Antigen repair equipment

Abstract

The invention discloses antigen repair equipment which comprises a heating cavity, an incubation cavity and a transmission mechanism, two symmetrically arranged and movable semiconductor chilling plate modules are arranged in the heating cavity, and the semiconductor chilling plate modules can move relatively; when the antigen repair equipment is in a heating working condition, the two semiconductor chilling plate modules move in opposite directions, so that the second sides are tightly attached to the two sides of a container filled with repair liquid outside the tissue slice, and the container is directly heated; the air collecting shell is used for collecting cold air of the semiconductor chilling plate module and conveying the cold air to the incubation cavity through the first hose, and the incubation cavity is used for pre-cooling or refrigerating tissue slices in the incubation cavity. According to the invention, the antigen repair efficiency can be greatly improved, the film probability can be reduced, and the antigen repair quality can be improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of pathological detection technology, and particularly to an antigen retrieval device. Background Art

[0002] An antigen retrieval instrument is an auxiliary medical diagnostic device used for antigen retrieval to reverse the formaldehyde cross-linking effect and restore antigen epitopes. In techniques such as immunohistochemistry (IHC) and immunofluorescence (IF), antigen retrieval is a core pretreatment step that directly affects the sensitivity and specificity of the detection results by reversing the formaldehyde cross-linking effect and restoring antigen epitopes.

[0003] The traditional antigen retrieval process usually includes steps such as heating the retrieval solution at high temperature to expose antigens, naturally cooling to terminate the reaction, and repeatedly rinsing with PBS buffer. However, the existing methods have the following technical bottlenecks:

[0004] Firstly, the operation process relies on decentralized processing by multiple devices and has a low degree of automation. The high-temperature heating step requires the use of a pressure cooker or microwave oven to achieve heat-induced epitope retrieval (HIER). The cooling stage requires transferring the slices to a room-temperature environment for static placement, while the PBS rinsing needs to be completed with the help of a decolorizing shaking table or manual oscillation. Each step involves equipment switching and frequent sample transfer, resulting in cumbersome operations, a time-consuming process of up to several hours, and the need for full-time manual monitoring, which is inefficient and prone to introducing operation errors.

[0005] Secondly, the stability of antigen slices during the retrieval process is poor, and there are risks of detachment and dehydration. At high temperatures, the adhesion force between the glass slide and the slice decreases, and the impact of liquid turbulence is likely to cause tissue detachment (slice detachment), especially with a significantly increased incidence in scenarios such as boiling in a pressure cooker or non-uniform heating in a microwave oven. In addition, prolonged heating accelerates the evaporation of the retrieval solution. If the liquid level is not monitored and replenished in real time, the slices are partially exposed to air (dehydration), which will cause protein denaturation and secondary antigen masking, resulting in false negatives or morphological damage. For example, in the Chinese patent with the publication number CN203759024U and the name "An Immunohistochemistry In Situ Hybridization Retrieval Instrument", it is disclosed that a heating module is provided in the retrieval instrument, and the heating temperature and time can be set. However, it still has problems such as a long cooling time, the need for manual monitoring, and slice detachment.

[0006] Although the prior art has attempted to improve the slice detachment problem by optimizing the composition of the retrieval solution or the glass slide coating, it has not fundamentally solved the defects of low collaborative efficiency of multiple devices and uncontrollable environmental parameters. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop an integrated and fully automatic antigen retrieval system to improve the efficiency of antigen retrieval, overcome problems such as slice detachment and dehydration, and enhance the consistency and yield of detection results. Summary of the Invention

[0007] In view of the above problems, the present application provides an antigen repair device, which is an auxiliary medical diagnosis device and is used to solve the technical problems of low antigen repair efficiency and low yield rate mentioned above.

[0008] To achieve the above object, the present application provides an antigen repair device for repairing antigen epitopes of tissue sections. The antigen repair device includes: a heating chamber, an incubation chamber, and a transmission mechanism;

[0009] The transmission mechanism is used to transfer the tissue section heated in the heating chamber to the incubation chamber;

[0010] The incubation chamber is used to cool the heated tissue section and perform subsequent cleaning and incubation operations;

[0011] Inside the heating chamber, there are two symmetrically arranged and movable thermoelectric cooler modules. The thermoelectric cooler module includes: a thermoelectric cooler, a first fan, a first heat sink, and an air collecting hood. The first heat sink is attached to the first side of the thermoelectric cooler. The second side of the thermoelectric cooler faces the tissue section. The air collecting hood covers the outside of the first heat sink and the first fan, and is used to collect the cold air or hot air obtained after the first fan blows towards the first heat sink. The air outlet of the air collecting hood is connected to the incubation chamber through a first hose;

[0012] The thermoelectric cooler module is driven by a clamping arm or a belt drive mechanism to move relatively. When the antigen repair device is in the heating working condition, the two thermoelectric cooler modules move towards each other so that the second sides are closely attached to both sides of the container filled with the repair liquid outside the tissue section to directly heat the container. And the air collecting shell collects the cold air of the thermoelectric cooler module and transports it to the incubation chamber through the first hose to pre-cool the incubation chamber or cool the tissue section in the incubation chamber.

