JP2005037179A - Automatic measurement device with borer for cartridge seal - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an automatic measurement device having a mechanism automatically boring a seal of a cartridge without generating contamination. <P>SOLUTION: This automatic measurement device has: a dispensing device installed with a chip, having a nozzle elevatable nozzle discharging and sucking liquid through the chip; a measurement table on which the automatically measuring cartridge having at least one well and the seal sealing an opening part of the well is placed correspondingly to the nozzle; and a drive device moving the measurement table. The automatic measurement device is provided with an elavatable borer having a shaft part and a tip part having a sharp shape, the measurement table moves such that the tip part of the borer is positioned above the well of the cartridge, and the tip part of the borer bores the seal when the borer descends. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an automatic measuring apparatus for automatically quantifying components contained in a specimen, and relates to an apparatus having a mechanism for punching a seal of a cartridge used in the apparatus.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In the analysis of human blood or the like, an automatic measuring device using a cartridge having a plurality of wells and a chip for discharging or sucking a solution in the wells is used.
[0003]
The cartridge has an upper opening sealed with an aluminum foil or a plastic film. Although there is a device for setting this seal after it is manually opened by an operator, there is a problem that it takes time.
[0004]
In addition, there is a method of piercing the seal with a chip or a nozzle on which the chip is mounted, but the liquid or the like contained in the well may be scattered and contamination may occur.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
An object of the present invention is to provide an automatic measuring apparatus using a cartridge and a chip, which is provided with a mechanism for punching a seal of a cartridge automatically and without causing contamination.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The inventors of the present invention have conceived that the automatic measuring apparatus is provided with a punch having a sharp tip, and the punch is lifted to raise and lower the cartridge, thereby completing the present invention.
[0007]
That is, the present invention
(1) Dispensing device having a nozzle that can be moved up and down to discharge or suck liquid through the chip, and an automatic measurement cartridge having a seal that seals at least one well and an opening of the well. Is an automatic measurement device having a measurement table placed corresponding to the nozzle and a drive device for moving the measurement table,
The automatic measuring apparatus includes a drilling tool that has a sharp tip and a shaft, and can be moved up and down, and the measurement table moves so that the tip of the punch is positioned on the well of the cartridge. And when the drilling tool is lowered, the device is used to drill the seal by the tip of the drilling tool,
(2) The device according to (1), wherein the punching tool is moved up and down integrally with the nozzle.
(3) The device according to (1), wherein the punching tool is moved up and down independently of the nozzle,
(4) The automatic measuring apparatus includes a detaching tool for detaching the tip mounted on the nozzle from the nozzle, and the punching tool is moved up and down by the detaching tool (3) Equipment,
(5) The tip of the punch has an edge, and the device according to any one of (1) to (4), and (6) is accommodated in the well when the chip is inserted into the well. The apparatus according to any one of (1) to (5), wherein the outer diameter of the shaft portion of the punch is larger than the outer diameter of the tip on the liquid surface of the liquid.
I will provide a.
[0008]
According to another aspect of the present invention,
(7) A dispensing device having a nozzle attached and having a nozzle for discharging or sucking liquid through the chip, and an automatic measuring cartridge having a seal for sealing at least one well and an opening of the well are provided as the nozzle. An automatic measurement apparatus having a measurement table placed in correspondence with and a drive device for moving the measurement table,
The tip of the nozzle has a sharp shape, and the measurement table moves so that the nozzle is positioned on the well of the cartridge. When the nozzle is lowered, the seal is perforated by the tip of the nozzle. A device, characterized in that
Is provided.
[0009]
Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail.
The automatic measuring device of the present invention includes a dispensing device having a vertically movable nozzle for discharging or sucking a liquid, and an automatic measuring cartridge having a seal for sealing at least one well and an opening of the well. An automatic measuring device having a correspondingly mounted measurement table and a driving device for moving the measurement table, the device being provided with a punch for punching a seal of the cartridge. The automatic measuring device is usually a system that processes a plurality of reaction steps simultaneously in parallel.
