Apparatus for transferring samples from source vessels to target vessels

Abstract

A transfer unit for transferring a sample from a source vessel to a target vessel. In one embodiment of the invention, an actuator plate within the transfer unit, has a plurality of individually activated electromagnets disposed therein; wherein activation of any of said electromagnets results in translation and mating of the electromagnetic pin of said electromagnet into a respective though-hole associated with an individual actuator rod, for selective activation of said actuator rod and its terminal actuating element. The terminal actuating element can be a magnet for attraction of magnetic particles from within a sample, or a piston for pippetting a specific volume of liquid sample.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED U.S. APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 11 / 135,962, filed on May 25, 2005, and of U.S. application Ser. No. 11 / 311,558 filed on Dec. 19, 2005.FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention relates generally to the field of analytical separation and combining of samples and, more particularly, to a system and apparatus for individually actuating and controlling a multiple array of collection members for transferring samples from a plurality of source vessels to a plurality of target vessels BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] Analytic and diagnostic procedures in the laboratory often require the transfer of a plurality of samples, simultaneously, from one array of liquid-containing wells to another. In order to transfer, add, collect or combine liquids, various multi-transferring systems have been devised. The most commonly used is a multi-pipette which collects liquid from an array of source well...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0028] Of course, the system can also be operated by selecting any pin combination within the array permitting quantitative collection of particles from a given magnetic suspension. This feature of quantitative separation and transfer allows for dividing a sample into sub-samples. Also, the present invention allows for the sample particles to be washed efficiently with a “flip-flop” movement of particles due to magnets moving under the sample wells.

Problems solved by technology

One drawback of the “first generation” separators relates to the fact that the stationary permanent magnets positioned below the micro-plates do not come into direct contact with the magnetic particles due to the thickness of the plate and vessel sides.

As a result, the magnetic field applied to the individual micro-plate wells is relatively weak due to the distance between the magnetic plate and the magnetic particles and separation is, therefore, somewhat inefficient.

The drawbacks of the above “second generation separators” reside in the fact that the magnetic rods or pins come into direct contact with the magnetic particles, so that if rinsing and sterilization is required, the whole apparatus or device has to be washed.

Such a procedure is expensive and time consuming.

Furthermore, even where the magnetic rods are covered with disposable protective tips, the collection of particles is not efficient since some of the particles remain in the suspension due to surface tension forces.

Another drawback of these devices reside in the fact that where a multi-pin device is used to collect magnetic particles from a plurality of wells, all of the pins are fixed to a movable head and travel up and down as a unit such that all of the samples from all the wells have to be collected at once in an “all or none” fashion.

Thus, it is not possible to selectively collect particles from only selected wells in an array.

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