Self-mixing blood RNA preservation tube
The design of a self-mixing blood RNA preservation tube solves the problems of complex operation, uneven mixing, and insufficient sealing performance of RNA preservation tubes, achieving efficient and safe preservation of RNA and improving the stability of experimental data and the reliability of samples.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- HUAIAN RUIXIN BIOTECHNOLOGY CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2025-02-28
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-17
AI Technical Summary
Existing RNA preservation tubes have problems in terms of operational complexity, RNA degradation risk, contamination risk, uneven mixing, and insufficient sealing performance, which affect the stability of RNA and the accuracy of experimental results.
The self-mixing blood RNA preservation tube uses a double-helix guide tube and a rotating sealing cap inside the tube to achieve automatic mixing of blood and RNA stabilizing solution, ensuring airtightness and light protection, preventing RNA from directly contacting the human body, and improving mixing efficiency and sealing performance.
It enables rapid and uniform mixing of blood and RNA stabilizing solution, reduces the risk of RNA degradation, improves sample stability and reproducibility of experimental data, simplifies the operation process, reduces the risk of contamination, and is suitable for clinical testing and scientific research applications.
Smart Images
Figure CN224513495U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention belongs to the field of biomedical sample preservation devices, specifically relating to a self-mixing blood RNA preservation tube, which is widely applicable to fields requiring high-quality RNA sample preservation, such as clinical testing, molecular biology research, gene expression analysis, and early disease screening. Background Technology
[0002] RNA (ribonucleic acid) is a crucial carrier of genetic information for gene expression within cells, playing a vital role in the regulation of life activities, disease diagnosis, and biomedical research. Compared to DNA, RNA has a more fragile molecular structure and is highly susceptible to environmental influences, especially degradation by RNases. Furthermore, RNA is easily degraded or inactivated during collection, transportation, and storage due to factors such as temperature changes, pH fluctuations, and oxidative stress. These factors not only affect the integrity of RNA but can also impact the accuracy of gene expression analysis, thus significantly affecting experimental results. Therefore, rapidly and efficiently stabilizing RNA after blood collection has become a significant challenge in biomedical research and clinical applications.
[0003] Currently, RNA preservation mainly relies on RNA preservation tubes. Common RNA preservation tubes mainly use the following two methods for RNA preservation: (1) Traditional blood collection tubes + RNA stabilizer: This method involves collecting blood using ordinary blood collection tubes and then manually adding RNA preservation solution to stabilize RNA molecules. However, this method has many drawbacks. Firstly, it is complicated to operate, requiring additional manual addition steps, which increases the complexity of experimental operations and is prone to experimental errors, affecting the reproducibility of data. Secondly, the risk of RNA degradation is high. Due to the long exposure of blood to non-ideal environments, RNA may have already partially degraded before the addition of RNA stabilizer, affecting the accuracy of subsequent analysis. In addition, the risk of contamination is high. This method requires open operation and is easily contaminated by the external environment. In particular, exogenous RNase may be introduced during RNA extraction and analysis, further accelerating RNA degradation. (2) Blood collection tubes pre-filled with RNA preservation solution: To solve the problems caused by manually adding RNA stabilizer, some RNA preservation tubes are pre-filled with RNA stabilizer solution before blood collection, which can automatically mix after the blood enters the blood collection tube. However, this approach still has the following shortcomings: First, the preservation solution comes into direct contact with the human body. Since RNA stabilizing solutions usually contain denaturants or other chemical inhibitors, they may have adverse effects on the blood collector, especially in the event of leakage during blood collection, which may lead to local irritation or toxicity risks. Second, the mixing is uneven. After the blood enters the blood collection tube, the preservation solution is not fully mixed, which may result in some samples not receiving timely and effective RNA protection, affecting subsequent extraction efficiency and RNA stability. In addition, the sealing performance is insufficient. Some existing RNA preservation tubes have poor sealing performance, which may lead to leakage or evaporation of the preservation solution during transportation, thereby affecting the RNA preservation effect and reducing the stability and consistency of RNA extraction.
[0004] In summary, existing RNA preservation tubes still present numerous problems during use, including complex operation, high risk of RNA degradation, significant risk of contamination, uneven mixing, and insufficient sealing performance, limiting their widespread application in clinical testing, RNA sequencing analysis, and biomedical research. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a more efficient, convenient, and safe RNA preservation device to ensure RNA stability, improve experimental reproducibility, and meet the demands of clinical and research institutions for high-quality RNA samples. Utility Model Content
[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide a self-mixing blood RNA preservation tube to solve the aforementioned problems.
