Patent Application
20240416362
The present disclosure relates to a cell separation control apparatus, and more particularly, to a cell separation control apparatus capable of accurately and smoothly performing an operation of opening or closing a valve by properly transferring to the valve provided in a channel that connects chambers of a separation disc.
Most deaths from malignant tumors are caused by metastasis to tissues and organs located away from the site where the tumor initially originated. Therefore, early detection of metastasis is an important determinant of a cancer patient's chances of survival.
The process of detecting tumors early and monitoring the growth of tumors is considered very important for the successful treatment of cancer patients.
In general, cancer is diagnosed by a diagnostic technique called histopathology. The histopathology is a diagnostic technique that diagnoses tumors using tissue samples obtained from biopsies. This histopathologic approach enables direct observation of the tumor cells.
Meanwhile, circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are known to be found in patients before the tumor is detected for the first time. Therefore, circulating tumor cells may serve as an important factor in the early diagnosis and prediction of cancer. Since cancer usually spreads through the blood, circulating tumor cells can be a diagnostic marker for cancer metastasis.
To this end, a disk-type device that extracts target cells such as circulating tumor cells from samples such as blood is being researched and developed.
For example, a disc device in the related art includes a disc having a plurality of chambers. The disc device generates a centrifugal force by rotating the disc and separates target cells, such as circulating tumor cells, from the blood by using the centrifugal force.
The plurality of chambers may schematically include a main chamber and a separation chamber connected to the main chamber through a channel. A valve is provided in the channel, and a material may be moved by an operation of opening or closing the valve.
In the disc device in the related art, the valve is generally made of wax or the like that reacts with heat. However, heat is not properly transferred to the valve, which causes a risk of an error in the operation of the valve.
Therefore, there is a need to develop a cell separation control apparatus having a new configuration capable of accurately and smoothly performing an operation of separating target cells by accurately operating the valve.
As a related art, there is Korean Patent Laid-Open No. 10-2020-0143578 (entitled METHOD FOR MASS PROLIFERATION OF NK CELLS ISOLATED FROM WHOLE BLOOD).
An object of the present disclosure is to provide a cell separation control apparatus capable of accurately and smoothly performing an operation of opening or closing a valve by properly transferring heat to the valve provided in a channel that connects chambers of a separation disc.
Technical problems to be solved by the present disclosure are not limited to the above- mentioned technical problem(s), and other technical problem(s), which are not mentioned above, may be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following descriptions.
A cell separation control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may include a separation disc having a plurality of chambers and configured to separate a target material from a sample by means of a centrifugal force generated by a rotation, a printed circuit board coupled to the separation disc and having heating terminals configured to transfer heat to valves in channels that connect the plurality of chambers of the separation disc, and a plurality of pressing parts provided on the printed circuit board and configured to transfer heat from the heating terminals to the valves by pressing the heating terminals toward the valves.
According to the embodiment, the plurality of pressing parts may be coupled to a pressing plate, and the pressing parts may press the heating terminals when the pressing plate is fixed to the printed circuit board.
According to the embodiment, the plurality of pressing parts each may include: a fixed rod fixed to the pressing plate so as to correspond to the heating terminal; a pressing rod coupled to the fixed rod and configured to be movable in a length direction of the fixed rod and press the heating terminal; and a spring mounted in the fixed rod and configured to generate a force for pressing the pressing rod toward the heating terminal.
According to the embodiment, the separation disc, the printed circuit board, the pressing plate, and a rotor configured to generate a rotational force may be coupled by a locking part that penetrates centers of the separation disc, the printed circuit board, the pressing plate, and the rotor.
According to the embodiment, a locking groove for locking an end of the locking part may be provided at a center of the rotor, and the end of the locking part may be locked when the end of the locking part is inserted into the locking groove and then rotated.
According to the embodiment, the pressing parts may be pressed against the heating terminals when the separation disc, the printed circuit board, the pressing plate, and the rotor are locked by the locking part.
According to the embodiment, the printed circuit board may be coupled to the separation disc by a plurality of locking bolts.
According to the embodiment, a fixing pin may be provided at an end of the locking bolt and have a straight shape (−) extending in two directions perpendicular to a length direction of the locking bolt, a pinhole, which corresponds to a shape of the fixing pin, may be formed through the printed circuit board, a through-hole, which is penetrated by the fixing pin, may be formed in a cover of the separation disc, and a fixing groove, to which the fixing pin is fixed, may be formed in an inner surface of the cover.