[0010]
A chip can be detachably attached to the nozzle, and liquid is sucked and discharged through the chip. The dispensing apparatus includes the nozzle and a dispensing unit that dispenses a reagent and / or sample through a tip attached to the nozzle. Dispensing is usually done automatically.
[0011]
In the automatic measuring apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, the shape of the nozzle is not particularly limited as long as the tip is detachable, but usually has a tapered shape. Further, the nozzle is usually hollow because a flow path for communicating the dispensing part for sucking and discharging the liquid and the tip is provided. The dispensing unit normally discharges or sucks liquid from the tip by changing the pressure of the gas in the flow path passing through the nozzle.
[0012]
The cartridge has at least one well, typically a plurality of wells arranged in a straight line. The cartridge used in the automatic measurement apparatus of the present invention is not particularly limited, but preferred wells include a dilution well for diluting a predetermined amount of a specimen to a desired magnification, and a substance that specifically reacts with a component to be measured in the specimen. Reaction wells, reagent storage wells containing reagents necessary for measurement, dispensing wells for dispensing specimens, washing wells for washing reaction products, for measuring reaction products Measurement wells. There may be a plurality of each well. Such a cartridge is disclosed in detail in, for example, WO 01/84152. The material of the cartridge is not particularly limited, but a transparent material is preferred because optical measurements can be made through the cartridge wall. Information such as information on the specimen, information on analysis items, reagent management information, and calibration curve information used for measurement may be recorded on the cartridge. The information is recorded by, for example, attaching a barcode to the cartridge by printing, pasting or the like.
[0013]
In the present invention, the component to be measured and the principle for measuring it are not particularly limited. For example, the combination of the component to be measured and a substance that specifically reacts with the component to be measured includes an antigen and an antibody, an antibody and an antigen, and an enzyme. And substrates, sugar chains and lectins. Among these, those by immunological reaction are preferable.
[0014]
A plurality of cartridges having a row of wells as described above are placed in parallel on the measurement table. The cartridge may have a plurality of rows of wells such as a microtiter plate. In that case, one cartridge is placed on the measurement table.
[0015]
The nozzles are arranged at positions corresponding to the respective rows of the cartridges placed on the measurement table. Normally, the nozzles are arranged at equal intervals. For example, when six rows of cartridges are placed on the measurement table, six series of nozzles are provided in the automatic measurement device.
[0016]
The measurement table is movable so as to move forward or backward in a direction perpendicular to the nozzle row, and the measurement device is provided with a driving device for moving the measurement table. The measurement table moves so that all the wells can be located at least under the nozzle and the drilling tool described below. Further, the driving device may further move the measurement table also in a direction perpendicular to the above direction. The drive mechanism is not particularly limited, and various drive mechanisms conventionally used in automatic measuring apparatuses can be used.
[0017]
In the automatic measuring apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, a punching tool for punching the seal of the cartridge is provided. This punch has a tip portion and a shaft portion having a sharp shape. The tip portion and the shaft portion may be formed after being molded separately from each other, or may be formed as a single body. The shape of the punch is not particularly limited as long as the tip can break the seal of the cartridge. Examples of the shape of the tip part include a conical shape or a shape having an edge (FIG. 3). In these, the shape which has an edge is preferable. Specifically, for example, a shape having a plurality of radial edges centered on the axis of the punching tool can be mentioned. The edge may be linear or curved. The length or angle of the edge may be appropriately set depending on the seal material, thickness, well diameter, and the like. By providing an edge at the tip, since the seal is cut without applying excessive pressure to the seal when the punch is lowered, the contents of the well can be prevented from scattering. The material of the punch or the tip is not particularly limited as long as it can punch the seal, and examples thereof include metals such as stainless steel, plastics such as ABS resin, and ceramics. Moreover, it is preferable that the said material is a thing which is hard to corrode with the reagents accommodated in a well.
