A fully automated extracellular microdialysis and fluid collection device

Abstract

The utility model relates to the field of microdialysis technology for animal experiment, concretely is a kind of full-automatic extracellular fluid microdialysis and liquid collection device, it includes: workbench, for placing experimental bin, push injection device and liquid adding device;Experimental bin, the experimental bin inside is used to place experimental animal;Push injection device, the push injection device is used to push injection microdialysis fluid, and the microdialysis fluid is injected into the experimental animal body by pipeline;Liquid adding device, the liquid adding device transports the liquid that has been microdialyzed from the experimental animal to reagent tube;The liquid adding device includes low-temperature preservation platform, the low-temperature preservation platform is provided with well plate, and reagent tube is placed in the well plate.The utility model improves sample adding efficiency and sample adding accuracy, effectively prevents the pollution to experimental equipment and reagent in the sample adding process, simultaneously makes the biological sample collected in low-temperature state, effectively avoids photodegradation by brown acrylic backboard, and maximum degree maintains sample biological activity.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of microdialysis technology for animal experiments, specifically a fully automated extracellular fluid microdialysis and fluid collection device. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, extracellular fluid microdialysis technology is increasingly being used in biological research and testing experiments. Microdialysis is a new technology that uses membrane dialysis as its principle, combined with sampling and dialysis purification techniques to dynamically sample small amounts of substances from living organisms. It has advantages such as small sample volume, minimal damage to the organism, simultaneous and continuous multiple sampling in the same organism, and good reproducibility. It is suitable for studying changes in extracellular fluid composition, the distribution and concentration of drugs in tissue extracellular fluid, and the collection of certain substances from extracellular fluid. Extracellular fluid microdialysis technology is required for all of these studies.

[0003] However, conventional liquid collection methods have many drawbacks. Traditional sample addition and liquid collection operations rely heavily on manual labor, which is not only inefficient but also difficult to control in terms of volume, leading to inconsistent accuracy. Furthermore, human error can easily contaminate experimental equipment and reagents, affecting the accuracy of experimental results. Simultaneously, maintaining the biological activity of samples during collection is crucial. Existing experimental devices often lack effective cryopreservation mechanisms, causing collected biological samples to easily become inactive due to excessively high temperatures. Additionally, some biological samples are sensitive to light and prone to photodegradation, and existing devices are not adequately designed for light protection.

[0004] Furthermore, for high-throughput processing of multiple biological samples, the channel design of existing devices is not sufficiently optimized, making it difficult to achieve independent and efficient sample loading operations, thus limiting the progress and efficiency of experiments. At the same time, existing devices also have shortcomings in terms of safety protection, ease of operation, and ensuring the free movement of organisms.

[0005] Therefore, it is necessary to develop a fully automated extracellular fluid microdialysis and fluid collection device. Utility Model Content

[0006] The purpose of this invention is to address the shortcomings of existing technologies by providing a fully automated extracellular fluid microdialysis and fluid collection device. This overcomes the drawbacks of existing methods that rely on manual visual observation for sample addition and fluid collection, which increases labor costs and makes it difficult to guarantee experimental accuracy. Furthermore, it reduces the adverse effects of factors such as temperature and light on biological samples and optimizes aspects such as safety, ease of operation, and ensuring the free movement of biological samples.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution of this utility model is as follows: A fully automated extracellular fluid microdialysis and fluid collection device, comprising: The workbench is used to place the experimental chamber, injection device, and liquid addition device. An experimental chamber, the interior of which is used to house experimental animals; An injection device is used to inject microdialysis fluid, which is then injected into the experimental animal through a tubing. A liquid dispensing device that delivers the liquid from the experimental animal after microdialysis to a reagent tube; The liquid addition device includes a low-temperature storage platform, on which a perforated plate is provided, and a reagent tube is placed inside the perforated plate.

[0008] Furthermore, the workbench includes a base plate, on which the experimental chamber and the liquid addition device are disposed. A frame is disposed on the base plate, and a horizontal partition is disposed within the frame. The partition is located above the base plate, and the injection device is disposed on the partition.

[0009] Furthermore, a control panel is provided at the top of the frame, which is electrically connected to the injection device and the liquid dispensing device, and is used to control the operation of the injection device and the liquid dispensing device.

[0010] Furthermore, the experimental chamber is a cylindrical structure with an opening at the top, and is made of colored acrylic material.

[0011] Furthermore, the number of experimental chambers is four, and the four experimental chambers are respectively set at the four corners of the base plate.

[0012] Furthermore, the injection device includes a fixed base disposed above the partition, and one or more injection pumps are disposed on the fixed base, each of the injection pumps being connected to the experimental animal via an inlet pipe.

[0013] Furthermore, a fixing plate is provided on one side of the fixing base, and one or more holes are provided on the fixing plate. The liquid inlet pipe passes through the holes and then through the partition to connect to the experimental animal.