According to the embodiment, a material constituting the valve in the channel may be thermoplastic resin or a phase transition material that is in a solid state at room temperature and experiences phase transition by heat.
According to the embodiment, the phase transition material constituting the valve in the channel may be wax, and the wax may be paraffin wax, microcrystalline wax, petrolatum wax, animal or vegetable synthetic wax, or natural wax.
According to the embodiment, a recess hole may be formed through the separation disc in a depth direction from an upper surface of the separation disc, a cover hole may be formed in a cover of the separation disc so as to correspond to the recess hole, a board hole may be formed in the printed circuit board so as to correspond to the cover hole, an alignment hole may be formed in the pressing plate so as to correspond to the board hole, and an alignment pin for alignment may be coupled to the alignment hole, the board hole, the cover hole, and the recess hole.
According to the embodiment, a lower end of the alignment pin may have a conical shape having a diameter decreasing downward, a central portion of the alignment pin may have a cylindrical shape, and an upper end of the alignment pin may have a larger diameter than the alignment hole and be supported by the alignment hole.
According to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the operation of opening or closing the valve may be accurately and smoothly performed by properly transferring heat to the valve provided in the channel that connects the chambers of the separation disc. Therefore, the operation of separating the target cells may be reliably performed in the separation disc.
In addition, the printed circuit board may be quickly and simply coupled to the separation disc by the locking bolts. Further, the rotor, the separation disc, the printed circuit board, and the pressing plate may be easily fastened by the locking part.
Advantages and/or features of the present disclosure and methods of achieving the advantages and features will be clear with reference to embodiments described in detail below together with the accompanying drawings. However, the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments disclosed herein but will be implemented in various forms. The embodiments of the present disclosure are provided so that the present disclosure is completely disclosed, and a person with ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains can fully understand the scope of the present disclosure. The present disclosure will be defined only by the scope of the appended claims. Like reference numerals indicate like constituent elements throughout the specification.
Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
As illustrated in the drawings, a cell separation control apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may include a rotor 110 configured to generate driving power for a rotation, a separation disc 120 coupled to the rotor 110 and configured to rotate together with a rotation of the rotor 110 and separate target cells from blood by using a generated centrifugal force, a printed circuit board 140 provided on an upper portion of the separation disc 120, coupled to the separation disc 120, and having heating terminals 145, pressing parts 160 provided on an upper portion of the printed circuit board 140, coupled to the printed circuit board 140, and configured to press the heating terminals 145, a pressing plate 150 coupled to the pressing parts and configured to allow the pressing parts 160 to press the heating terminals, and a locking part 170 configured to penetrate centers of the above-mentioned components initiating the above-mentioned components.
The components will be described. First, the rotor 110 of the present embodiment may be coupled to the separation disc 120, the printed circuit board 140, and the pressing plate 150 by means of the locking part 170. The coupled components may be rotated together by the rotation of the rotor 110.
A rotational speed or the like of the rotor 110 may be determined under the control of a controller of the present apparatus 100. A centrifugal force is generated at a rotational speed, such that the target cells may be separated from the blood in the separation disc 120.
More specifically, in the present embodiment, a case is described in which the target cells, such as circulating tumor cells, are separated from the blood by the operation of the separation disc 120. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The control apparatus 100 of the present embodiment may be used to separate desired particles or cells contained in a biological sample. For example, the cell may be the circulating tumor cell (CTC).
The separation disc 120 of the present embodiment may include a disc body 121 having a disc shape, and a plurality of chambers provided in the form of grooves formed in an upper surface of the separation disc 120. Therefore, the centrifugal force, which is generated when the separation disc 120 is rotated by the rotation of the rotor 110, may be used to separate the target cells from the blood, for example.
As schematically illustrated in
For example, the chamber structure may separate the target cells from the blood. In order to smoothly perform this process, it is essential to smoothly operate valves 135 in channels 130 that connect the chambers.
That is, heat needs to be properly transferred to the valve 135 in the channel 130 to accurately open or close the valve 135. To this end, in the present embodiment, the printed circuit board 140 and the pressing plate 150 have heat transfer structures.
First, the valve 135 provided in the channel 130 of the present embodiment will be described. The valve 135 of the present embodiment may be made of thermoplastic resin or phase transition material that is kept in a solid state when a passageway of the channel 130 is blocked, and is melted when heat is applied.
In the present embodiment, wax may be applied as the phase transition material of the valve 135. Any one of paraffin wax, microcrystalline wax, petrolatum wax, animal or vegetable synthetic wax, and natural wax may be used as the wax. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto.
