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-11319585-B2
Application number	US-201916655911-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 17, 2019
Priority date	Aug 22, 2005
Publication date	May 3, 2022
Grant date	May 3, 2022

Abstract

A system may include a first conduit configured to form a first batch of discrete volumes of aqueous fluid separated by spacing liquid disposed between consecutive volumes of aqueous fluid, the spacing liquid being immiscible with the aqueous fluid volumes; a second conduit, fluidically coupled to the first conduit, the second conduit configured to statically hold the first batch of discrete volumes of aqueous fluid; and a third conduit configured to receive the first batch of discrete volumes of aqueous fluid from the second conduit. The third conduit can be configured to transfer the discrete volumes of aqueous fluid of the first batch for downstream processing.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
a fluidic network comprising:
a first conduit,
a second conduit,
a third conduit,
a fourth conduit,
a first junction coupling the first conduit to the second conduit,
a second junction coupling the second conduit to the third conduit, and
a third junction coupling the third conduit to the fourth conduit;

a pressure differential source operably coupled to the fluidic network;
a fluorescence detector arranged external to a location along the third conduit and to detect fluorescence transmitted along an optical path from an interior of the third conduit to the fluorescence detector; and
a flow control system operably coupled to the fluidic network and the pressure differential source, wherein in an operational state the flow control system is configured to control flow of liquid through the fluidic network such that:
the first conduit receives discrete volumes of an aqueous liquid and a spacing liquid into the first conduit such that the discrete volumes of the aqueous liquid are separated from each other by the spacing liquid, the spacing liquid being immiscible with the discrete volumes of the aqueous liquid,
the second conduit receives a plurality of the discrete volumes from the first conduit through the first junction,
the third conduit receives a first batch of the plurality of the discrete volumes of the aqueous liquid from the second conduit through the second junction and the discrete volumes of the aqueous liquid of the first batch individually flow through the optical path of the fluorescence detector while the second conduit holds a second batch of the plurality of the discrete volumes of the aqueous liquid, and
the fourth conduit supplies spacing liquid to the third conduit through the third junction to adjust spacing between the discrete volumes of the first batch in the third conduit.

2. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the fluorescence detector is arranged external to the location of the third conduit and is further configured to detect fluorescence from an amplification product of a thermal cycling nucleic acid sequence amplification process occurring in an individual volume of the discrete volumes of the aqueous liquid as the discrete volumes flow individually through the optical path of the fluorescence detector.

3. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the fluorescence detector is arranged external to the location of the third conduit and is further configured to detect fluorescence from a fluorescent marker for a fluorescence detection assay occurring in an individual volume of the discrete volumes of the aqueous liquid as the discrete volumes flow individually through the optical path of the fluorescence detector.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein, in the operational state, the flow control system is further configured to control the flow of liquid through the fluidic network such that the second batch of the discrete volumes of the aqueous liquid is held in the second conduit while the first conduit is receiving the discrete volumes of the aqueous liquid.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first conduit comprises a pipette.

6. The system of claim 5 , further comprising a platform configured to support a well plate, wherein the pipette is movable relative to the platform.

7. The system of claim 6 , further comprising a motion system operably coupled to the pipette and configured to move the pipette relative to the platform.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the motion system is configured to move the pipette in a plane parallel to the platform.

9. The system of claim 7 , wherein the motion system is configured to move the pipette perpendicular to a plane of the platform.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein, in the operational state, the flow control system is further configured to control flow of liquid through the fluidic network such that the third conduit flows the discrete volumes of the aqueous liquid in the spacing liquid in a single file line.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein one or more of the first, second, and third junctions comprises a valve, the valve being operably coupled to the flow control system.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the fluidic network further comprises a fifth conduit surrounding at least a portion of the first conduit.

13. The system of claim 12 , further comprising a fluid supply system operably couple to the flow control system and configured to deliver fluid through the fifth conduit around the first conduit.

Assignees

• Applied Biosystems Llc

Inventors

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

Classifications

• B01J2219/00619

  using hydrophilic or hydrophobic regions · CPC title

• F16K99/0001

  Microvalves (microdevices B81B1/00; manufacture or treatment of devices or systems in or on a substrate B81C1/00; microfluidic structures B01L3/5027; micropumps F04B19/006) · 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

• B01L2400/0487

  fluid pressure, pneumatics · CPC title

• Y10T137/85978

  With pump · CPC title