Device for protecting molecular bioreactions and system for polymeric chain reactions

Abstract

The embodiment of the utility model relates to a device for protecting molecular biological reaction and a system for polymerization chain reaction. The apparatus includes a reaction pre-zone guard wall configured to define a first space for accommodating a polymerization chain reaction pre-zone device; the first air filtering equipment is configured to filter air entering the first space and enable first air pressure to be formed in the first space; a post-reaction zone guard wall configured to define a second space for accommodating a polymerization chain post-reaction zone device; the second air filtering equipment is configured to filter air entering the second space and enable second air pressure to be formed in the second space, and the first air pressure is larger than the second air pressure; and the isolation device is configured to isolate the first space from the second space in the first state, and at least partially communicate the first space with the second space in the second state. The device can effectively prevent reaction products from generating aerosol pollution to a sample of the reactor.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of molecular biological reaction technology, and more particularly to a device for protecting molecular biological reactions and a system for polymerization chain reactions. Background Art

[0002] Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a molecular biology technique used to amplify specific DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) fragments. It can be regarded as a special DNA replication outside the body. The biggest feature of PCR is that it can greatly increase trace amounts of DNA. Polymerase chain reaction includes, for example, absolute PCR, HD-PCR, next generation PCR (Next Gen PCR), digital RTA or any combination thereof. When performing polymerase chain reaction, there is often a risk of aerosol contamination of the reactor sample by the reaction products. Utility Model Content

[0003] In view of the above problems, the present disclosure provides a device for protecting molecular biological reactions, which can effectively prevent the reaction products from generating aerosol contamination to the samples in the reactor.

[0004] According to the first aspect of the present disclosure, a device for protecting molecular biological reactions is provided. The device includes: a reaction front zone protection wall, configured to define a first space for accommodating a polymerization chain reaction front zone device; a first air filter, configured to filter air entering the first space and form a first air pressure in the first space; a reaction rear zone protection wall, configured to define a second space for accommodating a polymerization chain reaction rear zone device, wherein the polymerization chain reaction rear zone device is arranged downstream of the polymerization chain reaction front zone device, and is used to perform subsequent processing on a target object output by the polymerization chain reaction front zone device; a second air filter, configured to filter air entering the second space and form a second air pressure in the second space, and the first air pressure is greater than the second air pressure; and an isolation device, arranged between the first space and the second space, configured so that the isolation device isolates the first space from the second space in a first state, and the isolation device at least partially connects the first space with the second space in a second state.

[0005] In some embodiments, the first air filtering device is disposed on the top of the protective wall of the pre-reaction zone, and the second air filtering device is disposed on the top of the protective wall of the post-reaction zone.

[0006] In some embodiments, the first air filtering device includes a plurality of first air filtering units, and the plurality of first air filtering units are evenly distributed relative to the top of the pre-reaction zone protective wall;

[0007] The second air filtering device includes a plurality of second air filtering units, and the plurality of second air filtering units are evenly distributed relative to the top of the post-reaction area protective wall.

[0008] In some embodiments, the number of the first air filter units is greater than the number of the second air filter units, so that the first air pressure is greater than the second air pressure.

[0009] In some embodiments, the first air filtering device includes a first fan, and the second air filtering device includes a second fan, wherein a rotation speed of the first fan is configured to be greater than a rotation speed of the second fan, so that the first air pressure is greater than the second air pressure.

[0010] In some embodiments, an operating table is provided in the pre-reaction zone protective wall, and the operating table is used to carry the polymerization chain reaction pre-zone equipment; an air outlet is provided on the side wall of the pre-reaction zone protective wall, and the air outlet is higher than the upper surface of the operating table in the vertical direction, and the height difference between the air outlet and the upper surface of the operating table is less than a predetermined height threshold.

[0011] In some embodiments, the air outlet is configured as a gap parallel to the upper surface of the operating table, and an air filter device is provided at the air outlet.

[0012] In some embodiments, a movable component is provided at the air outlet, and the movable component is configured to open or close the air outlet.

[0013] In some embodiments, the first air filter unit and the second air filter unit are high efficiency air particulate filter assemblies.

