A multi-well plate sealing method and a liquid transfer module

Abstract

The present invention discloses a multi-well plate sealing method and a pipetting module. By configuring the bottom surface of the pipetting module's adapter to be flat and the diameter of the through-holes therein to be larger than the diameters of the holes on the multi-well plate, the adapter of the pipetting module can be used to directly press and secure a pressure-sensitive film onto the multi-well plate after pipetting is completed, thereby completing the sealing of the multi-well plate. Compared to the prior art, the multi-well plate sealing method disclosed in the present invention utilizes the pipetting module of an automated liquid handling station to seal reagent containers, such as multi-well plates, requiring sealing. This simplifies the complexity of the instrument, thereby reducing laboratory instrument costs and the space required for the instrument.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of molecular biology technology, and in particular to a multi-well plate sealing method and a liquid transfer module. Background Art

[0002] In various biological and analytical chemistry research and industrial application scenarios, while pipettes are essential functional modules, specific experimental requirements such as molecular biology require the sealing of reagent reaction vessels, such as multi-well plates. Existing methods for sealing reagent reaction vessels include heat sealing and pressure sealing, but both generally require independent equipment. This not only complicates the structure of the instrument but also increases the cost of the instrument and the space required by the laboratory. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of the present invention is to address the deficiencies in the above-mentioned prior art and provide a method for sealing a multi-well plate and a pipetting module. By utilizing the pipetting module of an automated liquid workstation to seal reagent containers such as multi-well plates that require sealing, the complexity of the instrument can be simplified, thereby reducing the instrument cost and the space required by the laboratory.

[0004] To achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0005] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a method for sealing a multi-well plate, comprising the following steps:

[0006] The pipetting module is arbitrarily mounted on the liquid workstation. The pipetting module has an adapter, and the adapter has a plurality of through holes extending through the upper and lower surfaces thereof. The bottom surface of the adapter is flat, and the diameter of the through holes is larger than the diameter of each hole on the multi-well plate. The through holes are used to load pipette tips, and the hole spacing of the multi-well plate is equal to the hole spacing of the through holes or is an integral multiple of the hole spacing of the through holes.

[0007] Loading a pipette tip on the adapter, and aspirating a certain amount of liquid into the pipette tip through the pipetting module;

[0008] Placing the multi-well plate under the pipetting module, driving the pipetting module downward until the pipette tip extends into each well on the multi-well plate, and discharging the liquid in the pipette tip into each well on the multi-well plate through the pipetting module;

[0009] The pipetting module is driven to move upward and the pipette tip is removed, and then a pressure-sensitive film is covered on the porous plate. The pipetting module is driven to move downward to the adapter to press the pressure-sensitive film against the porous plate for a certain period of time, thereby sealing the pressure-sensitive film on the porous plate through the tensile deformation of the pressure-sensitive film.

[0010] Preferably, the bottom end of the through hole is also processed with a rounded corner in the circumferential direction.

[0011] Preferably, during the process in which the adapter presses the pressure-sensitive membrane against the multi-well plate for a certain period of time, the pipetting module can generate a positive pressure acting on the pressure-sensitive membrane.

[0012] In a second aspect, the present invention provides a pipetting module that can be used in the multi-well plate sealing method described in the first aspect, comprising: an adapter having a plurality of through holes extending through the upper and lower surfaces thereof, the bottom surface of the adapter being planar, the diameter of the through holes being larger than the diameter of each well of the multi-well plate, and the through holes being used to load pipette tips;

[0013] The liquid suction cavity, the adapter is connected to the lower side of the liquid suction cavity, a seal is provided between the liquid suction cavity and the adapter, the liquid suction cavity has a plurality of air chambers arranged along its height direction, the air chambers and the through holes are connected one-to-one, and the air chambers are used to generate the air pressure required for the pipette tip to aspirate or discharge liquid.

[0014] Preferably, the bottom end of the through hole is also processed with a rounded corner in the circumferential direction.

[0015] Preferably, the air chamber passes through the liquid suction cavity, and each air chamber has a piston. The piston can be driven by a driving mechanism to move up and down along the axis of the air chamber, and a sealing material is provided between the side wall of the piston and the side wall of the air chamber.

[0016] Preferably, the number of the through holes is one of 1, 2, 4, 8, 12, 16, 24, 32, 48 and 96.

[0017] Preferably, the hole spacing of the through holes is 0.1 mm to 100 mm.

[0018] Preferably, the hole spacing of the through holes is one of 2.25 mm, 4.5 mm, 9 mm and 18 mm.