[0013] Further, a second heat sink and a second fan are also arranged in the heating chamber. The second fan is arranged on the top of the second heat sink;

[0014] The second heat sink is arranged above the two thermoelectric cooler modules and is connected to a lifting rod;

[0015] When the antigen repair device is in the incubation working condition and the temperature of the incubation chamber is lower than the preset value, the thermoelectric cooler module is supplied with reverse current, the first side generates heat, and the air collecting hood collects the hot air to heat the incubation chamber. The second heat sink descends from the lifting rod between the two thermoelectric cooler modules and is attached to the second side of the corresponding thermoelectric cooler to increase the temperature of the second side.

[0016] Further, it also includes a liquid adding needle, which is arranged on the rotating arm and located at the middle position between the heating chamber and the incubation chamber. The liquid adding needle can be selectively connected to a repair liquid source, a hydrogen peroxide solution source, and a PBS buffer solution source through a valve group. The liquid adding needle is used to add the repair liquid to the tissue section in the heating chamber and add the hydrogen peroxide solution or the PBS buffer solution to the tissue section in the incubation chamber.

[0017] Further, the liquid adding needle includes a first liquid adding needle and a second liquid adding needle; the first liquid adding needle is close to the heating chamber and is used to add the repair liquid to the container of the tissue section in the heating chamber; the second liquid adding needle is close to the incubation chamber and is used to add the hydrogen peroxide solution or the PBS buffer solution to the container of the tissue section in the incubation chamber.

[0018] Further, a liquid discharge port and a corresponding valve are arranged at the bottom of the container; a first discharge pipe is arranged at the bottom of the heating chamber, and the first discharge pipe is connected to the liquid discharge port and is used to discharge the repair liquid in the container after the heating is completed.

[0019] A second discharge pipe is arranged in the incubation chamber and is connected to the liquid discharge port of the container in the incubation chamber and is used to discharge the hydrogen peroxide solution and the PBS buffer solution in the container.

[0020] Further, a bottom heating sheet is also arranged in the heating chamber. The bottom heating sheet faces the bottom of the container and is used to heat the bottom of the container.

[0021] Further, a heat conducting sheet is arranged at the joint of the container and the second side; when the second side closely adheres to both sides of the container, the second side is laminated and adhered to the heat conducting sheet.

[0022] Further, flip-up top cover plates are arranged at the tops of both the heating chamber and the incubation chamber.

[0023] Further, the air inlet of the first fan is communicated with the incubation chamber through a second hose.

[0024] Different from the prior art, the above technical solution provides an antigen repair device, which is an auxiliary medical diagnosis device, including a heating chamber, an incubation chamber and a transmission mechanism. It has a high degree of automation, automatically transfers tissue sections through the transmission mechanism, reduces manual operation, and uses the cold air generated by the thermoelectric cooler module to pre-cool or cool the incubation chamber, effectively reducing the cooling time of the tissue section, thereby improving the repair efficiency. And in this technical solution, the inside of the heating chamber heats the container through two symmetrically arranged and movable thermoelectric cooler modules. Compared with the traditional heating method, the heating efficiency is high and the heating is uniform, which can reduce the risk of the section detaching due to uneven heating. The cold air generated when the thermoelectric cooler module heats can be used for pre-cooling the incubation chamber and cooling the tissue section therein, realizing the effective utilization of energy and avoiding the waste of heat.

[0025] The above description of the invention content is only an overview of the technical solution of this application. In order to enable those of ordinary skill in the art to more clearly understand the technical solution of this application, and then can be implemented according to the content recorded in the text of the specification and the drawings, and in order to make the above objects, other objects, features and advantages of this application more easily understood, the following is described in conjunction with the specific embodiments of this application and the drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] The drawings are only used to illustrate the principles, implementation methods, applications, features and effects of the specific embodiments of the present invention and other related contents, and should not be considered as a limitation to this application.