[0014] In some embodiments, the isolation device includes a movable door.

[0015] In some embodiments, the difference between the first air pressure and the second air pressure is any value between 8 KPa and 12 KPa.

[0016] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, a system for a polymerization chain reaction is provided. The system comprises: an apparatus according to the first aspect of the present disclosure; a polymerization chain reaction front zone device, arranged in a first space, for performing the polymerization chain reaction front zone processing to generate and output a target object; and the polymerization chain reaction rear zone device, arranged in a second space, for performing subsequent processing on the target object output by the polymerization chain reaction front zone device.

[0017] It should be understood that the content described in this section is not intended to identify the key or important features of the embodiments of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will become easily understood through the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] The above and other features, advantages and aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure will become more apparent with reference to the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the accompanying drawings, the same or similar reference numerals represent the same or similar elements.

[0019] Figure 1 A schematic perspective view of a system for a polymerization chain reaction according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0020] Figure 2 A schematic top view of a system for a polymerization chain reaction according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0021] Figure 3 A cross-sectional schematic diagram of a system for a polymerization chain reaction according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] The following is a description of exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, including various details of the embodiments of the present disclosure to facilitate understanding, which should be considered as merely exemplary. Therefore, it should be recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes and modifications may be made to the embodiments described herein without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. Similarly, for the sake of clarity and conciseness, descriptions of well-known functions and structures are omitted in the following description.

[0023] As used herein, the term "including" and its variations mean open inclusion, i.e., "including but not limited to". Unless otherwise stated, the term "or" means "and / or". The term "based on" means "based at least in part on". The terms "an example embodiment" and "an embodiment" mean "at least one example embodiment". The term "another embodiment" means "at least one additional embodiment". The terms "first", "second", etc. may refer to different or the same objects. The term "about" means a range of + / - 10% of the following numerical value. Other explicit and implicit definitions may also be included below.

[0024] As described above, when performing polymerase chain reaction, there is often a risk of aerosol contamination of the sample in the reactor by the reaction products.

[0025] In order to at least partially solve the above problems and one or more of other potential problems, the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure propose a device for protecting molecular biological reactions. In the disclosed scheme, the first air pressure is formed in the first space in the protective wall of the pre-reaction zone by the first air filtering device, and the second air pressure is formed in the second space in the protective wall of the post-reaction zone by the second air filtering device, and the first air pressure is greater than the second air pressure. Therefore, when the protective wall of the pre-reaction zone is connected to the protective wall of the post-reaction zone for the transfer of the target object (such as a PCR reaction mixture), the airflow can only flow from the first space in the protective wall of the pre-reaction zone to the second space in the protective wall of the post-reaction zone, and it is impossible to flow from the second space in the protective wall of the post-reaction zone to the first space in the protective wall of the pre-reaction zone, that is, unidirectional flow. Therefore, the system can effectively avoid the product in the second space in the protective wall of the post-reaction zone (such as a high-concentration nucleic acid after amplification) to the target object in the first space in the protective wall of the pre-reaction zone (such as a sample before the reaction) to produce aerosol contamination.

[0026] Figure 1 A three-dimensional schematic diagram of a system 200 for a polymerization chain reaction according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. For ease of explanation, arrows are used to indicate the X-axis, the Y-axis, and the Z-axis in the figure. The system 200 includes an apparatus 100 for protecting a molecular biological reaction, a polymerization chain reaction front zone device 112, and a polymerization chain reaction back zone device 116. Figure 2 A schematic top view of a system 200 for a polymerization chain reaction according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. For ease of illustration, the top of the device 100 is omitted and not shown. Figure 3 A schematic cross-sectional view of a system 200 for polymerase chain reaction according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. The system 200 is used, for example, for polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The device 100 includes a pre-reaction zone protective wall 102, a first air filter device 104, a post-reaction zone protective wall 106, a second air filter device 108, and an isolation device 110.