[0014] Furthermore, the liquid dispensing device delivers the microdialyzed liquid to the reagent tube through the liquid outlet pipe; A clamping assembly is installed above the experimental chamber. The clamping assembly is used to clamp the inlet and outlet pipes, which are connected to the experimental animal via a dual-channel swivel.

[0015] Furthermore, the clamping assembly includes a first clamping block group, which is clamped and fixed above the side wall of the experimental chamber; a support column is provided above the first clamping block group, and a second clamping block group is horizontally connected to the support column, which is clamped and fixed on the dual-channel rotating ring.

[0016] Furthermore, the cryogenic storage platform includes a base, the upper surface of which has a groove, and a plurality of cooling chips are laid in the groove, with the cold end of the cooling chips facing upward and the hot end of the cooling chips facing downward, and the bottom surface of the groove has a plurality of openings exposing the hot end; A heat sink is provided below the base. The upper surface of the heat sink has a protrusion that is embedded in the opening, and the upper surface of the protrusion is in contact with the hot end of the cooling element.

[0017] Furthermore, the liquid dispensing device also includes an X-axis motion module and a Y-axis motion module, with the Y-axis motion module positioned above the X-axis motion module; The X-axis motion module includes an X-axis drive motor, an X-axis fixed base, and an X-axis slider. The Y-axis motion module drives the X-axis fixed base to reciprocate along the Y direction, and the X-axis drive motor drives the X-axis slider to reciprocate along the X direction. The X-axis slider is fixedly connected to the base.

[0018] Furthermore, a plurality of reagent tube slots are provided above the orifice plate, and reagent tubes are placed in the reagent tube slots; The reagent tube slots are multiple, and multiple reagent tube slots are arranged in an array; A cover plate is also provided above the orifice plate. The cover plate is made of colored acrylic material. The cover plate covers the orifice plate and the reagent tubes. The cover plate is provided with multiple through holes. The positions of the through holes on the cover plate correspond one-to-one with the reagent tube slots.

[0019] Furthermore, the liquid adding device also includes a Z-axis motion module, which is connected to the pipe fixing block and drives the pipe fixing block to move up and down reciprocally. The pipe fixing block is provided with a vertical pipe hole, and the pipe near the liquid outlet end of the liquid outlet pipe is fixed in the pipe hole.

[0020] Furthermore, the Z-axis motion module includes a Z-axis fixed base, which is fixed to the partition plate.

[0021] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects: This invention uses a low-temperature preservation platform below the reagent tube to preserve the collected liquid at low temperatures, preventing the sample from becoming inactive due to excessively high temperatures and thus preserving the sample's biological activity.

[0022] This invention achieves a light-blocking design by setting a colored acrylic cover above the reagent tube, thereby avoiding photodegradation of some light-sensitive samples and improving the accuracy of subsequent experiments.

[0023] This invention enables the continuous collection of multiple samples by setting up an automated motion module, including an X-axis motion module, a Y-axis motion module, and a Z-axis motion module. This improves liquid collection efficiency and sample addition accuracy, and effectively prevents contamination of experimental equipment and reagents during sample addition.

[0024] This invention, by setting up multiple injection pumps, can achieve sampling of multiple different types of samples, further improving the sampling efficiency. Attached Figure Description

[0025] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of this utility model; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the cryogenic storage platform.

[0026] Figure label: 1. Base plate, 2. Partition plate, 3. Experimental chamber, 4. Control board, 5. Fixing base, 6. Injection pump, 7. Fixing plate, 8. Dual-channel rotating ring, 9. First clamping block group, 10. Second clamping block group, 11. Base, 12. Heat sink, 13. X-axis motion module, 14. Y-axis motion module, 15. Z-axis motion module, 16. Perforated plate, 17. Cover plate, 18. Fixing block. Detailed Implementation

[0027] The technical solution of this utility model will be clearly described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are not all embodiments of this utility model. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the protection scope of this utility model.

[0028] It should be noted that, unless otherwise specifically stated, the relative arrangement and numerical expressions of the components and steps described in these embodiments should not be construed as limiting the scope of this utility model.

[0029] The following description of exemplary embodiments is merely illustrative and is not intended to limit the present invention or its application or use in any way. Techniques, methods, and apparatus known to those skilled in the art may not be discussed in detail herein, but where applicable, such techniques, methods, and apparatus should be considered part of this specification.

[0030] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, this embodiment provides a fully automated extracellular fluid microdialysis and fluid collection device, including: The workbench is used to place experimental chamber 3, the injection device, and the liquid addition device. Experimental chamber 3, the interior of which is used to house experimental animals; An injection device is used to inject microdialysis fluid, which is then injected into the experimental animal through a tubing. A liquid dispensing device that delivers the liquid from the experimental animal after microdialysis to a reagent tube; The liquid addition device includes a low-temperature storage platform, on which a perforated plate 16 is provided, and a reagent tube is placed inside the perforated plate 16.

