterior of the removable cartridge and permits operative access to the flow-control valve;
a base instrument having a control side to separably engage the housing side of the removable cartridge, the housing side and the control side collectively defining a system interface when the removable cartridge and the base instrument are engaged, the base instrument including a valve actuator that engages the flow-control valve through the system interface, wherein the valve actuator includes an elongated actuator body that extends through the housing side and into the cartridge housing; and
a detection assembly held by at least one of the removable cartridge or the base instrument, the detection assembly including an imaging detector and a reaction chamber that is in flow communication with the fluidic network, the imaging detector to detect designated reactions within the reaction chamber.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the control side and the housing side are generally planar and face each other, wherein the system interface is a single-sided interface in which the base instrument and the removable cartridge are operably coupled to each other only through the housing side and the control side.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the base instrument and the removable cartridge are operably coupled such that the base instrument and the removable cartridge are secured to each other at the system interface with at least one of a fluidic coupling, an electric coupling, or a thermal coupling established through the system interface.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein each of the removable cartridge and the base instrument includes a flow port, the flow ports to be fluidically coupled to each other at the system interface when the removable cartridge and the base instrument are engaged.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the flow-control valve includes a flexible membrane to control the flow of the biological sample through the fluidic network, the flexible membrane being flexed between first and second conditions by the valve actuator.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the housing side of the cartridge housing includes an access opening therethrough that receives the valve actuator.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the flow-control valve includes a rotatable valve to control the flow of the fluid through the fluidic network, the rotatable valve being rotated by the valve actuator.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the base instrument includes a system controller having a valve-control module to control operation of the valve actuator to control flow of the biological sample through the fluidic network.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the base instrument includes the system controller having the valve-control module to control operation of the valve actuator to conduct a sequencing-by-synthesis (SBS) protocol.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the cartridge housing includes a fluidic-coupling port that is exposed to the exterior and is in flow communication with the fluidic network, the fluidic-coupling port to engage an instrument port to receive fluid therethrough.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the housing side is a first housing side and the cartridge housing further comprise a second housing side, the first and second housing sides facing different directions, wherein the system interface is a multi-sided interface in which the base instrument and the removable cartridge are to be operably coupled to each other along each of the first and second housing sides.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the first and second housing sides are perpendicular to each other, the base instrument having an instrument housing that includes first and second control sides that face in perpendicular directions and form an open-sided recess of the base instrument, the removable cartridge being disposed within the open-sided recess such that the first and second housing sides engage the first and second control sides.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein each of the removable cartridge and the base instrument includes a contact array of electrical contacts, the contact arrays being electrically coupled to one another at the system interface.

14. The system of claim 11 , wherein the first and second housing sides face in opposite directions, the base instrument having an instrument side and a cartridge-receiving slot that opens to the instrument side, the removable cartridge disposed within the cartridge-receiving slot.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the removable cartridge and the base instrument are to be fluidically coupled along the first housing side and to be electrically coupled along the second housing side.

16. The system of claim 1 , wherein the base instrument includes a thermal block and the fluidic network of the cartridge housing includes a sample channel where designated reactions with the biological sample are to occur, the housing side including an access opening that extends along the sample channel and receives the thermal block for changing a temperature of the sample channel.

17. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of stacked layers comprises a plurality of stacked printed circuit board (PCB) layers, the PCB layers including fluidic layers that define channels and a reaction chamber when the PCB layers are stacked, the PCB layers also including a wiring layer.

18. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
a rotatable valve is disposed within the cartridge housing, the rotatable valve having a fluidic side and a plurality of valve ports that open at the fluidic side, the rotatable valve having at least one flow channel extending between the valve ports, wherein the rotatable valve is rotatable between different rotational positions;
the fluidic network further comprises a microfluidic body having a body side that is slidably coupled to the fluidic side of the rotatable valve, the microfluidic body including:
the sample channel, the sample channel having a network port that opens to the body side of the microfluidic body;
a reservoir to hold a reagent, the reservoir being in flow communication with a reservoir port that opens to the fluidic side of the microfluidic body; and
a feed channel in flow communication with a reaction chamber of the fluidic network, the feed channel having a feed port that opens to the body side of the microfluidic body; and

the rotatable valve rotates between first and second rotational positions, the network port being flui

Assignees

• Ilumina Inc
• Illumina Inc

Inventors

• Aravanis Alex
• Boyanov Boyan
• Bowen M Shane
• Buermann Dale
• Hsiao Alexander
• Javanmardi Behnam
• Khurana Tarun
• Sabounchi Poorya
• Tran Hai Quang

Classifications

• B01L2300/1805

  Conductive heating, heat from thermostatted solids is conducted to receptacles, e.g. heating plates, blocks · CPC title

• B01L2200/16

  Reagents, handling or storing thereof · CPC title

• B01L2300/0874

  Three dimensional network · CPC title

• F16K2099/008

  Multi-layer fabrications · CPC title

• F16K99/0059

  actuated by a pilot fluid · CPC title