[0027] The reaction front area protection wall 102 is configured to define a first space for accommodating the polymerization chain reaction front area equipment 112. The polymerization chain reaction front area equipment, for example, includes equipment for preparing a polymerization chain reaction mixture. The reaction front area protection wall 102, for example, includes a top wall, a bottom wall (or a base), a plurality of side walls, etc. The reaction front area protection wall 102 surrounds and forms a first space, in which an operating table 114 and the polymerization chain reaction front area equipment 112 can be accommodated. The polymerization chain reaction front area equipment 112 is, for example, arranged on the upper surface of the operating table 114. The polymerization chain reaction front area equipment 112, for example, includes a nucleic acid extractor, a liquid workstation, a film sealer, a film tearing instrument, a refrigerator, a robotic arm, etc. The nucleic acid extractor is used to extract nucleic acids; the liquid workstation is used for sample homogenization, sequencing library construction, etc.; the film sealer is used to seal the plate; the film tearing instrument is used to tear off the sealed film; the refrigerator is used to store samples at low temperatures; and the robotic arm is used to transport and transfer samples.

[0028] The first air filtering device 104 is in communication with the first space defined by the pre-reaction zone protection wall 102 . The first air filtering device 104 is configured to filter the air entering the first space and form a first air pressure in the first space.

[0029] In some embodiments, the first air filter device 104 includes a plurality of first air filter units, and the plurality of first air filter units are evenly distributed relative to the pre-reaction zone protection wall 102. The first air filter unit is, for example, a HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) component.

[0030] The reaction rear area protection wall 106 is configured to define a second space for accommodating a polymerization chain reaction rear area device 116. The polymerization chain reaction rear area device 116 is used, for example, to react a target object from the reaction front area protection wall 102. For example, the polymerization chain reaction rear area device 116 reacts a polymerization chain reaction mixture to obtain a reaction product (for example, a high-concentration nucleic acid after amplification). The reaction rear area protection wall 106, for example, includes a top wall, a bottom wall (or a base), a plurality of side walls, etc. The reaction rear area protection wall 106 surrounds and forms a second space, in which an operating table 114 and a polymerization chain reaction rear area device 116 can be accommodated. The polymerization chain reaction rear area device 116 is, for example, disposed on the upper surface of the operating table 114. The polymerization chain reaction rear area device 116, for example, includes a liquid workstation, a polymerization chain reaction instrument, a film sealing instrument, a film tearing instrument, a robotic arm, etc. The liquid workstation is used for purification, etc.; the polymerase chain reaction instrument is used to amplify DNA; the film sealing instrument is used to seal the plate; the film tearing instrument is used to tear off the sealed film; the robotic arm is used to transport and transfer samples.

[0031] The second air filter device 108 is in communication with the second space defined by the post-reaction zone protection wall 106, and is configured to filter the air entering the second space and form a second air pressure in the second space, wherein the first air pressure is greater than the second air pressure.

[0032] In some embodiments, the second air filtering device 108 includes a plurality of second air filtering units, and the plurality of second air filtering units are evenly distributed relative to the post-reaction area protection wall 106. The second air filtering unit is, for example, a HEPA component.

[0033] The isolation device 110 is disposed between the first space defined by the front reaction zone protection wall 102 and the second space defined by the rear reaction zone protection wall 106. The isolation device 110 is configured to isolate the first space from the second space in a first state, and to at least partially connect the first space with the second space in a second state.

[0034] The isolation device 110 includes, for example, a movable door. The isolation device 110 is in a normally closed state so that the first space defined by the reaction front area protective wall 102 is isolated from the second space defined by the reaction rear area protective wall 106. When it is necessary to transfer the target object in the first space defined by the reaction front area protective wall 102 to the second space defined by the reaction rear area protective wall 106, the isolation device 110 can be controlled to move by the control device so as to form a transfer channel 120 between the first space and the second space, so that the first space and the second space are connected through the transfer channel 120. The transfer channel 120 can be used for the transfer of the target object (e.g., PCR reaction mixture). The target object can be transferred, for example, using a transfer device.

