Reagent reaction tubes for nucleic acid amplification

Abstract

The present invention provides a reagent reaction tube for nucleic acid amplification, comprising a tube body having a nozzle, a plug disposed on the nozzle cap, the plug having a protrusion extending toward the nozzle, the protrusion being capable of contacting the inner circumferential wall of the tube body to form a seal, and an annular wall extending toward the nozzle, the annular wall being capable of contacting the outer circumferential wall of the tube body to form a seal. In the present invention, the plug, through its protrusion and annular wall, simultaneously seals the inner and outer circumferential walls of the tube body, thereby forming a double-layer seal on the tube body, effectively preventing cross-contamination between samples.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of nucleic acid amplification instruments, and in particular relates to a reagent reaction tube for nucleic acid amplification. Background Art

[0002] Currently, nucleic acid analysis has become the foundation of scientific research across all disciplines in the biomedical field, including disease diagnosis and pathogen detection. The most commonly used method is the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), an in vitro nucleic acid amplification technique developed in the mid-1980s. It boasts outstanding advantages such as specificity, sensitivity, high yield, rapidity, simplicity, good reproducibility, and ease of automation. It generally involves three steps: denaturation, annealing, and extension. By repeating these steps, small amounts of DNA fragments can be exponentially amplified, reaching detectable levels.

[0003] Current nucleic acid amplification methods typically utilize commercially available capped PCR tubes. These tubes are then sealed after adding nucleic acid reagents and placed in a multi-channel nucleic acid amplification instrument. The accuracy of the amplification reaction directly impacts the final result, leading to the continuous refinement and development of nucleic acid amplification methods. Currently, widely used methods for nucleic acid amplification include real-time PCR and isothermal amplification.

[0004] Due to the need for large-scale testing or simultaneous testing of multiple biological samples, nucleic acid amplification is currently mostly performed using automated devices. However, it has been found that cross-contamination between samples remains a significant problem when using automated devices for nucleic acid amplification of multiple samples. Therefore, further improvements are needed in nucleic acid amplification devices to avoid or reduce cross-contamination between samples. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Therefore, the technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a reagent reaction tube for nucleic acid amplification, which can effectively avoid cross contamination between different reagent reaction tubes during the nucleic acid amplification reaction.

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a reagent reaction tube for nucleic acid amplification, including a tube body, the tube body having a tube mouth, the tube mouth being covered with a tube plug, the tube plug having a convex column extending toward one side of the tube mouth, the convex column being able to contact with the inner circumferential wall of the tube body to form a seal, and the tube plug also having an annular wall extending toward one side of the tube mouth, the annular wall being able to contact with the outer circumferential wall of the tube body to form a seal.

[0007] In some embodiments, the end of the protrusion has a groove, and the groove contains a solid sealing reagent. The solid sealing reagent can be converted into a liquid sealing reagent after the tube body is heated to a preset temperature.

[0008] In some embodiments, the solid sealing agent is paraffin.

[0009] In some embodiments, when the reagent reaction tube is placed in the insertion hole of the tube rack, the outer peripheral wall of the annular wall can contact the hole wall of the insertion hole to form a seal.

[0010] In some embodiments, the aperture of the receptacle has a guide wall.

[0011] In some embodiments, the tube mouth of the tube body has a radial expansion section, and an annular gap is formed between the outer circumferential wall of the protruding column and the radial expansion section.

[0012] In some embodiments, the protruding post has a counterbore opening toward the outside of the tube body.

[0013] In some embodiments, the tube plug is made of polypropylene.

[0014] In some embodiments, the pipe plug has a plurality of protrusions and a plurality of annular walls corresponding to the plurality of protrusions respectively, and the pipe rack has a plurality of insertion holes, and the number of the insertion holes is equal to the number of the protrusions.

[0015] The present invention provides a reagent reaction tube for nucleic acid amplification, wherein the tube plug forms a simultaneous seal on the inner and outer circumferential walls of the tube body through its convex column and annular wall, thereby forming a double-layer seal on the tube body, which can effectively avoid cross contamination between samples. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the structure of a reagent reaction tube for nucleic acid amplification (including a tube rack) according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0017] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A partial enlarged schematic diagram.

[0018] The reference numerals indicate:

[0019] 101. Pipe body; 102. Pipe plug; 1021. Boss; 1022. Annular wall; 1023. Counterbore; 103. Pipe rack; 104. Groove; 201. Guide wall; 202. Annular gap. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] See also Figures 1 to 2As shown, according to an embodiment of the present invention, a reagent reaction tube for nucleic acid amplification is provided, comprising a tube body 101 having a tube opening, the tube opening being covered with a tube plug 102. The tube plug 102 has a protrusion 1021 extending toward one side of the tube opening, the protrusion 1021 being capable of contacting the inner circumferential wall of the tube body 101 to form a seal. The tube plug 102 also has an annular wall 1022 extending toward the tube opening, the annular wall 1022 being capable of contacting the outer circumferential wall of the tube body 101 to form a seal. In this technical solution, the tube plug 102 simultaneously seals the inner and outer circumferential walls of the tube body 101 through its protrusion 1021 and annular wall 1022, thereby forming a double-layer seal on the tube body 101, which can effectively prevent cross-contamination between samples.

[0021] Preferably, when the reagent reaction tube is placed in the insertion hole of the tube rack 103, the outer peripheral wall of the annular wall 1022 can contact the hole wall of the insertion hole to form a seal, thereby further avoiding cross contamination between samples.