[0019] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0020] The multi-well plate sealing method and pipetting module provided by the present invention utilize the pipetting module of an automated liquid handling station to seal reagent containers, such as multi-well plates, requiring sealing. This innovative combination of pipetting and sealing functions significantly reduces the time required for manual intervention in sealing after liquid separation, achieving an automated "blank plate in, sample plate out" effect. This effectively simplifies the complexity of the instrument, thereby reducing both the cost and space required for laboratory instrumentation. Furthermore, the aspiration chamber used in this method is manufactured as a single piece, making it easier to ensure pipetting consistency across multiple channels. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] In order to more clearly illustrate the specific embodiments of the present invention, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the specific embodiments. It should be noted that in all the drawings, the various elements or parts are not necessarily drawn according to the actual scale.

[0022] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the overall structure of the pipetting module according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the overall structure of the adapter of the pipetting module according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 3 2. It is a cross-sectional view of the overall structure of the adapter of the pipetting module according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 4 for Figure 3 A partial enlarged view of the middle A;

[0026] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the overall structure of the liquid aspiration cavity of the pipetting module according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 6 2 is a cross-sectional view of the overall structure of the liquid aspiration cavity of the pipetting module according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] In the picture:

[0029] 1. Adapter; 11. Through hole; 12. Rounded corner; 2. Liquid suction cavity; 21. Air chamber; 22. Piston; 3. Driving mechanism. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the present invention more clear, the technical solutions of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the embodiments described are only some of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of them. All other embodiments derived by persons of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0031] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that the terms "upper," "lower," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicating orientations or positional relationships, are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings and are intended solely to facilitate the description of the present invention and simplify the description. They do not indicate or imply that the systems or components referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed, or operate in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on the present invention. Furthermore, the use of terms such as "first" and "second" to define components is solely for the purpose of distinguishing those components. Unless otherwise stated, these terms have no special meanings and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0032] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, the terms "mounted," "connected," and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, they may refer to fixed, detachable, or integral connections; mechanical or electrical connections; direct or indirect connections through an intermediate medium; and internal communication between two components. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0033] Under specific experimental requirements such as molecular biology, reagent reaction containers such as multi-well plates in the experiment need to be sealed after the liquid separation is completed in the liquid workstation. Existing reagent reaction container sealing methods include heat sealing and pressure sealing, but generally require independent equipment. On the one hand, this will make the structure of the instrument more complicated; on the other hand, it will increase the laboratory instrument cost and the space required for the instrument. Therefore, the present invention provides a multi-well plate sealing method and a pipetting module, which uses the pipetting module of the automated liquid workstation to seal reagent containers such as multi-well plates that need to be sealed, thereby simplifying the complexity of the instrument, thereby reducing the laboratory instrument cost and the space required for the instrument.

[0034] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Although exemplary embodiments of the present invention are shown in the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that the present invention can be implemented in various forms and should not be limited by the embodiments described herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided to enable a more thorough understanding of the present invention and to fully convey the scope of the present invention to those skilled in the art.

[0035] Example 1

[0036] An embodiment of the present invention provides a method for sealing a multi-well plate, comprising the following steps:

[0037] Step 1: Place the pipetting module on the liquid workstation in a liftable manner. Figure 1-Figure 3As shown, the pipetting module has an adapter 1, and the adapter 1 has a plurality of through holes 11 running through the upper and lower surfaces thereof. The bottom surface of the adapter 1 is flat, and the diameter of the through holes 11 is larger than the diameter of each hole on the multi-well plate. The through holes 11 are used to load the pipette tips, and the hole spacing of the multi-well plate is equal to the hole spacing of the through holes 11 or is an integer multiple of the hole spacing of the through holes 11.

[0038] Step 2: Load the pipette tip on the adapter 1 and draw a certain amount of liquid into the pipette tip through the pipetting module;

[0039] Step 3: Place the multi-well plate under the pipetting module, drive the pipetting module downward until the pipette tip extends into each well on the multi-well plate, and discharge the liquid in the pipette tip into each well on the multi-well plate through the pipetting module;

[0040] Step 4: Drive the pipetting module upward and remove the pipette tip, then cover the porous plate with a pressure-sensitive film such as an adhesive sealing film, drive the pipetting module downward to the adapter 1 to press the pressure-sensitive film against the porous plate for a certain period of time, thereby sealing the pressure-sensitive film on the porous plate through the tensile deformation of the pressure-sensitive film.