[0027] In the accompanying drawings of the specification:

[0028] Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of the antigen repair device described in the specific embodiment;

[0029] Figure 2 It is a schematic structural diagram of the sample rack and the container described in the specific embodiment;

[0030] Figure 3 It is a schematic structural diagram of the thermoelectric cooler module and the container in the heating chamber described in the specific embodiment;

[0031] Figure 4 It is a schematic structural diagram of the thermoelectric cooler module with the air collecting hood removed in the specific embodiment;

[0032] Figure 5 It is a schematic structural diagram of the thermoelectric cooler module when it is tightly attached to the container for heating in the specific embodiment;

[0033] Figure 6 It is a schematic structural diagram of the thermoelectric cooler module and the second heat sink when heating the incubation chamber in the specific embodiment;

[0034] The descriptions of the reference numerals involved in the above-mentioned drawings are as follows:

[0035] 1. Heating chamber; 2. Incubation chamber; 3. Second liquid adding needle; 4. First liquid adding needle; 11. Bottom heating sheet; 12. Thermoelectric cooler module; 13. First hose;

[0036] 100. Container; 101. Heat conducting sheet; 102. Drain port;

[0037] 121. Thermoelectric cooler; 122. First fan; 1231. Air outlet of air collecting hood; 124. First heat sink;

[0038] 200. Sample rack;

[0039] 300. Middle heat dissipation module; 301. Second fan; 302. Second heat sink; 303. Lifting rod; Detailed implementation manners

[0040] To describe in detail the possible application scenarios, technical principles, specific implementable solutions, achievable purposes and effects of this application, the following will be described in detail with reference to the specific examples listed and in conjunction with the drawings. The examples described in this article are only used to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of this application, so they are only examples and cannot be used to limit the protection scope of this application.

[0041] Referring to "embodiment" in this article means that the specific features, structures or characteristics described in connection with the embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment of this application. The term "embodiment" that appears in various positions in the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor does it particularly limit its independence or relevance to other embodiments. In principle, in this application, as long as there is no technical contradiction or conflict, the technical features mentioned in each embodiment can be combined in any way to form corresponding implementable technical solutions.

[0042] Unless otherwise defined, the meanings of the technical terms used in this article are the same as those commonly understood by those skilled in the technical field to which this application belongs; the use of relevant terms in this article is only to describe specific embodiments and is not intended to limit this application.

[0043] In the description of this application, the term "and / or" is an expression used to describe the logical relationship between objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B means: there is A, there is B, and there is both A and B at the same time. In addition, the character " / " in this article generally represents an "or" logical relationship between the associated objects before and after.

[0044] In this application, terms such as "first" and "second" are only used to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply any actual quantitative, primary-secondary or sequential relationship, etc. between these entities or operations.

[0045] Without further limitations, in this application, the open-ended expressions such as "including", "comprising", "having" or other similar ones used in a statement are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. These expressions do not exclude that there may be additional elements in the process, method or product including the said elements, so that in a process, method or product including a series of elements, it can not only include those defined elements, but also include other elements not explicitly listed, or also include elements inherent to this process, method or product.

[0046] Similar to the understanding in the "Examination Guidelines", in this application, expressions such as "greater than", "less than", "exceeding" are understood not to include the recited number; expressions such as "above", "below", "within" are understood to include the recited number. In addition, in the description of the embodiments of this application, the meaning of "a plurality of" is two or more (including two), and similar expressions related to "many", such as "multiple groups", "multiple times", etc., are understood in this way, unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0047] In the description of the embodiments of this application, the spatially related expressions used, such as "center", "longitudinal", "transverse", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "perpendicular", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential", etc., the indicated orientation or positional relationship is based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the specific embodiment or the drawings, and is only for the convenience of describing the specific embodiments of this application or facilitating the understanding of the reader, rather than indicating or implying that the device or component referred to must have a specific position, a specific orientation, or be constructed or operated in a specific orientation, and thus should not be construed as a limitation on the embodiments of this application.

[0048] Unless otherwise clearly specified or limited, in the description of the embodiments of this application, the terms such as "installed", "connected", "joined", "fixed", "set" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, the said "connection" can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral setting; it can be a mechanical connection, an electrical connection, or a communication connection; it can be directly connected, or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium; it can be the internal communication of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. For those skilled in the art to which this application pertains, the specific meanings of the above terms in the embodiments of this application can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0049] Please refer to Figures 1 to 6 , this embodiment provides an antigen repair device, which is an auxiliary medical diagnosis device used for antigen repair to reverse the formaldehyde cross-linking effect and restore antigen epitopes.