[0006] To solve the above problems, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:
[0007] A self-mixing blood RNA preservation tube includes a tube body containing an RNA stabilizing solution and a rotating sealing cap at the open end. The tube body is equipped with a double helical guide tube, and the RNA stabilizing solution is pre-filled at the bottom of the double helical guide tube. When blood flows into the tube body, the blood rotates and flows along the helical guide tube, entering the RNA stabilizing solution area from top to bottom and automatically mixing with it.
[0008] In a further embodiment, the helix angle of the double-helix guide tube is 20° to 30°.
[0009] The above technical solutions ensure a moderate blood flow rate, prevent blood from stagnating in the tube, and enhance the mixing effect.
[0010] In a further embodiment, the width of the double-helix guide tube is 5% to 10% of the inner diameter of the tube body.
[0011] The above technical solutions avoid dead zones in blood flow and improve the mixing efficiency of blood and RNA stabilizing solution.
[0012] In a further embodiment, the inner wall of the tube is provided with a micro-protrusion turbulence area, which includes a first micro-protrusion area disposed at the center of the bottom of the tube, a second micro-protrusion area disposed in the transition area between the bottom and side wall of the tube, and a third micro-protrusion area disposed at the bottom edge of the tube.
[0013] By using the above technical solutions, the micro-bumps are rationally zoned and their spacing and height are adjusted, which not only significantly improves the mixing effect of RNA stabilizing solution and blood, but also prevents the deposition of RNA stabilizing solution, ensuring the uniformity and stability of RNA samples.
[0014] In a further embodiment, a sealing rubber plug is embedded at the open end of the tube, and the sealing rubber plug has a through hole that matches the top connection of the double helix guide tube.
[0015] The above technical solution ensures the airtightness of the pipe body and provides a carrier for the fixed installation of the double helix guide pipe.
[0016] In a further embodiment, the rotary sealing cap is provided with a position mark at the corresponding position of the top connection of the double helical guide tube.
[0017] The above technical solution facilitates the insertion of blood collection needles.
[0018] In a further embodiment, the tube body is made of a transparent material and its outer surface is coated with a light-blocking layer.
[0019] The above technical solutions prevent ultraviolet light from degrading and damaging RNA, while maintaining the visibility of the sample for easy observation.
[0020] In a further embodiment, the rotary sealing cap is made of medical-grade polypropylene.
[0021] The above technical solution enables the rotary sealing cap to withstand high temperature and high pressure sterilization, ensuring no contamination during use.
[0022] Beneficial effects: By incorporating a double-helix guide tube within the tube and pre-filling the RNA stabilizing solution directly at the bottom of the double-helix guide tube, the blood is ensured to flow along the helical path after entering the tube, allowing for sufficient contact and uniform mixing of the blood and RNA stabilizing solution in a short time. This eliminates the need for additional mixing steps, reduces operational errors, ensures consistent RNA preservation conditions for all blood samples, and improves the stability of experimental data. The synergistic design of the sealing rubber stopper and rotating sealing cap ensures airtightness of the blood before entering the tube, preventing external contamination. Furthermore, the tube is made of transparent material with a light-blocking layer on its outer surface, preventing RNA degradation and improving the quality of RNA preservation. Attached Figure Description
[0023] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of this utility model;
[0024] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram showing the distribution of the micro-protrusion turbulence zone at the bottom of the inner wall of the tube in this utility model;
[0025] Figure 3 This is a top view of the rotary sealing cover in the closed state in this utility model;
[0026] Figure 4 This is a top view of the rotating sealing cover in the open state of this utility model.
[0027] Reference numerals: 1. Tube body; 11. First micro-convex area; 12. Second micro-convex area; 13. Third micro-convex area; 2. Double helix guide tube; 3. RNA stabilizing solution; 4. Rotary sealing cap; 41. Position marker; 5. Sealing rubber stopper. Detailed Implementation
[0028] The technical solutions of the present utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present utility model, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present utility model, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the protection scope of the present utility model.
[0029] This application proposes a self-mixing blood RNA preservation tube, hereinafter referred to as "the preservation tube". The preservation tube employs a double-helix guide tube 2 structure and a rotating sealing cap 4, enabling automatic mixing of blood and RNA stabilizing solution 3 after blood collection, ensuring RNA stability, and simultaneously preventing the RNA stabilizing solution 3 from directly contacting the human body before blood collection, thereby improving sample safety and preservation quality. This design not only optimizes the mixing efficiency of RNA stabilizing solution 3 and blood but also improves the sealing performance of the blood collection tube, effectively reducing the risk of sample contamination and stabilizing solution evaporation, and greatly improving the extraction quality and stability of RNA samples, showing broad application prospects in clinical testing and scientific research.