[0041] The multiwell plate sealing method provided by the present invention utilizes the pipetting module of an automated liquid handling station to seal reagent containers, such as multiwell plates, requiring sealing. This innovative combination of pipetting and sealing functions significantly reduces the time required for manual sealing after liquid dispensing, achieving an automated "blank plate in, sample plate out" process. This effectively simplifies the instrument's complexity, thereby reducing both laboratory instrument costs and the space required.

[0042] Further, such as Figure 4 As shown, the bottom end of the through hole 11 is further processed with a rounded corner 12. The rounded corner 12 can improve the pressing effect on the pressure-sensitive membrane when the adapter 1 presses the pressure-sensitive membrane, so that the pressure-sensitive membrane can be reliably pressed and sealed on the porous plate.

[0043] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the adapter 1 presses the pressure-sensitive membrane against the porous plate for a certain period of time, the pipetting module can generate a positive pressure acting on the pressure-sensitive membrane.

[0044] In the present embodiment, during the process of the adapter 1 pressing the pressure-sensitive membrane, the pipetting module generates positive pressure acting on the pressure-sensitive membrane, which can enhance the pressing effect of the adapter 1 on the pressure-sensitive membrane, thereby further enhancing the sealing effect of the present embodiment.

[0045] Example 2

[0046] like Figures 1-6 As shown, an embodiment of the present invention provides a pipetting module, which can be used for the multi-well plate sealing method as described in Example 1, comprising:

[0047] Adapter 1, having a plurality of through holes 11 extending through its upper and lower surfaces. The bottom surface of adapter 1 is flat. The diameter of through holes 11 is larger than the diameter of each hole in the multi-well plate. Through holes 11 are used to load pipette tips.

[0048] The liquid suction cavity 2, the adapter 1 is connected to the lower side of the liquid suction cavity 2, and a sealing member such as a sealing gasket is provided between the liquid suction cavity 22 and the adapter 11. The liquid suction cavity 2 has a plurality of air chambers 21 arranged along its height direction. The air chambers 21 are connected to the through holes 11 in a one-to-one correspondence. The air chambers 21 are used to generate the air pressure required for the pipette tip to aspirate or discharge liquid.

[0049] When the pipette tip absorbs liquid, the pipette module of this embodiment can generate negative pressure in the air chamber 21 through the air pressure changing device, and the pipette tip absorbs a certain amount of liquid under the action of atmospheric pressure; when the pipette tip discharges liquid, the pipette module of this embodiment can generate positive pressure in the air chamber 21 through the air pressure changing device, and the pipette tip discharges the liquid it has absorbed into each hole on the porous plate under the action of positive pressure.

[0050] In addition, the liquid pipetting cavity 2 of this embodiment is processed as a whole, which makes it easier to ensure the consistency of liquid pipetting between multiple channels.

[0051] Further, such as Figure 4 As shown, the bottom end of the through hole 11 is further processed with a rounded corner 12. The rounded corner 12 can improve the pressing effect on the pressure-sensitive membrane when the adapter 1 presses the pressure-sensitive membrane, so that the pressure-sensitive membrane can be reliably pressed and sealed on the porous plate.

[0052] Specifically, such as Figure 6 As shown, the air chamber 21 runs through the liquid suction cavity 2, and each air chamber 21 has a piston 22. The piston 22 can be driven by a driving mechanism 3 such as a through-type stepping motor to move up and down along the axis of the air chamber 21. A sealing material such as a sealing ring is provided between the side wall of the piston 22 and the side wall of the air chamber 21.

[0053] Among them, when the pipette tip absorbs liquid, the pipette module of this embodiment can drive the piston 22 to move axially upward along the air chamber 21 through the driving mechanism 3, generating negative pressure in the air chamber 21, thereby ensuring that the pipette tip can smoothly absorb liquid; when the pipette tip discharges liquid, the pipette module of this embodiment can drive the piston 22 to move axially downward along the air chamber 21 through the driving mechanism 3, generating positive pressure in the air chamber 21, thereby ensuring that the pipette tip can smoothly discharge liquid.

[0054] In addition, in the process of the adapter 1 pressing the pressure-sensitive film in this embodiment, the driving mechanism 3 drives the piston 22 to move downward along the axial direction of the air chamber 21 to generate positive pressure in the air chamber 21 and the through hole 11, which can enhance the pressing effect of the adapter 1 on the pressure-sensitive film, thereby further enhancing the sealing effect of this embodiment.

[0055] It can be understood that the volume of liquid sucked by the pipette tip of this embodiment can be controlled by controlling the stroke of the piston 22.