[0031] The workbench includes a base plate 1, on which the experimental chamber 3 and the liquid dispensing device are mounted. A frame is mounted on the base plate 1, and a horizontal partition 2 is installed within the frame, located above the base plate 1. The dispensing device is mounted on the partition 2. The frame is made of aluminum alloy profiles or angle steel, etc. A transparent acrylic plate can also be added to the planar area of ​​the frame (between the aluminum alloy profiles) to facilitate observation of the device's operation and the condition of the experimental animals. To meet heat dissipation requirements, short columns can be installed at the junction of the base plate 1 to support it at a certain height.

[0032] A control panel 4 is installed at the top of the frame. The control panel 4 is electrically connected to the injection device and the liquid dispensing device and is used to control the operation of the injection device and the liquid dispensing device. The control panel 4 can display the current sample dispensing interval and sample dispensing speed.

[0033] The experimental chamber 3 is a cylindrical structure with an opening at the top, made of colored acrylic material, preferably brown, so that the experimental animals cannot observe the activities of people outside from inside the experimental chamber 3, thus avoiding the influence of human activities on the experimental animals, while people can observe the state of the experimental animals from the outside.

[0034] To improve sample loading efficiency, four experimental chambers 3 are provided, each positioned at one of the four corners of the base plate 1. The use of four experimental chambers 3 allows for the simultaneous collection of multiple samples and the simultaneous collection of different types of samples, thereby improving loading efficiency and reducing experimental costs.

[0035] The injection device includes a fixed base 5, which is disposed above the partition 2. One or more injection pumps 6 are mounted on the fixed base 5. In this embodiment, the fixed base 5 has four grooves, each containing one injection pump 6, for a total of four injection pumps 6, corresponding one-to-one with the four experimental chambers 3. Each injection pump 6 is connected to the experimental animal via an inlet pipe. The injection pump 6 stores the liquid used for microdialysis.

[0036] To secure the inlet pipe and prevent it from becoming loose or tangled with other components, a fixing plate 7 is provided on one side of the fixing base 5. The fixing plate 7 has four holes, and the inlet pipe passes through the holes on the fixing plate 7 and then through the partition 2 to connect to the experimental animal.

[0037] The liquid dispensing device delivers the microdialyzed liquid to the reagent tube via an outlet pipe. The inlet and outlet pipes, as well as the connection to the experimental animal, are all existing technologies. The basic structure and operating principle are as follows: both the inlet and outlet pipes are connected to the head of the experimental animal, or other parts of the animal depending on experimental needs; a microdialysis probe is placed inside the experimental animal; the inlet pipe passes through the microdialysis membrane probe into the animal's body; the microdialyzed liquid is collected in the reagent tube through the outlet pipe for further analysis.

[0038] When performing microdialysis on laboratory animals, in order to prevent the movement of the laboratory animals from causing the inlet and outlet pipes to rotate and become entangled, a dual-channel swivel ring 8 is usually added to the inlet and outlet pipes. The dual-channel swivel ring 8 used in this embodiment is also existing technology, specifically the dual-channel swivel ring from Instech.

[0039] In addition, a clamping assembly is provided above the experimental chamber 3 to clamp the inlet and outlet pipes. The inlet and outlet pipes are connected to the experimental animal through a dual-channel rotating ring 8.

[0040] The clamping assembly includes a first clamping block group 9, which clamps and fixes itself to the upper side wall of the experimental chamber 3; a support column is provided above the first clamping block group 9, and a second clamping block group 10 is horizontally connected to the support column, which clamps and fixes itself to the dual-channel rotating ring 8.

[0041] The first clamping block assembly 9 includes an arc-shaped block disposed inside the side wall of the experimental chamber 3 and an arc-shaped block disposed outside the experimental chamber 3. After clamping the side wall of the experimental chamber 3, the two arc-shaped blocks are connected by bolts and thus fixed to the experimental chamber 3. A vertical support is fixedly connected to the arc-shaped block outside the experimental chamber 3, and a second clamping block assembly 10 is horizontally fixedly connected to the support. The second clamping block assembly 10 includes two semi-circular clamping blocks. The two semi-circular clamping blocks clamp the dual-channel rotating ring 8 in the middle and are then fixed to each other by bolts, thus fixing the inlet pipe and the outlet pipe.

[0042] The cryogenic storage platform includes a base 11 with a groove on its upper surface. Multiple cooling chips are placed within the groove, with the cold ends of the cooling chips facing upwards and the hot ends facing downwards. The bottom surface of the groove has multiple openings exposing the hot ends. A heat sink 12 is positioned below the base 11. The upper surface of the heat sink 12 has a protrusion that embeds into the opening, and the upper surface of the protrusion contacts the hot end of the cooling chip. An opening is provided on the base plate 1 below the heat sink 12 as needed to increase heat dissipation efficiency.