[0030] like Figures 1 to 3 As shown, the preservation tube includes a tube body 1, an RNA stabilizing solution 3, a double-helix guide tube 2, and a rotating sealing cap 4. The double-helix guide tube 2 is disposed inside the tube body 1, the RNA stabilizing solution 3 is pre-stored at the bottom of the tube body 1, and the rotating sealing cap 4 is installed at the open end of the tube body 1. When blood flows into the tube body 1 through the blood collection needle, the blood flows and rotates along the helix tube and enters the RNA stabilizing solution 3 area from top to bottom, forming a preliminary mixture with the RNA stabilizing solution 3 while rotating.
[0031] Continue reading Figure 1 The spiral angle of the double helix guide tube 2 is 20° to 30°, which can enhance the fluid velocity and prevent blood stagnation. The width of the tube in the double helix guide tube 2 is 5% to 10% of the inner diameter of the tube body 1, which can ensure that enough blood can pass through and avoid dead corners where blood accumulates, thereby improving the mixing efficiency of blood and RNA stabilizing solution 3.
[0032] Continue reading Figure 2 The RNA stabilizing solution 3 is pre-filled directly at the bottom of the double-helix guide tube 2. Through microfluidic principles, the RNA stabilizing solution 3 automatically diffuses and mixes evenly after the blood enters. To ensure the RNA stabilizing solution 3 is evenly distributed at the bottom of the tube 1 and fully integrates with the blood, a micro-protrusion turbulence zone is provided on the inner wall of the tube 1. This micro-protrusion turbulence zone includes a first micro-protrusion zone 11, a second micro-protrusion zone 12, and a third micro-protrusion zone 13. The first micro-protrusion zone 11 is located in the central region of the bottom of the tube 1, which is the main accumulation area for the RNA stabilizing solution 3; the micro-protrusions promote uniform dispersion of the fluid. The second micro-protrusion zone 12 is located in the transition area between the bottom and sidewall of the tube 1. When blood flows in swirling along the tube wall, the micro-protrusions break the smooth flow of the fluid, creating turbulence, which helps mix the RNA stabilizing solution 3 and the blood. The third micro-protrusion zone 13 is located at the edge of the bottom of the tube 1 to prevent the RNA stabilizing solution 3 from depositing on the tube wall without participating in the mixing process. In summary, reasonable zoning and adjustment of the spacing and height of the micro-bumps not only significantly improves the mixing effect of RNA stabilizing solution 3 with blood, but also prevents the deposition of RNA stabilizing solution 3, ensuring the uniformity and stability of the RNA sample.
[0033] Continue reading Figure 1 , Figure 3 and Figure 4 A sealing rubber plug 5 is embedded at the open end of the tube body 1. The sealing rubber plug 5 has a through hole that matches the top connection of the spiral guide tube. At the same time, the rotating sealing cap 4 has a position mark 41 at the corresponding position of the connection to facilitate the insertion of the blood collection needle. The cooperation between the sealing rubber plug 5 and the rotating sealing cap 4 ensures the airtightness of the tube body 1 and prevents external contamination.
[0034] like Figure 3 As shown, before blood collection, rotate the sealing cap 4 to seal the open end of the tube body 1 to prevent external contamination from entering the tube body 1. Figure 4 As shown, it is opened during blood collection to facilitate needle insertion; it is closed after blood collection to ensure airtightness.
[0035] As a preferred option, tube 1 is made of transparent material and its outer surface is coated with a light-shielding layer to prevent ultraviolet rays from degrading and damaging RNA, while maintaining the visibility of tube 1 for easy observation of the sample.
[0036] As a preferred option, the rotary sealing cap 4 is made of medical-grade polypropylene, which can withstand high temperature and high pressure sterilization, ensuring no contamination during use.
[0037] In this embodiment, tube 1 is 120mm long, 15mm in outer diameter, and 12mm in inner diameter. The upper part of tube 1 is the blood collection area with a blood collection capacity of 5mL, and the bottom contains RNA stabilizing solution 3 with a volume of 3mL, suitable for the preservation of various types of whole blood RNA. A medical-grade silicone sealing plug is designed at the tube opening to ensure the airtightness of tube 1.