[0018]
The punching tool is installed at a position corresponding to each row of the cartridges placed on the measurement table and the nozzles. For example, an automatic measuring apparatus provided with six nozzles is provided with six drilling tools. Further, the punch is usually provided in the automatic measuring device so that the axis is vertical. The automatic measuring device is provided with a lifting device that lifts and lowers the punch. The automatic measuring device is also provided with a lifting device for lifting the nozzle. The lifting device for the punch and the lifting device for the nozzle may be common or independent. For example, when a punching tool is provided on the member that holds the nozzle and the punching tool is moved up and down integrally with the nozzle, the lifting device may be common. In addition, each of the elevating devices can be used to elevate and lower the drilling tool independently of the nozzle. Here, when the punching device and the nozzle lifting / lowering device are common, the chip is mounted after the seal is punched. If each has an independent lifting device, the tip may be pre-mounted or mounted after drilling.
[0019]
The automatic measuring apparatus of the present invention may have a detaching tool for detaching the chip attached to the nozzle from the nozzle. In that case, the piercing tool may be provided in the detaching tool and moved up and down together with the detaching tool.
[0020]
When the cartridge is placed on the measurement table of the automatic measurement apparatus having the above-described configuration, the measurement table is moved so that the tip of the punch is positioned on the well of the cartridge, and the punch is lowered. The seal is opened by the tip of the punch. By repeatedly moving the measurement table and raising and lowering the punching tool, it is possible to sequentially punch other wells and wells of other cartridges. Further, in the case of a cartridge in which a barcode or the like is stuck on the seal as described above, it can be determined that the cartridge has been used by punching the barcode portion together with the seal.
[0021]
After piercing the seal, the chip is inserted into the well from the hole in the pierced seal. Insertion of the tip is performed by lowering the nozzle. When the tip is inserted into the well and the outer diameter of the tip at the liquid level of the liquid contained in the well is larger than the hole drilled in the seal, the liquid adhering to the tip touches the seal and scatters. Or may contaminate the chip extensively. Therefore, it is preferable that the outer diameter of the hole drilled in the seal, that is, the outer diameter of the shaft portion of the punching tool is larger than the outer diameter of the chip at the liquid level of the liquid contained in the well.
[0022]
The automatic measuring apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention uses the nozzle itself as a punch. That is, a nozzle having a sharp shape at the tip is used as the nozzle. The shape of the nozzle is that it has a hole that allows air to flow through it at or near the tip so that liquid can be sucked and discharged through the tip, and that the tip can be mounted. For example, it may be the same as the tip shape of the punch in the automatic measuring device of the first aspect of the present invention.
[0023]
The automatic measurement apparatus of the present invention may be the same as various conventionally known measurement apparatuses using a cartridge and a chip, except that a punch or a nozzle functioning as a punch is provided. Measurement by the automatic measuring apparatus of the present invention is usually a step of dispensing a sample containing a component to be measured, a step of reacting a component to be measured contained in the sample and a substance that specifically reacts with the component, And a method including a step of measuring the amount of the reaction product. Furthermore, a step of diluting the specimen may be included.
[0024]
The component to be measured is not particularly limited as long as a substance that specifically reacts therewith exists. For example, a combination of a component to be measured and a substance that specifically reacts with the component includes an antigen and an antibody, an antibody and an antigen, an enzyme and a substrate, a sugar chain and a lectin, and the like. Thus, in the present invention, “specifically reacts” means that biochemically specifically binds, and the component to be measured and the substance that specifically reacts before and after the binding like a substrate. The chemical properties of the substance may change.
[0025]
The specimen only needs to contain or possibly contain the component to be measured, and examples thereof include blood, serum, plasma, and urine.
