Patent Application
20130121881
The present invention is concerned with analysis techniques and analysis devices for qualitatively and quantitatively analyzing the target nucleic acids contained in biological samples such as blood and urine, and relates to a technique that requires temperature changes in reaction liquid amplification and detection processes, a technique that does not require temperature changes in reaction liquid amplification and detection processes, and to nucleic acid analysis devices related thereto.
Nucleic acid amplification techniques such as polymerase chain reaction (hereinafter, “PCR”) have been used for amplification and quantification of nucleic acids contained in samples originating in living organisms.
For nucleic acid amplification, PCR requires periodically changing the sample temperature in typically about two to three temperature regions.
In order to realize such a periodic temperature control method, the Patent Documents below disclose devices that include regions maintained at different set temperatures, and a disc-shaped sample holder, and in which the sample temperature is periodically changed by the rotation of the disc.
However, in PCR, the temperature and time required for the annealing reaction of binding primers to their complementary sequences in the detection target base sequences differ depending on the sequences. The temperature and time required for the extension reaction also differ depending on the type of the enzyme added.
Thus, if the detection target base sequences, specifically a plurality of reaction liquids of different protocols were to be simultaneously processed, the nucleic acid amplification device having the settings for the temperature and time specified by the protocol would be needed in the same number as the number of the protocols to be simultaneously processed.
A device is known that includes a plate for holding a plurality of samples, and that evenly controls temperature over the whole plate. However, PCR involves a temperature cycle consisting of denature reaction, annealing reaction, and extension reaction, and an analysis is finished after repeating a certain number of cycles. In the foregoing device, an analysis of a new sample cannot be started once an analysis of a sample is started and until the analysis ends, even when the protocols are the same. This is problematic, because obtaining an analysis result for the new sample takes a long time. The inability to add a new sample after a sample analysis is started is not just a problem of the PCR nucleic acid amplification technique, but commonly exists in general in genetic testing techniques, including constant-temperature amplification techniques such as LAMP and NASBA.
Patent Document 1: JP-A-2008-185389
Patent Document 2: JP-A-09-224644
Patent Document 3: JP-A-2006-115742
It is an object of the present invention to provide a device that can process a plurality of nucleic acid detection protocols in parallel, and in which any nucleic acid detection protocol of a new sample can be additively performed even when other nucleic acid detection protocols are being run.
A nucleic acid analysis device of the present invention includes:
a temperature adjusting mechanism that has a vessel-accommodating hole for accommodating a reaction vessel;
a detector that detects fluorescence from the reaction vessel;
an open/close gate provided at a portion where the vessel is loaded into the vessel-accommodating hole; and
a reaction vessel gripping mechanism that loads the vessel into the vessel-accommodating hole.
Further, a nucleic acid analysis device of the present invention includes:
a dispensing unit attached to a dispensing tip and movable in three axis directions orthogonal to each other; and
a reaction vessel gripping mechanism that grips a reaction vessel and is movable in three axis directions orthogonal to each other,
wherein the dispensing unit and the reaction vessel gripping mechanism have different movable regions on a plane of the device.
With the present invention, a device can be provided that can process a plurality of protocols in parallel for a single or more than one specimen vessels sorted by protocol, and in which any nucleic acid detection protocol of a new sample can be additively performed even when other nucleic acid detection protocols are being run.
A dispensing unit 2 is provided for the suction and ejection of liquid, and is capable of independently moving in a plane by being joined to a robot arm X axis and a robot arm Y axis. Similarly, a gripper unit 6 holds and transports a reaction vessel 11a, and is capable of independently moving in a plane by being joined to a robot arm X axis and a robot arm Y axis. Here, though the dispensing unit 2 and the gripper unit 6 are described as being movable in a plane, these may be configured to move also in a vertical direction. Note that the dispensing unit 2 and the gripper unit 6 share the robot arm Y axis, and have different movable ranges (plane movable regions in the Y axis direction).
Dispensing tips 8a and reagent vessels 8b are stored in separate racks, and installed in a disposable installation mechanism 8. The dispensing tip 8a after use in a dispensing step is discarded into a dispensing tip disposal hole 15a, and is stored in a waste box (not illustrated). The reaction vessel 11a is a vessel to which a sample and a reagent are ejected, and is installed in a reaction vessel installation mechanism 11 by being stored in a rack.
