Apparatus for applying thermal energy to a receptacle and detecting an emission signal from the receptacle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11788128-B2
Application number	US-202017029930-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 23, 2020
Priority date	Jul 31, 2012
Publication date	Oct 17, 2023
Grant date	Oct 17, 2023

Abstract

An apparatus for performing nucleic acid amplification reactions includes a thermally-conductive receptacle holder with front and back surfaces. The front surface includes a row of receptacle wells, and an outer surface of each well has a frustoconical shape, an inner surface of each well receives a receptacle, and each well has a through-hole extending between the inner and outer surfaces thereof. One or more thermal elements in contact with the back surface of the holder alter a temperature(s) of the holder. The apparatus includes multiple optical fibers, and each optical fiber provides optical communication between one of the wells and an excitation signal source and/or an emission signal detector. A first end of each optical fiber is disposed outside, within, or extends through the through-hole of a corresponding well, and a second end of each optical fiber is in optical communication with the excitation signal source and/or the emission signal detector.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for performing nucleic acid amplification reactions, comprising:
a thermally-conductive receptacle holder having a front surface and a back surface, the front surface comprising a row of receptacle wells, wherein an outer surface of each of the receptacle wells has a frustoconical shape, wherein an inner surface of each of the receptacle wells is defined to receive a receptacle, and wherein each of the receptacle wells has a through-hole extending between the inner and outer surfaces thereof;
one or more thermal elements for altering a temperature(s) of the receptacle holder, the one or more thermal elements being in contact with the back surface of the receptacle holder; and
a plurality of optical fibers, each of the optical fibers providing optical communication between one of the receptacle wells and at least one of an excitation signal source and an emission signal detector, wherein a first end of each of the optical fibers is disposed outside, within, or extends through the through-hole of a corresponding one of the receptacle wells, and wherein a second end of each optical fiber is in optical communication with the excitation signal source and/or the emission signal detector.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising two or more thermistors disposed in contact with the receptacle holder.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the two or more thermistors comprise one or more thermistors disposed in contact with each of the receptacle wells.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 , further comprising a channel disposed within the back surface and containing wires and/or electrical connections for the two or more thermistors.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the channel extends from an edge of the back surface to a location corresponding to a center-most receptacle well of the receptacle holder.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , further comprising a pair of closed through-holes provided at the location of the channel corresponding to the center-most receptacle at an end of the channel, the closed through-holes being disposed on opposite sides of the center-most receptacle, wherein one of the two or more thermistors is provided through each of the closed through-holes.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , further comprising a pair of bulges disposed on opposite sides of the center-most receptacle well, wherein each of the bulges is configured to accommodate one of the two or more thermistors inserted through the closed through-holes.

8. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the two or more thermistors consist of two thermistors.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a support, the support being coupled to a lateral side surface of each of the one or more thermal elements, such that the one or more thermal elements are positioned between a portion of the support and the back surface of the receptacle holder.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the support comprises:
a base portion having a plurality of through-holes, each of the through-holes being aligned with the through-hole of one of the receptacle wells; and
an upright portion extending from the base portion and coupled to the lateral side surface of the thermal element.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , further comprising a heat sink coupled to the base portion of the support, wherein the heat sink comprises a plurality of through-holes aligned with the plurality of through-holes of the base portion of the support.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a controller electrically connected to the one or more thermal elements to cycle the temperature of each of the one or more thermal elements.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first end of each optical fiber is fixedly disposed within the through-hole of the corresponding receptacle well.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a cover movable between an open position and a closed position relative to the receptacle holder, wherein one or more receptacles disposed within one or more of the receptacle wells are seated or secured within the receptacle well by the cover when the cover is moved from the open position to the closed position, and wherein the first end of each optical fiber moves within its corresponding through-hole when (1) the cover is moved to the open or closed position, or (2) a receptacle is present in the receptacle well and the cover is moved to the open or closed position.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the apparatus does not include a cover.

Assignees

• Gen Probe Inc

Inventors

• Buse David
• Combs David Howard
• Hagen Norbert D
• Opalsky David
• Richardson Bruce
• Prasad Anita
• Moravick Keith
• Moore Tyler

Classifications

• C12Q1/686 Primary

  Polymerase chain reaction [PCR] · CPC title

• B01L7/52 Primary

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

• G01N21/6452

  Individual samples arranged in a regular 2D-array, e.g. multiwell plates · CPC title

• B01L9/06

  Test-tube stands; Test-tube holders · CPC title

• B01L2200/141

  Preventing contamination, tampering · CPC title