Meanwhile, thermoplastic resin may be applied as a material for the valve 135. The thermoplastic resin may be COC (cyclic olefin copolymer), PMMA (polymethylmethacrylate), PC (polycarbonate), PS (polystyrene), POM (polyoxymethylene), PFA (perfluoralkoxy), PVC (polyvinylchloride), PP (polypropylene), PET (polyethylene terephthalate), PEEK (polyetheretherketone), PA (polyamide), PSU (polysulfone), PVDF (polyvinylidene fluoride), or the like.
With reference to
More specifically, as illustrated in
However, the valve 135 is not properly opened or closed when heat is not properly transferred even though the heating terminal 145 generates heat. Therefore, it is important to properly transfer heat by pressing the heating terminal 145 toward the valve 135.
Therefore, in the present embodiment, the pressing parts 160 are provided on the pressing plate 150. The pressing part 160 presses the heating terminal 145 toward the valve 135, such that the heat may be properly transferred from the heating terminal 145 to the valve 135 through a cover 127 of the separation disc (a top plate of the disc).
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
With reference to
In other words, the efficiency in opening or closing the valve 135 may be improved as the pressing part 160 improves the efficiency in transferring heat from the heating terminal 145 to the valve 135. Therefore, as described above, the process of separating the target cells from the blood in the separation disc 120 may be reliably performed.
Meanwhile, with reference to
That is, the pressing plate 150, the printed circuit board 140, and the separation disc 120 respectively have holes penetrated by the locking part 170, a locking groove 111 is formed at a center of the rotor 110, and the locking part 170 is inserted into the locking groove 111. The locking part 170 is coupled to the holes and the locking groove 111, and then the locking part 170 is rotated in one direction, such that the pressing plate 150, the printed circuit board 140, the separation disc 120, and the rotor 110 may be locked by the locking part 170.
Further, when the components are locked by the locking part 170, the pressing part 160 comes into close contact with the heating terminal 145, as illustrated in
Meanwhile, with reference to
As illustrated in
Further, as illustrated in
More specifically, a fixing groove 129 is formed in an inner surface of the cover 127, and the fixing pin 181 is fixed to the fixing groove 129. The fixing groove 129 is formed in a direction perpendicular to the through-hole 128, such that the through-hole 128 and the fixing groove 129 may define a cross shape (+) as a whole.
Therefore, as illustrated in
As described above, the separation disc 120 and the printed circuit board 140 may be simply and securely coupled by the locking bolts 180.
Meanwhile, in the present embodiment, as described above, it is important to properly align the position of the pressing part 160 with the valve 135. To this end, as illustrated in
With reference to
Further, the alignment pin 190 for alignment is coupled to the alignment hole 150h, the board hole 140h, the cover hole 127h, and the recess hole 120h, such that the positions of the components may be accurately aligned. Therefore, the position of the pressing part 160 may also be accurately aligned with the valve 135.
As illustrated in
A central portion 191 of the alignment pin 190 has a cylindrical shape, and a spring 197 is mounted on an outer surface of the central portion 191, such that the position of the pressing plate 150 with respect to the printed circuit board 140 may be securely maintained.
Further, an upper end 195 of the alignment pin 190 has a larger diameter than the alignment hole 150h, such that the alignment pin 190 may fix the position of the pressing plate 150. The upper end 195 of the alignment pin 190 may have a structure detachable from the central portion 191. Therefore, as illustrated in
According to the embodiment of the present disclosure described above, the operation of opening or closing the valve 135 may be accurately and smoothly performed by properly transferring heat to the valve 135 provided in the channel 130 that connects the chambers of the separation disc 120. Therefore, the operation of separating the target cells may be reliably performed in the separation disc 120.
In addition, the printed circuit board 140 may be quickly and simply coupled to the separation disc 120 by the locking bolts 180. Further, the rotor 110, the separation disc 120, the printed circuit board 140, and the pressing plate 150 may be easily fastened by the locking part 170.
While the specific embodiments according to the present disclosure have been described above, various modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the scope of the present disclosure should not be limited to the described embodiments, and should be defined by not only the claims to be described below, but also those equivalent to the claims.
While the present disclosure has been described above with reference to the limited embodiments and the drawings, the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments and may be variously modified and altered from the disclosure by those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains. Therefore, the spirit of the present disclosure should be defined only by the appended claims, and all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives fall within the scope and spirit of the present disclosure.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-2021-0042400 | Mar 2021 | KR | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/KR2022/004357 | 3/28/2022 | WO |
