Analysis unit for a transportable microfluidic device, in particular for sample preparation and molecule analysis

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12017222-B2
Application number	US-202117465732-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 2, 2021
Priority date	Dec 28, 2017
Publication date	Jun 25, 2024
Grant date	Jun 25, 2024

Abstract

An analysis unit formed by an analysis body housing an analysis chamber and having a sample inlet and a supply channel configured to fluidically connect the sample inlet to the analysis chamber. Dried assay reagents are arranged in the analysis chamber and are contained in an alveolar mass. For instance, the alveolar mass is a lyophilized mass formed by excipients and by assay-specific reagents.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An analysis unit, comprising:
an analysis body including an upper side and a lower side opposite to the upper side, the analysis body having a first and second sidewall opposite to each other and transverse to the upper side and the lower side, and the first sidewall and the second sidewall are between the upper side and the lower side;
a sidewall inlet in the first sidewall of the analysis body;
a sidewall outlet in the second sidewall of the analysis body;
a sample chamber in the analysis body and closer to the first sidewall than the second sidewall, the sample chamber including:
an upper end and a lower end opposite to the upper end, the upper end is closer to the upper side than the lower side, and the lower end is closer to the lower side than the upper side;
a first sample chamber sidewall and a second sample chamber sidewall opposite to each other and transverse to the upper and lower ends, and the first and second sample chamber sidewalls are disposed between the upper end and the lower end;
a sample inlet at the upper end, in the first sample chamber sidewall, and in fluid communication with the sidewall inlet, and the sample inlet facing towards the second sample chamber sidewall; and
a sample outlet at and in the lower end, the sample outlet is transverse relative to the sample inlet, and the sample outlet faces towards the upper end;

a first analysis chamber in the analysis body, the first analysis chamber includes a first analysis inlet closer to the upper side of the analysis body than the lower side of the analysis body;
a first portion of dried assay reagents in the first analysis chamber, the first portion of the dried assay reagents is part of an alveolar mass; and
a supply channel fluidically connects the sample outlet of the sample chamber to the first analysis inlet of the first analysis chamber, the supply channel is configured to, in operation, enable a movement of liquid samples by capillarity, and the supply channel includes:
a first branch that is in fluid communication with the sample outlet and extends from the sample outlet in a first direction directed from the upper side to the lower side;
a second branch in fluidic communication with the first branch and extends in a second direction transverse to the first direction;
a third branch in fluidic communication with the second branch, the third branch extends in a third direction opposite to the first direction and transverse to the second direction; and
a fourth branch in fluidic communication with the third branch and the first analysis inlet, the fourth branch extends in the second direction, and the fourth branch is in fluidic communication with the sidewall outlet.

2. The analysis unit according to claim 1 , wherein the alveolar mass is a lyophilized mass.

3. The analysis unit according to claim 1 , wherein the alveolar mass is formed by excipients and assay-specific reagents.

4. The analysis unit according to claim 3 , wherein the excipients comprise agarose, calcium alginate, polyacrylamide, hydroxyethylcellulose, polyethylene glycol or zeolites.

5. The analysis unit according to claim 1 , wherein an external pump is configured to, in operation, generate a suction force at the sidewall outlet to generate the movement of liquid samples through the supply channel.

6. The analysis unit according to claim 1 , further comprising a second analysis chamber with a second analysis inlet in fluidic connection with the supply channel, the second analysis chamber is spaced apart from the first analysis chamber, and the second analysis chamber accommodating a second portion of the dried assay reagents of the alveolar mass.

7. The analysis unit according to claim 6 , wherein the first and second analysis chambers of a plurality of analysis chambers are isolated from each other by an inert liquid that is non-mixable with the liquid samples and the first and second portions of the dried assay reagents.

8. The analysis unit according to claim 7 , wherein the inert liquid comprises mineral oil, liquid paraffin or paraffin wax.

9. The analysis unit according to claim 6 , further comprising a vent channel in fluid communication with the first analysis chamber.

10. The analysis unit according to claim 1 , wherein the first branch, the second branch, the third branch, and the fourth branch of the supply channel have a radius of 1 mm.

11. A portable microfluidic device, comprising:
a casing having an opening on a first face and a fluidic inlet and a fluidic outlet on a second face opposite the first face, wherein the casing houses:
an extraction chamber in fluidic connection with the opening and configured to receive liquid samples from the opening and to extract nucleic acids from the liquid samples;
a plurality of reagent chambers coupled to the extraction chamber and configured to supply preparation reagents for extracting the nucleic acids from the liquid samples to the extraction chamber;
a waste chamber in fluidic connection with the extraction chamber and configured to receive the spent preparation reagents; and
a collector including an analysis unit in fluidic connection with the extraction chamber and configured to analyze the nucleic acids,
the analysis unit comprising:
an analysis body including an upper side and a lower side opposite to the upper side, the analysis body having a first and second sidewall opposite to each other and transverse to the upper side and the lower side, and the first sidewall and the second sidewall are between the upper side and the lower side;
a sidewall inlet in the first sidewall of the analysis body;
a sidewall outlet in the second sidewall of the analysis body;
a sample chamber in the analysis body and closer to the first sidewall than the second sidewall,
the sample chamber including:
an upper end and a lower end opposite to the upper end, the upper end is closer to the upper side than the lower side, and the lower end is closer to the lower side than the upper side;
a first sample chamber sidewall and a second sample chamber sidewall opposite to each other and transverse to the upper and lower ends, and the first and second sample chamber sidewalls are disposed between the upper end and the lower end;
a sample inlet at the upper end, in the first sample chamber sidewall, and in fluid communication with the sidewall inlet, the sample inlet facing towards the second sample chamber sidewall; and
a sample outlet at and in the lower end, the sample outlet is transverse relative to the sample inlet, and the sample outlet faces towards the upper end;
an analysis chamber in the analysis body, the analysis chamber includes an analysis inlet closer to the upper side of the analysis body than the lower side of the analysis body;
a first portion of dried assay reagents in the analysis chamber, the first portion of the dried assay reagents are part of an alveolar mass; and
a supply channel fluidically connects the sample outlet to the analysis inlet of the analysis chamber, the supply channel is configured to, in operation, enable a movement of liquid samples by capillarity, and the supply channel includes:
a first branch that is in fluid communication with the sample outlet and extends from the sample outlet in a first direction directed from the upper side to the lower side;
a second branch in fluidic communication with the first branch and extends in a second direction transverse to the first direction;
a third branch in fluidic communication with the second branch, the third branch extends in a third direction opposite to the first direction and transverse to the second direction; and
a fourth branch in fluidic communication wit

Assignees

• St Microelectronics Srl

Inventors

• Cereda Marco
• Raia Lillo
• Pirola Danilo

Classifications

• C12M23/16

  Microfluidic devices; Capillary tubes (integrated microfluidic structures B01L3/5027; microreactors B01J19/0093) · CPC title

• B01L3/50273

  characterised by the means or forces applied to move the fluids · CPC title

• B01L3/502723

  characterised by venting arrangements · CPC title

• B01F33/452

  using independent floating stirring elements · CPC title

• B01F33/406

  in receptacles with gas supply only at the bottom (B01F33/405 takes precedence) · CPC title