[0035] It is worth noting that when the isolation device 110 makes at least part of the first space and the second space connected, since the first air pressure of the first space is higher than the second air pressure of the second space, the air can flow from the first space to the second space, but cannot flow from the second space to the first space. Therefore, the device 100 can effectively prevent the reaction product (e.g., amplified high-concentration nucleic acid) in the second space defined by the post-reaction area protective wall 106 from generating aerosol contamination to the target object (e.g., pre-reaction sample) in the first space defined by the pre-reaction area protective wall 102.

[0036] In some embodiments, the first air filter device 104 is disposed on the top of the reaction front zone protective wall 102, and the second air filter device 108 is disposed on the top of the reaction rear zone protective wall 106. Considering that impurities such as dust usually fall from above, the air filter device is disposed on the top, so that the impurities in the air can be more fully filtered, and the air flowing to the device 112 (and the device 116) can be kept clean to the maximum extent. In addition, the air filter device is disposed on the top, so that after the air enters the first space (or the second space), it can flow from the top of the device 112 (and the device 116) to the device 112 (and the device 116), so that the air flows through the device 112 (and the device 116) more evenly.

[0037] In some embodiments, the first air filtering device 104 includes, for example, a plurality of HEPA components, which are evenly distributed on the top of the pre-reaction zone protection wall 102; the second air filtering device 108 includes, for example, a plurality of HEPA components, which are evenly distributed on the top of the post-reaction zone protection wall 106. In this way, the air can flow evenly to the device 112 (and the device 116).

[0038] An operating table 114 is provided in the first space defined by the reaction front zone protection wall 102, and the operating table 114 is used to carry the polymerization chain reaction front zone equipment 112. An air outlet 118 is provided on the side wall of the reaction front zone protection wall 102, and the air outlet 118 is higher than the upper surface of the operating table 114, and the height difference between the air outlet 118 and the upper surface of the operating table 114 is less than the predetermined height threshold. For example, the height difference H of the air outlet 118 relative to the upper surface of the operating table 114 is less than the predetermined height threshold. The predetermined height threshold is, for example, any value between 2-50 cm. That is, the air outlet 118 is slightly higher than the upper surface of the operating table 114. The filtered clean air flows from the top of the equipment 112 (and the equipment 116) to the equipment 112 (and the equipment 116), and then flows from the air outlet 118 to the outside of the reaction front zone protection wall 102 (and the reaction rear zone protection wall 106).

[0039] In some embodiments, the air outlet 118 is a gap parallel to the upper surface of the operating table 114. The width W of the air outlet 118 is less than the predetermined width threshold so as to better maintain the air pressure in the first space defined by the pre-reaction zone protective wall 102 (and the second space defined by the post-reaction zone protective wall 106). For example, an air filter device is provided at the air outlet 118 to filter the outflowing air to prevent the substances (e.g., reaction mixture, reaction product) in the first space defined by the pre-reaction zone protective wall 102 (and the second space defined by the post-reaction zone protective wall 106) from being discharged to the outside of the device 100.

[0040] In some embodiments, a movable component is provided at the air outlet 118, and the movable component is configured to open or close the air outlet 118. For example, the movable component is a drawer door that can move up and down along the side wall of the front reaction area protection wall 102 (or the rear reaction area protection wall 106). The air outlet 118 can be opened by moving the movable component upward, and then the movable component can be limited by a limiting device to prevent the movable component from falling, thereby maintaining the air outlet 118 in an open state. Releasing the limit of the limiting device can cause the movable component to move downward, thereby closing the air outlet 118.

[0041] In some embodiments, the first air filtering device 104 may also be disposed on the side wall of the pre-reaction zone protective wall 102 , and the second air filtering device 108 may also be disposed on the side wall of the post-reaction zone protective wall 106 .

[0042] In some implementations, the difference between the first air pressure and the second air pressure is any value between 8 KPa and 12 KPa.

[0043] In some implementations, the difference between the first air pressure and the second air pressure is 10 KPa.

[0044] In order to make the first air pressure greater than the second air pressure, in some embodiments, the number of the first air filter units is greater than the number of the second air filter units, so that the first air pressure is greater than the second air pressure. It should be understood that the difference between the first air pressure and the second air pressure can be within the target range by reasonably configuring the number of the first air filter units and the number of the second air filter units.

