Immunoassay apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018024128-A1
Application number	US-201715719642-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 29, 2017
Priority date	Mar 31, 2015
Publication date	Jan 25, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

An immunoassay apparatus may include: a sample dispenser part that dispenses a sample into a first reaction container; a reagent dispenser part that dispenses, into the first reaction container,: a solid-phase reagent containing a solid-phase carrier; a labeled reagent; and a releasing reagent that releases, from the solid-phase carrier, an immune complex including a target substance and a labeled substance; a measurement part that measures a signal based on the labeled substance in the immune complex in a second reaction container; a container supply part that stores a plurality of reaction containers; a transfer part that transfers the first reaction container so that the sample dispenser part and the reagent dispenser part perform a dispensing operation to the first reaction container, and that transfers the second reaction container so that the immune complex dispended from the first reaction container is dispensed into the second container.

First claim

1 . An immunoassay apparatus comprising:
a sample dispenser part that dispenses a sample into a first reaction container; a reagent dispenser part that dispenses, into the first reaction container:
a solid-phase reagent containing a solid-phase carrier;
a labeled reagent containing a labeled substance; and
a releasing reagent that releases, from the solid-phase carrier, an immune complex including a target substance included in the sample and the labeled substance;
a measurement part that measures a signal based on the labeled substance included in the immune complex in a second reaction container; a container supply part that stores a plurality of reaction containers including the first reaction container and the second reaction container; a transfer part that transfers the first reaction container supplied from the container supply part so that the sample dispenser part and the reagent dispenser part perform a dispensing operation to the first reaction container, and that transfers the second reaction container supplied from the container supply part so that the immune complex dispended from the first reaction container is dispensed into the second container.

2 . The immunoassay apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the sample dispenser part dispenses, from the first reaction container, the immune complex released from the solid-phase carrier by the releasing reagent into the second reaction container.

3 . The immunoassay apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the reagent dispenser part dispenses, from the first reaction container, the immune complex released from the solid-phase carrier by the releasing reagent into the second reaction container.

4 . The immunoassay apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising an immune-complex dispenser part that dispenses the released immune complex, wherein
the immune-complex dispenser part dispenses, from the first reaction container, the immune complex released from the solid-phase carrier by the releasing reagent into the second reaction container.

5 . The immunoassay apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein a dispensing tip is detachably attachable to an end of the sample dispenser part,
the sample dispenser part dispenses the sample into the first reaction container via a first dispensing tip, and the sample dispenser part, via a second dispensing tip attached by replacing the first dispensing tip, aspirates the immune complex from the first reaction container and dispenses the immune complex into the second reaction container.

6 . The immunoassay apparatus according to claim 5 , further comprising a dispensing-tip supply part that supplies the dispensing tip to a tip attachment position, wherein the first dispensing tip and the second dispensing tip are attached to the end of the sample dispenser part in the tip attachment position.

7 . The immunoassay apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising a reaction-container holding part including holding holes, each of which is configured to hold a reaction container, wherein
the transfer part transfers the first reaction container and the second reaction container to the holding holes of the reaction-container holding part, and the sample dispenser part dispenses, into the second reaction container held by the reaction-container holding part, the immune complex in the first reaction container held by the reaction-container holding part.

8 . The immunoassay apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein every time the sample dispenser part performs any of a dispensing operation using the first dispensing tip and a dispensing operation using the second dispensing tip, a used dispensing tip attached to the sample dispenser part is replaced with an unused dispensing tip.

9 . The immunoassay apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a BF separation part that separates the solid-phase carrier on which the immune complex is formed and a liquid component, wherein
the reagent dispenser part dispenses a first solid-phase reagent containing a first solid-phase carrier into the first reaction container and dispenses a second solid-phase reagent containing a second solid-phase carrier into the second reaction container storing the dispensed immune complex, and the BF separation part performs separation processing for the immune complex in the first reaction container storing the dispensed first solid-phase reagent and separation processing for the immune complex in the second reaction container storing the dispensed second solid-phase reagent.

10 . The immunoassay apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a controller that switches a first test mode of measuring the signal based on the labeled substance included in the immune complex stored in the second reaction container and a second test mode of measuring a signal based on the labeled substance included in the immune complex stored in the first reaction container.

11 . The immunoassay apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the controller switches the first test mode and the second test mode according to selection by a user.

12 . The immunoassay apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the controller switches the first test mode and the second test mode according to a measurement item.

13 . The immunoassay apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a controller that controls first test processing including:
first solid phasing processing of binding the immune complex and a first solid-phase carrier; releasing processing of releasing the immune complex from the first solid-phase carrier; second solid phasing processing of binding the immune complex and a second solid-phase carrier; and measurement processing of measuring the signal, wherein the controller allocates the first reaction container and the second reaction container to the first test processing for a measurement order.

14 . The immunoassay apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein the controller allocates the second reaction container to the first reaction container before completion of the releasing processing.

15 . The immunoassay apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein based on reception of the measurement order, the controller allocates the first reaction container and the second reaction container to the first test processing for the measurement order.

16 . The immunoassay apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein the controller controls the first test processing in the first solid phasing processing such that after performing labeled substance binding processing of binding the target substance and the labeled substance, the first test processing performs first solid-phase carrier binding processing of binding the immune complex including the target substance and the labeled substance to the first solid-phase carrier.

17 . The immunoassay apparatus according to claim 16 , further comprising a BF separation part that separates the solid-phase carrier on which the immune complex is formed and a liquid component, wherein
the controller controls the first test processing further including, after the first solid phasing processing, first BF separation processing of discarding a liquid phase separated in BF separation by the BF separation part and second BF separation processing of dispensing, into the second reaction container, the immune complex released from the solid-phase carrier by the releasing reagent.

18 . The immunoassay apparatus according to claim 17 , wherein the controller controls the first test processing such that the second BF separation processing is performed be

Assignees

• Sysmex Corp

Inventors

• Sato Toshiyuki
• Fukuju Toshikatsu
• Kaneko Shuhei
• Aoki Atsushi
• Okuzaki Tomohiro
• Takeuchi Yasuhiro
• Kawamoto Yutaka

Classifications

• G01N33/543

  with an insoluble carrier for immobilising immunochemicals · CPC title

• G01N2035/103

  using disposable tips · CPC title

• G01N35/1002

  Reagent dispensers · CPC title

• G01N35/025

  having a carousel or turntable for reaction cells or cuvettes · CPC title

• G01N35/10

  Devices for transferring samples {or any liquids} to, in, or from, the analysis apparatus, e.g. suction devices, injection devices {(G01N35/0099 takes precedence)} · CPC title