Micro-screening Apparatus, Process, and Products

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016245805-A1
Application number	US-201615050130-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 22, 2016
Priority date	Feb 22, 2015
Publication date	Aug 25, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Microcavity arrays and methods for quantitative biochemical and biophysical analysis of populations of biological variants. Examples include high-throughput analysis of cells and protein products use a range of fluorescent assays, including binding-affinity measurement and time-resolved enzyme assays. Laser-based extraction of microcavity contents.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A system comprising an array comprising a plurality of distinct cavities comprising open first ends and open second ends, an electromagnetic radiation absorbing material associated with cavities, and a pulsed diode laser configured to deliver electromagnetic radiation to the electromagnetic radiation absorbing material.

2 . The array of claim 1 , wherein the cavities comprise fused capillaries.

3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the electromagnetic radiation absorbing material comprises particles in the cavities.

4 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the array is treated to inhibit transmission of electromagnetic radiation between the cavities.

5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the electromagnetic radiation absorbing material inhibits the transmission of electromagnetic radiation between the cavities.

6 . The system of claim 5 , wherein the wherein the array is constructed of an opaque material comprising a lead glass that has been reduced in a hydrogen atmosphere.

7 . The system of claim 6 , wherein the electromagnetic radiation absorbing material is a lead-silicate layer.

8 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the pulsed diode laser is configured to deliver the electromagnetic radiation to the material associated with a surface of a cavity.

9 . The system of claim 7 , wherein the surface is located at the meniscus of a liquid in the cavity.

10 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the pulsed diode laser is configured to deliver electromagnetic radiation to the array of 2-20 pulses having pulse length of 1-10 milliseconds with a pulse separation of 10 to 100 millisecond.

11 . The system of claim 3 , wherein the particles are magnetic and the system comprises a magnet for accumulating the particles at a surface of liquid contents of a cavity of the array.

12 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising a heatable capture surface for capturing extracted contents from a cavity of the array.

13 . A method for extracting the contents of a cavity of a microcavity array, the method comprising focusing electromagnetic radiation from a pulsed diode laser at an electromagnetic radiation absorbing material associated with the cavity.

14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the electromagnetic radiation absorbing material comprises microparticles in the cavity.

15 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the array is constructed of an opaque material comprising a lead glass that has been reduced in a hydrogen atmosphere.

16 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the laser is focused at a surface of the material in contact with a liquid in the cavity.

17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the laser directs the focus of the electromagnetic radiation at the material located at a meniscus of the liquid.

18 . The system of claim 13 , wherein the focusing of the electromagnetic radiation at the materials comprises applying the electromagnetic radiation to the radiation absorbing material to avoid heating a liquid that is not in contact with the material.

19 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the pulsed diode laser delivers electromagnetic radiation to the array in 2-20 pulses having pulse length of 1-10 milliseconds with a pulse separation of 10 to 100 millisecond.

20 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of distinct cavities comprises open first ends and open second ends, wherein the open first ends of essentially all of the plurality of cavities collectively comprise a porous planar hydrophilic surface, and the open second ends of essentially all of the plurality of cavities comprise a porous planar hydrophobic surface.

21 . An array comprising,
(a) a plurality of distinct cavities comprising open first ends and open second ends, wherein the open first ends of essentially all of the plurality of cavities collectively comprise a first porous planar surface, and the open second ends of essentially all of the plurality of cavities comprise second porous planar surface, and (b) an absorbent matrix covering the first surface comprising at least one of a liquid, a nutrient, and a reagent.

22 . The array of claim 21 , wherein the cover is configured to exchange at least one of a liquid, a nutrient, and a reagent with contents of the cavities of the array.

23 . The array of claim 22 , wherein the cover is an agarose matrix.

24 . A microcavity array comprising a plurality of distinct cavities comprising at least one open end, and a heatable capture surface for collecting contents extracted from the array.

25 . A method of preventing mass transfer of the contents of a microcavity array to a capture surface, the method comprising heating the capture surface.

26 . A method for sustaining the viability of cells extracted from a microcavity array, the method comprising, extracting the contents of a cavity comprising cells from at least one cavity of the array onto a capture surface, and contacting the capture surface with a culture matrix comprising media that sustains the viability of the cells.

27 . The method of claim 26 , where the culture matrix comprises agarose.

Assignees

• Univ Leland Stanford Junior

Inventors

• Baer Thomas M
• Cochran Jennifer R
• Chen Bob
• Alford Spencer Caleb
• Dimov Ivan

Classifications

• C40B30/08

  by measuring catalytic activity · CPC title

• B01J2219/00317

  Microwell devices, i.e. having large numbers of wells · CPC title

• C12N15/1079 Primary

  Screening libraries by altering the phenotype or phenotypic trait of the host (reporter assays C12N15/1086) · CPC title

• G01N33/54366

  Apparatus specially adapted for solid-phase testing · CPC title

• G01N33/502

  for testing non-proliferative effects · CPC title