[0050] As Figure 1 shown, in this embodiment, the antigen repair device includes: a heating chamber 1, an incubation chamber 2, and a transmission mechanism. The transmission mechanism is used to transfer the heated tissue section in the heating chamber 1 to the incubation chamber 2; the incubation chamber 2 is used to cool the heated tissue section and perform subsequent cleaning and incubation operations. Inside the heating chamber 1, there are two symmetrically arranged and movable thermoelectric cooler modules 12. The thermoelectric cooler module 12 is used to heat the tissue section placed in the heating chamber 1 so that the tissue section undergoes antigen repair. As Figure 2 shown, among them, the tissue section is placed on the sample rack 200. One sample rack 200 can hold multiple tissue sections. The sample rack 200 is placed in the container 100, and the container 100 is filled with antigen repair solution. The thermoelectric cooler module 12 directly heats both sides of the container 100. Among them, the transmission mechanism can be a belt transmission mechanism. The belt transmission includes a guide rail, a belt, and a slider. Guide wheels are provided at both ends of the guide rail. The slider is slidably arranged on the guide rail. A mechanism for clamping the container is installed on the slider. The belt is installed on the guide wheels and fixed to the slider. When the guide wheels are driven by a driving motor, the belt rotates to drive the slider and the container to move (this transmission mechanism is a conventional mechanism in the field of medical equipment and will not be described here).

[0051] As Figure 3 and Figure 4As shown in the figure, the thermoelectric cooler module 12 includes: a thermoelectric cooler 121, a first fan 122, a first heat sink 124, and an air collecting hood 123. The thermoelectric cooler 121 (also known as a thermoelectric refrigeration chip or a Peltier refrigeration chip) is a refrigeration technology based on the thermoelectric effect, and its core principle is the Peltier Effect. The thermoelectric cooler 121 is composed of thermocouple pairs made of N-type and P-type semiconductor materials (such as bismuth telluride). When a direct current passes through these thermocouple pairs, energy transfer will occur: heat will be absorbed at the joint where the current flows from the N-type material to the P-type material, forming the cold end (i.e., the refrigeration side). Heat will be released at the joint where the current flows from the P-type material to the N-type material, forming the hot end (i.e., the heating side). Therefore, by changing the direction of the current flowing through the thermoelectric cooler 121, its cold end and hot end can be switched. Among them, the first heat sink 124 is attached to the first side of the thermoelectric cooler 121, the second side of the thermoelectric cooler 121 faces the tissue section, and the air collecting hood covers the outside of the first heat sink 124 and the first fan 122, and is used to collect the cold air or hot air obtained after the first fan 122 blows to the first heat sink 124; the air outlet 1231 of the air collecting hood is connected to the incubation chamber 2 through a first hose 13; the thermoelectric cooler module 12 is driven by a clamping arm or a belt drive mechanism to perform relative movement. The air inlet of the first fan 122 is connected to the incubation chamber through a second hose. In an embodiment, the thermoelectric cooler module 12 is driven by a clamping arm to perform relative movement, wherein the clamping arm includes two parallel clamping jaws that are oppositely arranged and can move synchronously closer to or away from each other, and the two thermoelectric cooler modules 12 are correspondingly arranged on the parallel clamping jaws. Among them, as Figure 3 and Figure 5 shown, the two thermoelectric cooler modules 12 are symmetrically arranged along the width direction of the container 100, that is, symmetrically arranged along the Figure 3 direction indicated by the arrow X in the figure. The container 100 is located between the two thermoelectric cooler modules 12. Heat conducting sheets 101 are arranged on both sides of the container 100 in the thickness direction. The heat conducting sheets 101 are used to abut against the thermoelectric cooler to improve its thermal conductivity. The heat conducting sheets 101 can be heat conducting silica gel sheets or heat conducting graphite sheets, etc. And the container 100 is transported to the incubation chamber 2 in the horizontal direction perpendicular to the arrow X after being heated. When the two thermoelectric cooler modules 12 approach each other along the direction indicated by the arrow X, they tightly fit against both sides of the container 100, so that the container 100 and the antigen repair solution inside it can be directly heated.

[0052] The antigen repair device has at least a heating condition and an incubation condition. Among them, the heating condition refers to heating and repairing the tissue section in the heating chamber 1; the incubation condition refers to cooling the heated tissue section and subsequent incubation. When the antigen repair device is in the heating condition, the two semiconductor refrigeration module groups 12 move towards each other so that the second side closely adheres to both sides of the container 100 filled with the repair liquid outside the tissue section, so as to directly heat the container 100; and the air collecting shell collects the cold air of the semiconductor refrigeration module groups 12 and conveys it to the incubation chamber 2 through the first hose 13, so as to pre-cool the incubation chamber 2 or refrigerate the tissue section in the incubation chamber 2.