[0038] This storage tube features an integrated design and is manufactured using injection molding, which simplifies the production process, reduces manufacturing costs, and ensures stable product quality, making it suitable for single-use.
[0039] Compared with the prior art, this application has the following advantages:
[0040] (1) Improve RNA mixing efficiency and prevent stratification. The design of the double helix guide tube 2 ensures that the blood flows along the helical path after entering the tube body 1, so that the blood and RNA stabilizing solution 3 can fully contact and mix evenly in a short time.
[0041] (2) To avoid RNA degradation and improve sample stability, the blood is automatically dispersed during the flow of blood into tube 1 by the principle of helical fluid dynamics, so that the preservation solution can quickly cover the blood sample, reduce the time of RNA exposure to non-ideal environment and reduce the risk of degradation.
[0042] (3) Automatic mixing improves accuracy. The automatic diffusion mixing mechanism allows blood to rotate naturally along the spiral flow path after entering, directly merging with the preservation solution without the need for additional mixing steps. This reduces operational errors, ensures consistent RNA preservation conditions for all blood samples, and improves the stability of experimental data.
[0043] (4) The rotating sealing cap 4 is designed to improve the sealing performance. The rotating sealing cap 4 can completely seal the tube body 1 before blood collection to prevent external environment from contaminating the sample. After blood collection, the cap can be tightened to improve the sealing performance, avoid leakage during transportation, and ensure the integrity of the sample. In addition, the rotating sealing cap 4 combined with the sealing rubber stopper 5 improves the negative pressure retention capacity and ensures that blood will not leak after entering.
[0044] (5) The use of light-proof transparent tube walls prevents RNA degradation. The light-proof layer design prevents RNA from being affected by ultraviolet rays, improving the quality of RNA preservation. At the same time, the transparent outer wall facilitates experimental observation, eliminating the need for additional sample processing and improving experimental efficiency.
[0045] (6) Low-cost manufacturing, suitable for single use. The tube body 1 adopts injection molding process and integrated structural design, reducing production steps; the simplified production process ensures stable product quality, reduces medical costs, and improves market competitiveness.
[0046] (7) Applicable to blood of different viscosities, improving versatility, optimizing the diameter and inclination angle of the spiral tube (20°-30°) to ensure that blood of different viscosities can flow smoothly and improve adaptability; at the same time, it reduces blood residue on the tube wall and ensures that all blood samples can be fully mixed with RNA stabilizing solution 3, improving sample integrity.
[0047] The above description, in conjunction with specific embodiments, provides a detailed explanation of the present invention and should not be construed as limiting the specific implementation of the present invention to these descriptions. For those skilled in the art, various simple deductions or substitutions can be made without departing from the concept of the present invention, and all such modifications and substitutions should be considered within the scope of protection of the present invention.
Claims
1. A self-mixing blood RNA preservation tube comprising a tube body (1), characterized in that: The tube body (1) is pre-filled with RNA stabilizing solution (3) and has a rotating sealing cap (4) at the open end; the tube body (1) is provided with a double helix guide tube (2), and the RNA stabilizing solution (3) is pre-filled at the bottom of the double helix guide tube (2). When blood flows into the tube body (1), the blood flows in a rotating manner along the helix guide tube and enters the RNA stabilizing solution (3) area from top to bottom, and mixes with it automatically; The inner wall of the tube (1) is provided with a micro-protrusion turbulence area, which includes a first micro-protrusion area (11) located at the center of the bottom of the tube (1), a second micro-protrusion area (12) located in the transition area between the bottom and side wall of the tube (1), and a third micro-protrusion area (13) located at the bottom edge of the tube (1). The tube (1) is made of transparent material and has a light-blocking layer coated on its outer surface.
2. The self-mixing blood RNA preservation tube according to claim 1, wherein: The spiral angle of the double spiral guide tube (2) is 20°~30°.
3. The self-mixing blood RNA preservation tube according to claim 1, wherein: The width of the double helix guide tube (2) is 5% to 10% of the inner diameter of the tube body (1).
4. The self-mixing blood RNA preservation tube according to claim 1, wherein: A sealing rubber plug (5) is embedded at the open end of the tube body (1), and a through hole is provided on the sealing rubber plug (5) that is compatible with the top connection of the double helix guide tube (2).
5. The self-mixing blood RNA preservation tube according to claim 4, characterized in that: The rotary sealing cap (4) has a position mark (41) at the corresponding position of the top connection of the double helix guide tube (2).
6. The self-mixing blood RNA preservation tube according to claim 1, wherein: The rotating sealing cap (4) is made of medical-grade polypropylene.