[0022] It is understandable that the tube body 101 will be pre-installed with a nucleic acid amplification reagent. In some embodiments, the tube body 101 is preferably pre-installed with a sealing reagent so that when the sample in the tube body 101 is heated and amplified, the sample in the tube body 101 can be further sealed by the sealing reagent to prevent it from volatilizing. The sealing reagent can be solid, which can become a liquid under specific conditions, and has a density less than the density of the nucleic acid amplification reagent, is non-volatile, and is incompatible with the nucleic acid amplification reagent, and can form a sealing layer on the surface of the nucleic acid amplification reagent. The specific condition can be heating. Preferably, the end of the protrusion 1021 has a groove 104, and the groove 104 contains a solid sealing reagent. The solid sealing reagent can be converted into a liquid sealing reagent after the tube body 101 is heated to a preset temperature. The solid sealing reagent is, for example, paraffin. Thereby, the solid sealing reagent can not hinder the addition of related reagents or samples. It can be understood that the solid sealing reagent, the convex column 1021 and the annular wall 1022 form a three-layer seal on the tube body 101, wherein the sealing reagent after heating and liquefaction serves as the first layer of seal, the contact between the convex column 1021 and the inner circumferential wall of the tube body 101 serves as the second layer of seal, and the contact between the annular wall 1022 and the outer circumferential wall of the tube body 101 and the tube rack 103 serves as the third layer of seal, thereby further preventing mutual contamination during independent reactions.

[0023] In some working conditions, the sealing agent may also be one of mineral oil, synthetic oil, silicone oil, or any combination thereof.

[0024] In some embodiments, the tube body 101 has a radially expanded section at its mouth, and an annular gap 202 is defined between the outer circumferential wall of the protrusion 1021 and the radially expanded section to allow for accumulation of residual sealing film. The sealing film is generally a layer of aluminum foil, which is sealed after the reaction tube is pre-loaded with reagents. After loading the reaction tube into the automated nucleic acid analyzer (automated nucleic acid analyzer), it is pierced with a pipette tip (pipette), reagents are added, and the tube plug is inserted. At this time, the aluminum foil layer is completely ripped open and piled into the annular gap 202 to ensure a smooth seal for the tube plug 102.

[0025] The opening of the insertion hole has a guide wall 201 to facilitate the automatic positioning and guidance of the pipe plug 102 into the hole.

[0026] In some embodiments, the protrusion 1021 includes a countersunk hole 1023 that opens toward the outside of the tube body 101, which can reduce the material used for the tube plug 102 and lower manufacturing costs. The tube plug 102 is made of polypropylene, which is resistant to corrosion by acids, alkalis, saline solutions, and various organic solvents, making it suitable for use in nucleic acid testing and easy to injection mold.

[0027] The tube plug 102 has multiple protrusions 1021 and multiple annular walls 1022 corresponding to the multiple protrusions 1021 respectively. The tube rack 103 has multiple insertion holes, and the number of the insertion holes is equal to the number of the protrusions 1021, so that the tube body 101 and the tube rack 103 can be flexibly matched. In some cases, a single tube can be used, and in other cases, multiple tubes can be used in combination (up to four tubes), which can facilitate users to use it flexibly according to application scenarios. The tube plug 102 and the tube body 101 can be one-to-one or one-to-many. In the fully automated nucleic acid analysis instrument, the reaction tubes and the tube rack are flexibly configured, and single-tube or multi-tube reactions can be freely selected according to user needs to avoid single application and reaction waste.

[0028] The tube plug design of the reagent reaction tube in this technical solution supports fully automatic instrument operation and avoids manual operation.

[0029] It is easy for those skilled in the art to understand that, under the premise of no conflict, the above-mentioned advantageous methods can be freely combined and superimposed.

[0030] The above are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention shall be included within the scope of protection of the present invention. The above are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention. It should be noted that those skilled in the art may make various improvements and variations without departing from the technical principles of the present invention, and such improvements and variations shall also be considered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A reagent reaction tube for nucleic acid amplification, characterized in that: The invention comprises a tube body (101), wherein the tube body (101) has a tube mouth, and the tube mouth is covered with a tube plug (102), and the tube plug (102) has a convex column (1021) extending toward one side of the tube mouth, and the convex column (1021) can contact with the inner circumferential wall of the tube body (101) to form a seal, and the tube plug (102) also has an annular wall (1022) extending toward one side of the tube mouth, and the annular wall (1022) can contact with the outer circumferential wall of the tube body (101) to form a seal; when the reagent reaction tube is placed in the insertion hole of the tube rack (103), the outer circumferential wall of the annular wall (1022) can contact with the hole wall of the insertion hole to form a seal; the tube mouth of the tube body (101) has a radial expansion section, and an annular gap (202) is provided between the outer circumferential wall of the convex column (1021) and the radial expansion section to be used for accumulating sealing film residue.

2. The reagent reaction tube according to claim 1, characterized in that The end of the convex column (1021) has a groove (104), and a solid sealing agent is placed in the groove (104). The solid sealing agent can be converted into a liquid sealing agent after the tube body (101) is heated to a preset temperature.

3. The reagent reaction tube according to claim 2, characterized in that: The solid sealing agent is paraffin.

4. The reagent reaction tube according to claim 1, characterized in that The opening of the socket has a guide wall (201).

5. The reagent reaction tube according to claim 1, characterized in that: The boss (1021) has a countersunk hole (1023) that opens toward the outside of the tube body (101).

6. The reagent reaction tube according to claim 1, characterized in that: The material of the pipe plug (102) is polypropylene.

7. The reagent reaction tube according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pipe plug (102) has a plurality of protruding columns (1021) and a plurality of annular walls (1022) corresponding to the plurality of protruding columns (1021) one by one. The pipe rack (103) has a plurality of insertion holes, and the number of the insertion holes is equal to the number of the protruding columns (1021).

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