[0053] As Figure 2 shown, the tissue section is placed on the section rack, and the section rack is placed in the container 100. Then the container 100 is placed in the heating chamber 1 for heating. As Figure 3 、 Figure 4 and Figure 5 shown, when heating the tissue section, the two semiconductor refrigeration module groups 12 are attached to both sides of the container 100, and the heat generated by the two semiconductor refrigeration module groups 12 directly heats the container 100. The cold air generated by the semiconductor refrigeration module groups 12 on the first side (which is the refrigeration side at this time) is conveyed to the incubation chamber through the air collecting hood and the first hose 13. Therefore, the incubation chamber can be pre-cooled, or there is a tissue section in the incubation chamber that needs to be cooled after heating. At this time, the cold air can directly cool the tissue section, thereby shortening the cooling time of the tissue section.

[0054] As Figure 6 shown, in this embodiment, the semiconductor refrigeration module group 12 can not only be used to heat the tissue section in the heating chamber 1 and simultaneously cool the tissue section in the incubation chamber, but also when the tissue section in the incubation chamber needs to be heated (after cooling, the tissue section still needs to be incubated, and it has certain requirements for temperature, usually 25 degrees Celsius), it can also heat the incubation chamber. At this time, a reverse current is passed through the semiconductor refrigeration module group 12, so that the working conditions of the first side and the second side in the semiconductor refrigeration sheet 121 are opposite, that is, the first side of the semiconductor refrigeration sheet 121 changes from the refrigeration side to the heating side, and the second side changes from the heating side to the refrigeration side. The semiconductor refrigeration sheet 121 is driven by direct current to work. When the direction of the current passing through the semiconductor refrigeration sheet 121 changes, its refrigeration side and heating side are correspondingly reversed.

[0055] As Figure 6As shown, in this embodiment, in order to enable the semiconductor refrigeration module 12 to heat the incubation chamber, a middle heat dissipation module 300 is further provided in the heating chamber 1. The middle heat dissipation module 300 includes a second heat sink 302, a second fan 301 and a lifting rod 303. Among them, the second fan 301 is arranged on the top of the second heat sink 302, and the second fan 301 is used to increase the air circulation between the second heat sink 302 and the air (that is, increase the air flow passing through the surface of the second heat sink 302); the second heat sink 302 is arranged above the two semiconductor refrigeration modules 12 and connected to the lifting rod 303; the lifting rod 303 is used to drive the second heat sink 302 and the second fan 301 to lift vertically (that is, move in the direction indicated by the arrow Z in the figure), so that the middle heat dissipation module 300 can be lowered between the two semiconductor refrigeration modules 12 when needed, and when not needed, the middle heat dissipation module 300 can be lifted upward, so as to vacate the space between the two semiconductor refrigeration modules 12 for the container 100. Among them, the lifting rod can be connected to the movable end of a linear driving device such as a cylinder or a linear motor, and is driven by these linear driving devices to lift. When the antigen repair device is in the incubation working condition and the temperature of the incubation chamber 2 is lower than the preset value, the semiconductor refrigeration module 12 is supplied with reverse current, the first side generates heat, and the air collecting hood collects the hot air to heat the incubation chamber 2; the second heat sink 302 is lowered by the lifting rod 303 between the two semiconductor refrigeration modules 12 and fits with the second side of the corresponding semiconductor refrigeration chip 121 to increase the temperature of the second side.

[0056] Since in this embodiment, the middle heat dissipation module 300 is provided, the second heat sink 302 therein can perform good heat exchange with the refrigerating sides of the two semiconductor refrigeration modules 12, avoiding the temperature of the refrigerating sides being too low, so that the heating side cannot obtain sufficient heat. In this embodiment, the middle heat dissipation module 300 can be arranged in the middle of the above-mentioned clamping arm, the top of the lifting rod 303 is connected to the middle of the clamping arm, and the two semiconductor refrigeration modules 12 are arranged on the two parallel clamping claws of the clamping arm. It should be noted that in the related art, the semiconductor refrigeration module is fixedly arranged, and it can only implement one working mode of heating or refrigeration, and the two working modes cannot be switched. However, in this embodiment, two symmetrical semiconductor refrigeration modules 12 are provided, and these two semiconductor refrigeration modules 12 are relatively movable, and combined with the above-mentioned middle heat dissipation module 300, not only can the switching between the refrigeration working condition and the heating working condition be realized, but also various functions such as heating the heating chamber, cooling and heating the incubation chamber can be realized.