[0045] In some embodiments, the first air filter device 104 includes a first fan, the second air filter device 108 includes a second fan, and the rotation speed of the first fan is configured to be greater than the rotation speed of the second fan, so that the first air pressure is greater than the second air pressure. It should be understood that the first air pressure can be formed in the first space defined by the reaction front zone protection wall 102 by reasonably configuring the rotation speed of the first fan, and the second air pressure can be formed in the second space defined by the reaction rear zone protection wall 106 by reasonably configuring the rotation speed of the second fan.

[0046] The embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, and the above description is exemplary, not exhaustive, and is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Many modifications and changes will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The selection of terms used herein is intended to best explain the principles of the embodiments, practical applications, or technical improvements in the market, or to enable other persons of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0047] The above are only optional embodiments of the present disclosure and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. For those skilled in the art, the present disclosure may have various modifications and variations. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present disclosure shall be included in the protection scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A device for protecting molecular biological reactions, characterized in that: include: A reaction front zone protection wall configured to define a first space for accommodating a polymerization chain reaction front zone device; a first air filtering device, configured to filter the air entering the first space and form a first air pressure in the first space; a rear-reaction zone protective wall, configured to define a second space for accommodating a polymerization chain reaction rear-zone device, wherein the polymerization chain reaction rear-zone device is disposed downstream of the polymerization chain reaction front-zone device, and is used for subsequent processing of a target object output by the polymerization chain reaction front-zone device; a second air filtering device, configured to filter the air entering the second space, and to form a second air pressure in the second space, wherein the first air pressure is greater than the second air pressure; as well as An isolation device is arranged between the first space and the second space, and is configured so that when the isolation device is in a first state, the first space is isolated from the second space, and when the isolation device is in a second state, the first space and the second space are at least partially connected to form a transfer channel, which is used for the transfer of the target object.

2. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that The first air filtering device is arranged on the top of the protective wall of the pre-reaction zone, and the second air filtering device is arranged on the top of the protective wall of the post-reaction zone.

3. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that The first air filtering device comprises a plurality of first air filtering units, and the plurality of first air filtering units are evenly distributed relative to the top of the protective wall of the pre-reaction zone; The second air filtering device includes a plurality of second air filtering units, and the plurality of second air filtering units are evenly distributed relative to the top of the post-reaction zone protective wall.

4. The device according to claim 3, characterized in that The number of the first air filter units is greater than the number of the second air filter units, so that the first air pressure is greater than the second air pressure.

5. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that The first air filtering device includes a first fan, and the second air filtering device includes a second fan, wherein a rotation speed of the first fan is configured to be greater than a rotation speed of the second fan, so that the first air pressure is greater than the second air pressure.

6. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that An operating table is arranged inside the pre-reaction zone protective wall, and the operating table is used to carry the polymerization chain reaction pre-zone equipment; an air outlet is arranged on the side wall of the pre-reaction zone protective wall, and the air outlet is higher than the upper surface of the operating table in the vertical direction, and the height difference between the air outlet and the upper surface of the operating table is less than a predetermined height threshold.

7. The device according to claim 6, characterized in that The air outlet is configured as a gap parallel to the upper surface of the operating table, and an air filter device is provided at the air outlet.

8. The device according to claim 7, characterized in that A movable component is provided at the air outlet, and the movable component is configured to open or close the air outlet.

9. The device according to claim 3, characterized in that The first air filter unit and the second air filter unit are high-efficiency air particle filter components.

10. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that The isolation device includes a movable door.

11. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that The difference between the first air pressure and the second air pressure is any value between 8 KPa and 12 KPa.

12. A system for a polymerization chain reaction, comprising: A device for protecting molecular biological reactions according to any one of claims 1 to 11; A polymerization chain reaction front zone device, arranged in the first space of the device for protecting molecular biological reactions, for performing the polymerization chain reaction front zone processing to generate and output the target object; as well as The polymerization chain reaction rear zone equipment is arranged in the second space of the device for protecting molecular biological reactions, and is used for subsequent processing of the target object output by the polymerization chain reaction front zone equipment.

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