Device and method for making discrete volumes of a first fluid in contact with a second fluid, which are immiscible with each other

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10450604-B2
Application number	US-201514844279-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 3, 2015
Priority date	Aug 22, 2005
Publication date	Oct 22, 2019
Grant date	Oct 22, 2019

Abstract

A method for generating, within a conduit, discrete volumes of one or more fluids that are immiscible with a second fluid. The discrete volumes can be used for biochemical or molecular biology procedures involving small volumes, for example, microliter-sized volumes, nanoliter-sized volumes, or smaller. The discrete volumes are separated from one another by a liquid that is immiscible with the fluid(s) of the discrete volumes, for example, aqueous immiscible-fluid-discrete volumes separated by an oil.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
suctioning discrete volumes of aqueous fluid and a spacing liquid into a first conduit such that the discrete volumes of aqueous fluid are carried and separated by the spacing liquid, the spacing liquid being disposed between the discrete volumes of aqueous fluid in the first conduit, and the spacing liquid being immiscible with the discrete volumes of aqueous fluid;
transferring a first set and a second set of the discrete volumes of aqueous fluid separated by the spacing liquid from the first conduit to a second conduit;
transferring the first set of discrete volumes of aqueous fluid separated by the spacing liquid from the second conduit to a third conduit;
processing the first set of discrete volumes of aqueous fluid in the third conduit;
holding in the second conduit the second set of the discrete volumes of aqueous fluid transferred to the second conduit while the first set of discrete volumes of aqueous fluid is transferred to and processed in the third conduit;
after holding in the second conduit, transferring the second set of discrete volumes of aqueous fluid from the second conduit to the third conduit; and
processing the second set of discrete volumes of aqueous fluid in the third conduit.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the processing comprises thermally cycling the first set and the second set of discrete volumes of aqueous fluid in a thermal cycling nucleic acid sequence amplification process.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the processing further comprises detecting a fluorescence of the first set and the second set of discrete volumes of aqueous fluid in a fluorescence detection process.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the processing comprises detecting a fluorescence of the first set and the second set of discrete volumes of aqueous fluid in a fluorescence detection process.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the discrete volumes of aqueous fluid and the spacing liquid are suctioned from a vessel into the first conduit.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein suctioning the discrete volumes of aqueous fluid and the spacing liquid into the first conduit comprises filling an inner cross-sectional area of the first conduit with the spacing liquid disposed between discrete volumes of aqueous fluid.

Assignees

• Applied Biosystems Llc

Inventors

• Wiyatno Willy
• Lee Linda
• Cox David
• Nurse James
• Greiner Douglas
• Lehto Dennis
• Wojtowicz Janusz
• Woo Sam
• Reel Richard

Classifications

• B01L3/502784

  specially adapted for droplet or plug flow, e.g. digital microfluidics · CPC title

• F16K99/0011

  Gate valves or sliding valves · CPC title

• B01J2219/00637

  by coating it with another layer · CPC title

• B01L2200/0673

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

• B01J2219/00619

  using hydrophilic or hydrophobic regions · CPC title