[0057] As Figure 1As shown, the device further includes a liquid adding needle, which is arranged on the rotating arm and located at the middle position between the heating chamber 1 and the incubation chamber 2. The liquid adding needle can be selectively connected to a repair liquid source, a hydrogen peroxide solution source, and a PBS buffer solution source through a valve group. The liquid adding needle is used to add repair liquid to the tissue section in the heating chamber 1 and add hydrogen peroxide solution or PBS buffer solution to the tissue section in the incubation chamber 2.

[0058] As Figure 1 shown, the liquid adding needle includes a first liquid adding needle 4 and a second liquid adding needle 3; the first liquid adding needle 4 is close to the heating chamber 1 and is used to add repair liquid to the container 100 of the tissue section in the heating chamber 1; the second liquid adding needle 3 is close to the incubation chamber 2 and is used to add hydrogen peroxide solution or PBS buffer solution to the container 100 of the tissue section in the incubation chamber 2.

[0059] A drain port 102 and a corresponding valve are provided at the bottom of the container 100; a first discharge pipe is provided at the bottom of the heating chamber 1, and the first discharge pipe is connected to the drain port 102 for discharging the repair liquid in the container 100 after heating; a second discharge pipe is provided in the incubation chamber 2 and is connected to the drain port 102 of the container 100 in the incubation chamber 2 for discharging the hydrogen peroxide solution and PBS buffer solution in the container 100.

[0060] As Figure 1 and Figure 2 shown, a bottom heating sheet 11 is further provided in the heating chamber 1. The bottom heating sheet 11 faces the bottom of the container 100 and is used to heat the bottom of the container 100. A heat conducting sheet is provided at the joint of the container 100 and the second side; when the second side is closely attached to both sides of the container 100, the second side is stacked and attached to the heat conducting sheet.

[0061] The process of antigen repair using this antigen repair device is as follows:

[0062] Flip-up top covers are provided at the tops of both the heating chamber 1 and the incubation chamber 2.

[0063] Open the flip-up top covers at the tops of the heating chamber 1 and the incubation chamber 2, place the tissue section into the container 100 containing the repair liquid in the heating chamber 1, and then close the top covers. At this time, the device is in a ready state, waiting for further operation instructions.

[0064] Start the liquid adding needle through the control system. Since the liquid adding needle is arranged on the rotating arm and located at the middle position between the heating chamber 1 and the incubation chamber 2, and can be selectively connected to the repair liquid source, hydrogen peroxide liquid source and PBS buffer solution source through the valve group, the rotating arm drives the liquid adding needle to rotate above the heating chamber 1, and the valve group controls the liquid adding needle to suck the repair liquid from the repair liquid source and add an appropriate amount of repair liquid to the tissue section container 100 in the heating chamber 1. This process realizes automatic liquid addition, improves the degree of automation, reduces the error and labor intensity of manual liquid addition, and ensures that the antigen repair process is more accurate and efficient.

[0065] Furthermore, the liquid adding needle includes a first liquid adding needle 4 and a second liquid adding needle 3. The first liquid adding needle 4 is close to the heating chamber 1 and is specifically used to add repair liquid to the container 100 of the tissue section in the heating chamber 1; the second liquid adding needle 3 is close to the incubation chamber 2 and is used to add hydrogen peroxide liquid or PBS buffer solution to the container 100 of the tissue section in the incubation chamber 2. This setting improves the accuracy and pertinence of liquid addition, avoids cross-contamination of different liquids, and ensures the quality of antigen repair.

[0066] After the liquid addition is completed, the clamping arm or the belt drive mechanism drives the two symmetrically arranged and movable thermoelectric cooler modules 12 in the heating chamber 1 to move towards each other, so that the second sides of the thermoelectric cooler modules 12 are closely attached to both sides of the container 100 containing the repair liquid outside the tissue section. At the same time, a heat conducting sheet is arranged at the joint of the container 100 and the second side. When the second side is closely attached to both sides of the container 100, the second side is laminated and attached to the heat conducting sheet, effectively improving the heat conduction efficiency, reducing the loss during the heat transfer process, and making the heating faster and more uniform.

[0067] In addition, a bottom heating sheet 11 is also arranged in the heating chamber 1. The bottom heating sheet 11 is opposite to the bottom of the container 100 and heats the bottom of the container 100. Through the two thermoelectric cooler modules 12 and the bottom heating sheet 11, three-sided heating is realized. Compared with the traditional single-sided or double-sided heating method, the repair liquid and tissue section in the container 100 can be heated more evenly, the heating efficiency is improved, the probability of tissue detachment caused by uneven heating is reduced, and the effect of antigen repair is ensured.