A thermostat bath 5 is set to a specific temperature, and is provided for a heat denature step. More than one thermostat baths 5 are provided (three in the example of
In representative operation steps of the nucleic acid analysis device 1, the reaction vessel 11a is installed in the reaction vessel transport mechanism 3 with the gripper unit 6. With the dispensing tip 8a attached to the dispensing unit 2, a sample is sucked from the specimen vessel 7b in the specimen vessel rack 7a, and ejected into the reaction vessel 11a installed in the reaction vessel transport mechanism 3.
Here, the reaction vessel 11a installed in the reaction vessel transport mechanism 3 has been transferred to the movable range of the dispensing unit 2. By using the same procedure, the reagent is sucked from the reagent vessel 8b, and ejected into the reaction vessel 11a. The dispensing tip 8a after use in the sample and reagent suction and ejection step is discarded in the waste box to prevent contamination. After the sample and reagent ejection, the reaction vessel 11a is sealed by being capped with a sealing mechanism 4, and agitated with an agitation mechanism 10. The reaction vessel 11a is then imported to the thermostat bath 19 of the photometric means 12 with the gripper unit 6, and detection is performed with the detectors 12a.
After the detection step of a specific time period, the reaction vessel 11a is stored in the waste box with the gripper unit 6. Because the photometry is performed in a dark-room state shielded from ambient light, the import and export of the reaction vessel 11a in and out of the thermostat bath 19 of the photometric means 12 are performed by opening and closing the gate 16. Specifically, by applying the device layout of the present embodiment, the nucleic acid amplification and detection step can easily be automated.
With reference to
With regard to (2) the reagent continuous loading function, the reagent vessels 8b are stored in a rack, and installed in the disposable installation mechanism 8, as in (1). The disposable installation mechanism 8 can be drawn out, and can thus be easily installed and collected by accessing the front side of the device.
With regard to (3) the disposable (dispensing tip 8a, reaction vessel 11a) continuous loading function, the dispensing tips 8a are stored in a rack, and installed in the disposable installation mechanism 8. The reaction vessels 11a are stored in a rack, and installed in the reaction vessel installation mechanism 11. As above, the disposable installation mechanism 8 and reaction vessel installation mechanism 11 can be drawn out, and can thus be easily installed and collected by accessing the front side of the device. In the present embodiment, the reagent vessels 8b and the dispensing tips 8a are installed in the same disposable installation mechanism 8. However, these may be independently installed in different mechanisms. Whether to install these members in the same or different mechanisms should be decided according to the scale of the device to which the present invention is applied, and does not constitute the requirement of the present embodiment.
With regard to (4) the continuous loading into the photometric means 12, this function can be realized by the following configuration. The thermostat bath 19, a constituting element of the photometric means 12, is rotatably provided, and has a specific number of reaction vessel 11a insertion openings (not illustrated). The import and export of the reaction vessel 11a into the photometric means 12 are controlled by opening and closing the gate 16. The gripper unit 6 can access the reaction vessel 11a while the gate 16 is open to realize the continuous loading and exporting operation of the reaction vessel 11a. Note that the driving of the thermostat bath 19 is not limited to rotational, and may be linear motion driving.
With regard to (5) the parallel processing of a plurality of nucleic acid detection protocols, the function mainly requires in general that the applied temperature is different in the heat denature step performed before (4) the photometric means loading, and can be realized by the following configuration. The thermostat baths 5 are set to specific temperatures, and can be independently controlled at constant temperatures. Each thermostat bath has a specific number of reaction vessel 11a insertion openings, and thus a plurality of nucleic acid detection protocols can be processed in parallel.
By applying the present embodiment realizing the foregoing (1) to (5), a device can easily be provided that can process a plurality of nucleic acid detection protocols in parallel, and in which any nucleic acid detection protocol of a new sample can be additively performed even when other nucleic acid detection protocols are being run.
In connection with the movable reaction vessel transport mechanism 3 defined in the present embodiment, the main added values of applying the present embodiment are described below. As shown in
A prospective extended function is described below with reference to
As can be easily understood from the foregoing descriptions, it is possible with the device layout of the present invention to realize a device that can process a plurality of nucleic acid detection protocols in parallel, and in which a nucleic acid detection protocol of a new sample can be continuously and additively loaded even when other nucleic acid detection protocols are being run. It is therefore possible to easily provide the nucleic acid analysis device 1 having very high function expandability. It is also possible to provide a device that can process a plurality of protocols in parallel for a single or more than one specimen vessels sorted by protocol, and in which any nucleic acid detection protocol of a new sample can be additively performed even when other nucleic acid detection protocols are being run.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-168770 | Jul 2010 | JP | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/JP2011/003324 | 6/13/2011 | WO | 00 | 1/24/2013 |