[0056] It should be noted that the method for generating the required air pressure within the air chamber 21 of the present invention for pipette tip aspiration and discharge is not limited to the above-described method, and other methods may be used in other embodiments. For example, in other specific embodiments of the present invention, all air chambers 21 may be connected sequentially, and the air pressure within each air chamber 21 may be uniformly changed by a single air pressure changing device.

[0057] It is understandable that the number of through holes 11 on the adapter 1 can be set accordingly according to actual needs, for example, it can be one of 1, 2, 4, 8, 12, 16, 24, 32, 48 and 96, and this embodiment does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0058] Preferably, the number of through holes 11 on the adapter 1 of this embodiment is 96.

[0059] Furthermore, the hole spacing between the through holes 11 on the adapter 1 of this embodiment is 0.1 mm to 100 mm.

[0060] Of course, the hole spacing of the through holes 11 on the adapter 1 of the present invention is not limited to the above range. In other specific embodiments, a hole spacing outside the above range can also be adopted according to actual needs.

[0061] Preferably, the hole spacing of the through holes 11 on the adapter 1 of this embodiment is one of 2.25 mm, 4.5 mm, 9 mm and 18 mm.

[0062] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, rather than to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments, or make equivalent replacements for some of the technical features therein. However, these modifications or replacements do not deviate the essence of the corresponding technical solutions from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the various embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for sealing a porous plate, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: The pipetting module is arbitrarily mounted on the liquid workstation. The pipetting module has an adapter, and the adapter has a plurality of through holes extending through the upper and lower surfaces thereof. The bottom surface of the adapter is flat, and the diameter of the through holes is larger than the diameter of each hole on the multi-well plate. The through holes are used to load pipette tips, and the hole spacing of the multi-well plate is equal to the hole spacing of the through holes or is an integral multiple of the hole spacing of the through holes. Loading a pipette tip on the adapter, and aspirating a certain amount of liquid into the pipette tip through the pipetting module; Placing the multi-well plate under the pipetting module, driving the pipetting module downward until the pipette tip extends into each well on the multi-well plate, and discharging the liquid in the pipette tip into each well on the multi-well plate through the pipetting module; Driving the pipetting module to move upward and remove the pipette tip, then covering the multi-well plate with a pressure-sensitive film, driving the pipetting module to move downward to the adapter to press the pressure-sensitive film against the multi-well plate for a certain period of time, thereby sealing the pressure-sensitive film against the multi-well plate through the tensile deformation of the pressure-sensitive film; During the process of the adapter pressing the pressure-sensitive membrane against the porous plate for a certain period of time, the pipetting module can generate positive pressure acting on the pressure-sensitive membrane. Under the action of the positive pressure, the pipette tip discharges the liquid sucked by it into each hole on the porous plate. The positive pressure generated by the pipetting module acting on the pressure-sensitive membrane can enhance the pressing effect of the adapter on the pressure-sensitive membrane, thereby enhancing the sealing effect.

2. The method for sealing a porous plate according to claim 1, wherein: The bottom end of the through hole is also processed with a rounded corner in the circumferential direction.

3. A pipetting module, characterized in that: The method for sealing a multi-well plate as claimed in claim 1 or 2 comprises: An adapter having a plurality of through holes extending through its upper and lower surfaces, the bottom surface of the adapter being flat, the diameter of the through holes being larger than the diameter of each hole in the multi-well plate, and the through holes being used to load pipette tips; The liquid suction cavity, the adapter is connected to the lower side of the liquid suction cavity, a seal is provided between the liquid suction cavity and the adapter, the liquid suction cavity has a plurality of air chambers arranged along its height direction, the air chambers and the through holes are connected one-to-one, and the air chambers are used to generate the air pressure required for the pipette tip to aspirate or discharge liquid.

4. The pipetting module according to claim 3, wherein: The bottom end of the through hole is also processed with a rounded corner in the circumferential direction.

5. The pipetting module according to claim 3, wherein: The air chamber passes through the liquid suction cavity, and each air chamber has a piston. The piston can be driven by a driving mechanism to move up and down along the axis of the air chamber, and a sealing material is provided between the side wall of the piston and the side wall of the air chamber.

6. The pipetting module according to claim 3, wherein: The number of the through holes is one of 1, 2, 4, 8, 12, 16, 24, 32, 48 and 96.

7. The pipetting module according to claim 3, wherein: The hole spacing of the through holes is 0.1 mm to 100 mm.

8. The pipetting module according to claim 7, wherein: The hole spacing of the through holes is one of 2.25 mm, 4.5 mm, 9 mm and 18 mm.

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