[0068] The first side of the thermoelectric cooling module 12 is attached to the first heat sink 124, and the first fan 122 blows air towards the first heat sink 124. The air collecting hood collects the hot air obtained after the first fan 122 blows towards the first heat sink 124. At this time, the thermoelectric cooling module 12 is in the heating state, heating the repair liquid and tissue section in the container 100. During the heating process, due to the heating effect of the thermoelectric cooling module 12, the temperature of the repair liquid in the container 100 gradually rises, realizing the antigen repair of the tissue section. At the same time, the hot air collected by the air collecting hood is transported to the incubation chamber 2 through the first hose 13 to pre-cool the incubation chamber 2, preparing for the subsequent cooling of the tissue section. This design reflects the characteristic of high thermal efficiency. The cold air generated when the thermoelectric cooling module 12 heats can be used for pre-cooling the incubation chamber and cooling the tissue section therein, realizing the effective utilization of energy and avoiding the waste of heat. Moreover, the degree of automation is high. The heating and pre-cooling processes are automatically completed by the device, reducing the cooling time of the tissue section and improving the repair efficiency.

[0069] After the heating is completed, the valve of the drain port 102 at the bottom of the container 100 is opened through the control system. The first discharge pipe at the bottom of the heating chamber 1 is connected to the drain port 102 to discharge the repair liquid in the container 100. This design can realize automatic downward drainage without manual operation, further improving the degree of automation and ensuring the continuity and stability of the antigen repair process.

[0070] The transfer mechanism is started to transfer the heated tissue section in the heating chamber 1 to the incubation chamber 2. The transfer mechanism can adopt various forms such as a robotic arm, a conveyor belt, etc., as long as it can accurately and smoothly transfer the tissue section from the heating chamber 1 to the incubation chamber 2. This process further reflects the high degree of automation of the device, reducing manual intervention and improving the repair efficiency.

[0071] Cooling and subsequent processing

[0072] After the tissue section is transferred to the incubation chamber 2, the thermoelectric cooling module 12 continues to work. At this time, the air collecting hood collects the cold air generated by the thermoelectric cooling module 12 and transports it to the incubation chamber 2 through the first hose 13 to cool the tissue section in the incubation chamber 2, quickly reducing the temperature of the tissue section, effectively reducing the cooling time, and improving the repair efficiency.

[0073] When the temperature of the incubation chamber 2 is lower than the preset value, a reverse current is passed through the thermoelectric cooler module 12, the first side generates heat, and the air collecting hood collects the hot air to heat the incubation chamber 2. At the same time, the second heat sink 302 and the second fan 301 provided in the heating chamber 1 come into play. The second fan 301 is arranged on the top of the second heat sink 302, and the second heat sink 302 is arranged above the two thermoelectric cooler modules 12 and connected to the lifting rod 303. At this time, the second heat sink 302 descends from the lifting rod 303 between the two thermoelectric cooler modules 12 and fits with the second side of the corresponding thermoelectric cooler 121 to increase the temperature of the second side. The thermoelectric cooler module 12 can be used to heat the incubation chamber by passing a reverse current, realizing three functions in one machine (heating, refrigeration, and heating of the incubation chamber). The second heat sink 302 with flexible setting can effectively exchange heat with the second side, so that its temperature will not be too low, ensuring that the thermoelectric cooler 121 works under better conditions, extending the service life of the equipment, and at the same time improving the accuracy of temperature control of the incubation chamber 2.

[0074] After the cooling process is completed, the liquid adding needle is driven by the rotating arm to rotate above the incubation chamber 2, and the valve group controls the liquid adding needle to suck hydrogen peroxide solution from the hydrogen peroxide solution source and add hydrogen peroxide to the tissue section container 100 in the incubation chamber 2 to block endogenous oxidase. Then, the valve group is used to control the liquid adding needle to suck PBS buffer solution from the PBS buffer solution source again to wash the tissue section in the incubation chamber 2 multiple times to remove the remaining hydrogen peroxide and other impurities. After each washing is completed, the second discharge pipe in the incubation chamber 2 is connected to the liquid discharge port 102 of the container 100 to discharge the liquid in the container 100, realizing automatic downward drainage and improving the degree of automation.

[0075] In addition, the air inlet of the first fan 122 is connected to the incubation chamber through a second hose, so that the air in the incubation chamber can participate in the heat dissipation cycle of the thermoelectric cooler module 12. On the one hand, it can better adjust the temperature of the incubation chamber, and on the other hand, it also improves the air circulation inside the whole equipment, which helps to improve the performance and stability of the equipment.