The conditions for the step of reacting the component to be measured and the substance that specifically reacts with this, and the step of measuring the amount of the reaction product, etc., depend on the combination of the component to be measured and the substance that reacts specifically with it. It is selected appropriately. For example, the reaction between the enzyme and the substrate and the amount of the reaction product are measured by mixing the enzyme with the substrate, allowing the enzyme to act on the substrate, and measuring the amount of the reaction product (the decomposition product of the substrate). Can do. In addition, the reaction between the antibody and the antigen and the amount of the reaction product are measured by mixing the antibody or antigen with a solid phase carrier to which the antibody or antigen is bound and a label, and then mixing the reaction product (immunocomplex). This is performed by removing unreacted antibody or antigen and label from the immune complex by washing (B / F separation) and measuring the amount of label bound to the solid phase by the formation of immune complex. Can do. Thus, in the present invention, “measuring the amount of the reaction product” means not only directly measuring the amount of the reaction product itself but also measuring the amount of the substance quantitatively related to the amount of the reaction product. To include. The amount of the component to be measured in the specimen can be calculated from the amount of the reaction product thus measured.
[0026]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
An embodiment of the automatic measurement apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 is an enlarged view of an automatic measuring device, and FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion of a punch (1) and a nozzle (2) of the device. In this apparatus, six cartridges (4) are placed in parallel on the measurement table (5). Six nozzles (2) are provided at positions corresponding to the respective cartridges. Further, this apparatus has a detaching tool (6) for detaching the tip (3) attached to the nozzle from the nozzle (2), and the detaching tool (6) includes a punching tool (6). 1) is provided. The detaching tool (6) is for detaching the tip (3) attached to the nozzle (2) by lowering it. When the detaching tool (6) is lowered, the punching tool (1) is also lowered. In FIG. 2, the punching tool and a member that moves up and down with the punching tool are indicated by hatching.
[0027]
When the cartridge is placed on the measurement table and the punching tool (1) is lowered without the tip being mounted on the nozzle (2), the seal of the cartridge is punched by the tip of the punching tool.
[0028]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, an automatic measuring device using a cartridge and a chip can be used to punch a cartridge seal automatically and without causing contamination.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an embodiment of an automatic measuring apparatus according to the present invention. A is a front view, B is a side sectional view.
2 is an enlarged view of a nozzle and a punching device of the automatic measuring device shown in FIG. A is a front view and B is a side view.
FIG. 3 is a view showing the shape of the tip of the punching tool of the present invention. The upper row is a side view, and the lower row is a plan view seen from the tip.
[Explanation of symbols]
1. Drilling tool 2. Nozzle 3. Chip 4. Cartridge 5. Measurement table 6. Detachment tool

Claims (7)

A dispensing device having a nozzle that can be moved up and down to discharge or suck a liquid through the chip, and an automatic measurement cartridge having a seal that seals at least one well and an opening of the well is mounted on the nozzle. An automatic measurement device having a measurement table placed in correspondence with the drive table and a drive device for moving the measurement table,
The automatic measuring apparatus includes a drilling tool that has a sharp tip and a shaft, and can be moved up and down, and the measurement table moves so that the tip of the punch is positioned on the well of the cartridge. And when the drilling tool descends, the seal is drilled by the tip of the drilling tool. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the punching tool moves up and down integrally with the nozzle. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the punching tool moves up and down independently of the nozzle. The said automatic measuring apparatus has a detaching tool for detaching | detaching the chip | tip with which the nozzle was mounted | worn from a nozzle, The said piercing tool raises / lowers by this detaching tool, It is characterized by the above-mentioned. apparatus. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a tip of the punch has an edge. 2. The outer diameter of the shaft portion of the punch is larger than the outer diameter of the tip at the liquid level of the liquid contained in the well when the tip is inserted into the well. The apparatus as described in any one of -5. A dispensing device having a nozzle to which a chip is attached and discharging or sucking a liquid through the chip, and an automatic measurement cartridge having a seal that seals at least one well and an opening of the well correspond to the nozzle. An automatic measurement device having a measurement table placed in place and a drive device for moving the measurement table,
The tip of the nozzle has a sharp shape, and the measurement table moves so that the nozzle is positioned on the well of the cartridge. When the nozzle is lowered, the seal is perforated by the tip of the nozzle. The apparatus characterized by being made.

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