Liquid feeding system for microchip, sample detection device, and liquid feeding method for liquid feeding system for microchip

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9375713-B2
Application number	US-201013393020-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 3, 2010
Priority date	Sep 7, 2009
Publication date	Jun 28, 2016
Grant date	Jun 28, 2016

Abstract

A liquid feeding system for a microchip performs: a first liquid feeding step in which a sample liquid in a sample liquid containing section is fed in the direction to a primary containing section via a reaction field; a second liquid feeding step in which, after the first liquid feeding step, the sample liquid is fed from the primary containing section in the direction to the reaction field; and a third liquid feeding step in which, after the second liquid feeding step, the feedings of the sample liquid from and to the reaction field and the primary containing section a rear side gas-liquid boundary face of the sample liquid in the first liquid feeding step and the front side and rear side gas-liquid boundary faces of the sample liquid in the second and third liquid feeding steps do not pass through the reaction field.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A liquid feeding system for a microchip comprising:
a flow path having a reaction field in which is fixed an antibody that reacts specifically with an antigen in an analyte liquid;
a pipette connected to one end side of the flow path;
mixing chamber connected to the other end side of the flow path;
a pump that reciprocatingly feeds the analyte liquid with respect to the reaction field by applying driving force via a gas to the analyte liquid in the pipette; and
a processor that controls drive of the pump;
wherein the processor is structured to drive the pump to carry out:
a first liquid feeding step comprising feeding the analyte liquid of the pipette via the reaction field in a direction toward the mixing chamber;
a second liquid feeding step comprising feeding the analyte liquid in a direction from the mixing chamber toward the reaction field, after the first liquid feeding step; and
a third liquid feeding step comprising repeating the feeding of the analyte liquid in the direction from the reaction field toward the mixing chamber and the feeding of the analyte liquid in the direction from the mixing chamber toward the reaction field, after the second liquid feeding step,

wherein the processor is structured to control the pump so that a rear gas-liquid interface of the analyte liquid in the first liquid feeding step, and a front gas-liquid interface and the rear gas-liquid interface of the analyte liquid in the second and the third liquid feeding steps do not pass beyond the reaction field, wherein the rear gas-liquid interface of the analyte liquid exists in the pipette all through the first liquid feeding step, the second liquid feeding step, and the third liquid feeding step.

2. The liquid feeding system for a microchip described in claim 1 , wherein the processor carries out a fourth liquid feeding step of feeding the analyte liquid so as to be expelled from the reaction field after the third liquid feeding step, wherein the processor carries out control of the pump so that the front gas-liquid interface of the analyte liquid in the fourth liquid feeding step does not pass beyond the reaction field.

3. The liquid feeding system for a microchip described in claim 1 , wherein, by the control of the processor, the rear gas-liquid interface of the analyte liquid in the first liquid feeding step and the front and rear gas-liquid interfaces in the second liquid feeding step and the third liquid feeding step continue to be positioned above a height of an inside surface of a top wall of the flow path in the reaction field.

4. The liquid feeding system for a microchip described in claim 1 , comprising:
a first liquid position checking sensor provided at a predetermined position in a middle between the reaction field and the mixing chamber or at a predetermined position in the mixing chamber, and detecting if the analyte liquid exists or not; and
a second position checking sensor provided at a predetermined position in a middle between the reaction field and the pipette or at a predetermined position in the the pipette, and detecting if the analyte liquid exists or not;
wherein the processor controls changing the directions of liquid feeding in the third liquid feeding step, by the detections of the first liquid position checking sensor and the second liquid position checking sensor.

5. The liquid feeding system for a microchip described in claim 4 , wherein a variable volume section is provided at a middle of at least one of between the reaction field and an installation position of the first position checking sensor and between the reaction field and an installation position of the second position checking sensor.

6. The liquid feeding system for a microchip described in claim 5 , wherein the variable section comprises a stored volume varying mechanism which changes a volume for storing sample liquid of the variable volume section, with matching with a liquid feeding volume of the analyte liquid by a driving of the pump.

7. The liquid feeding system for a microchip described in claim 1 , comprising a liquid amount detecting sensor to detect a liquid feeding amount from the pipette.

8. The liquid feeding system for a microchip described in claim 1 , wherein the pump is provided to connect to a side opposite the flow path of mixing chamber.

9. An analyte detection apparatus which is a surface plasmon field enhanced resonance apparatus (SPR apparatus) or a surface plasmon field enhanced fluorescence spectroscopy apparatus (SPFS apparatus), provided with the liquid feeding system for a microchip described in claim 1 .

10. A liquid feeding method for a liquid feeding system for a microchip, the liquid feeding system comprising:
a flow path having a reaction field in which is fixed an antibody that reacts specifically with an antigen in an analyte liquid;
a pipette inserted into one end side of the flow path;
a mixing chamber connected to the other end side of the flow path; and
a pump that reciprocatingly feeds the analyte liquid with respect to the reaction field by applying driving force via a gas to the analyte liquid in the pipette,
the liquid feeding method comprising:
a first liquid feeding step comprising feeding the analyte liquid of the pipette via the reaction field in the direction of the mixing chamber;
a second liquid feeding step comprising feeding the analyte liquid after the first liquid feeding step from the mixing chamber in the direction of the reaction field; and
a third liquid feeding step comprising repeating, after the second liquid feeding step, the feeding of the analyte liquid in the direction from the reaction field toward the mixing chamber and the feeding of the analyte liquid in the direction from the mixing chamber toward the reaction field,
wherein a rear gas-liquid interface of the analyte liquid in the first liquid feeding step, and a front gas-liquid interface and the rear gas-liquid interface of the analyte liquid in the second and the third liquid feeding steps do not pass beyond the reaction field, wherein the rear gas-liquid interface of the analyte liquid exists in the pipette all through the first liquid feeding step, the second liquid feeding step and the third liquid feeding step.

11. The liquid feeding system for a microchip described in claim 1 , wherein the mixing chamber has a larger cross-section shape than the other end side of the flow path and comprises a fine air hole in a top part of the mixing chamber.

Assignees

• Aoki Youichi
• Higashino Kusunoki
• Hikage Naoki
• Konica Minolta Inc

Inventors

• Aoki Youichi
• Higashino Kusunoki
• Hikage Naoki

Classifications

• G01N21/648

  using evanescent coupling or surface plasmon coupling for the excitation of fluorescence · CPC title

• B01L2200/0684

  Venting, avoiding backpressure, avoid gas bubbles · CPC title

• G01N21/553

  and using surface plasmons (fluorescence excitation G01N21/648; enhanced Raman G01N21/658) · CPC title

• B01L2300/0636

  Integrated biosensor, microarrays · CPC title

• G01N33/54373

  involving physiochemical end-point determination, e.g. wave-guides, FETS, gratings · CPC title