[0076] After the above series of operations, the antigen repair process of the tissue section is completed, and the operator can open the top cover plate of the incubation chamber 2 to take out the repaired tissue section for subsequent pathological detection and other operations.

[0077] Finally, it should be noted that although the above embodiments have been described in the text of the specification and the drawings of this application, the patent protection scope of this application cannot be limited thereby. Any technical solutions obtained by equivalent structural or equivalent process substitutions or modifications made based on the substantial concept of this application and using the content recorded in the text of the specification and the drawings of this application, as well as the direct or indirect implementation of the technical solutions of the above embodiments in other related technical fields, etc., are all included within the patent protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. An antigen repair device for repairing antigen epitopes in tissue sections, characterized in that: The antigen repair device comprises: a heating chamber, an incubation chamber and a transmission mechanism; The transmission mechanism is used to transfer the tissue slices heated in the heating chamber to the incubation chamber; The incubation chamber is used to cool the heated tissue sections and perform subsequent cleaning and incubation operations; Two symmetrically arranged and movable semiconductor refrigeration chip modules are arranged inside the heating chamber, and the semiconductor refrigeration chip modules include: a semiconductor refrigeration chip, a first fan, a first heat sink and an air collecting cover, wherein the first heat sink is attached to a first side of the semiconductor refrigeration chip, and the second side of the semiconductor refrigeration chip is opposite to the tissue slice, and the air collecting cover is arranged on the outside of the first heat sink and the first fan, and is used to collect the cold air or hot air obtained after the first fan blows to the first heat sink; the air outlet of the air collecting cover is connected to the incubation chamber through a first hose; The semiconductor refrigeration chip module is driven by a clamping arm or a belt transmission mechanism to perform relative movement; when the antigen repair device is in a heating condition, the two semiconductor refrigeration chip modules move toward each other so that the second side is tightly attached to the two sides of the container containing the repair liquid outside the tissue section, so as to directly heat the container; and the wind collecting shell collects the cold air of the semiconductor refrigeration chip module and transports it to the incubation chamber through the first hose, so as to pre-cool the incubation chamber or cool the tissue sections in the incubation chamber.

2. The antigen repair device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A second heat sink and a second fan are also provided in the heating chamber, and the second fan is provided on the top of the second heat sink; The second heat sink is arranged above the two semiconductor refrigeration plate modules and connected to the lifting rod; When the antigen repair device is in the incubation condition and the temperature of the incubation chamber is lower than a preset value, a reverse current is passed through the semiconductor refrigeration module, the first side generates heat, and the wind collecting hood collects hot air to heat the incubation chamber; the second heat sink is lowered by the lifting rod to between the two semiconductor refrigeration modules and fits with the second side of the semiconductor refrigeration module on the corresponding side to increase the temperature of the second side.

3. The antigen repair device according to claim 2, characterized in that: It also includes a liquid adding needle, which is arranged on the rotating arm and located in the middle position between the heating chamber and the incubation chamber. The liquid adding needle can be selectively connected to a repair liquid source, a hydrogen peroxide liquid source and a PBS buffer source through a valve group. The liquid adding needle is used to add repair liquid to the tissue slices in the heating chamber, and add hydrogen peroxide liquid or PBS buffer to the tissue slices in the incubation chamber.

4. The antigen retrieval device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The liquid adding needle includes a first liquid adding needle and a second liquid adding needle; the first liquid adding needle is close to the heating chamber and is used to add repair liquid to the container of tissue slices in the heating chamber; the second liquid adding needle is close to the incubation chamber and is used to add hydrogen peroxide liquid or PBS buffer to the container of tissue slices in the incubation chamber.

5. The antigen repair device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The bottom of the container is provided with a drain port and a corresponding valve; the bottom of the heating chamber is provided with a first discharge pipe, which is connected to the drain port and is used to discharge the repair liquid in the container after the heating is completed; The incubation chamber is provided with a second discharge pipe connected to the discharge port of the container in the incubation chamber, and is used for discharging the hydrogen peroxide liquid and PBS buffer in the container.

6. The antigen repair device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A bottom heating plate is also arranged in the heating chamber, and the bottom heating plate is opposite to the bottom of the container and is used for heating the bottom of the container.

7. The antigen retrieval device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A heat conducting sheet is provided at the joint between the container and the second side; when the second side is tightly attached to two sides of the container, the second side and the heat conducting sheet are overlapped and attached.

8. The antigen retrieval device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The tops of the heating chamber and the incubation chamber are both provided with foldable top cover plates.

9. The antigen retrieval device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The air inlet of the first fan is connected to the incubation chamber through a second hose.

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