[0043] By setting up the cooling plate, the orifice plate 16 above the base 11 is kept in a low-temperature environment, thereby preventing the collected samples from becoming inactive due to excessive temperature.

[0044] The liquid dispensing device also includes an X-axis motion module 13 and a Y-axis motion module 14, with the Y-axis motion module 14 positioned above the X-axis motion module 13. Figure 1 and Figure 2 The X-axis motion module 13 and Y-axis motion module 14 shown are for illustrative purposes only and are both results of existing technology. The Y-axis motion module 14 is a linear module, and the slider of the linear module is on the X-axis fixed seat 5 of the X-axis motion module 13. In turn, the Y-axis motion module 14 drives the X-axis fixed seat 5 to reciprocate along the Y direction.

[0045] The X-axis motion module 13 is a lead screw structure, including an X-axis drive motor, an X-axis fixed base 5, and an X-axis slider. The X-axis drive motor is installed in the front X-axis fixed base 5, and the X-axis drive motor is connected to the lead screw. The X-axis slider is installed on the lead screw. The X-axis drive motor drives the X-axis slider to reciprocate along the X direction. The X-axis slider is fixedly connected to the base 11.

[0046] In addition, multiple reagent tube slots are provided above the orifice plate 16, and reagent tubes are placed in the reagent tube slots; there are multiple reagent tube slots, and the multiple reagent tube slots are arranged in an array; a cover plate 17 is also provided above the orifice plate 16, and the cover plate 17 is made of colored acrylic material, preferably brown acrylic; the cover plate 17 has a horizontal top plate and edge plates extending downward around the top plate, so that the cover plate 17 covers the orifice plate 16 and the reagent tubes, and multiple through holes are provided on the cover plate 17, and the positions of the through holes on the cover plate 17 correspond one-to-one with the reagent tube slots.

[0047] The liquid dispensing device further includes a Z-axis motion module 15, which is connected to the pipe fixing block 18 and drives the pipe fixing block 18 to move up and down reciprocally. The pipe fixing block 18 has a vertical pipe hole, and the liquid outlet pipe near the outlet end is fixed inside the pipe hole. The Z-axis motion module 15 includes a Z-axis fixing seat 5, which is fixed to the partition plate 2.

[0048] The Z-axis motion module 15 adopts a linear module form, that is, a vertical linear module is set below the Z-axis fixed base 5. The slider of the linear module is connected to the fixed block 18, thereby enabling the fixed block 18 to move up and down reciprocally.

[0049] When sample addition is required, the Z-axis motion module 15 is used to extend the outlet of the liquid outlet pipe into the cover plate 17 and directly inject it into the reagent tube. When adding sample again, the outlet of the liquid outlet pipe needs to be moved. First, the Z-axis motion module 15 is used to raise the fixing block 18 so that the outlet of the liquid outlet pipe is above the cover plate 17. Then, the X-axis motion module 13 and the Y-axis motion module 14 are used to place the outlet of the liquid outlet pipe in other required positions. Then, the Z-axis motion module 15 is used to lower the fixing block 18 so that the outlet of the liquid outlet pipe extends into the cover plate 17 and the sample is added again.

[0050] The above specific embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solution of this utility model and are not intended to limit it. Although this utility model has been described in detail with reference to examples, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications or equivalent substitutions can be made to the technical solution of this utility model without departing from the scope of the technical solution of this utility model, and all such modifications or substitutions should be covered within the scope of the claims of this utility model.

Claims

1. A fully automated extracellular fluid microdialysis and fluid collection device, characterized in that, include: The workbench is used to place the experimental chamber, injection device, and liquid addition device. An experimental chamber, the interior of which is used to house experimental animals; An injection device is used to inject microdialysis fluid, which is then injected into the experimental animal through a tubing. A liquid dispensing device that delivers the liquid from the experimental animal after microdialysis to a reagent tube; The liquid addition device includes a low-temperature storage platform, on which a perforated plate is provided, and a reagent tube is placed inside the perforated plate.

2. The fully automated extracellular fluid microdialysis and fluid collection device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The workbench includes a base plate, on which the experimental chamber and the liquid addition device are disposed. A frame is disposed on the base plate, and a horizontal partition is disposed within the frame. The partition is located above the base plate, and the injection device is disposed on the partition.

3. The fully automated extracellular fluid microdialysis and fluid collection device according to claim 2, characterized in that, A control panel is installed at the top of the frame. The control panel is electrically connected to the injection device and the liquid addition device and is used to control the operation of the injection device and the liquid addition device.

4. The fully automated extracellular fluid microdialysis and fluid collection device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The experimental chamber is a cylindrical structure with an opening at the top, and is made of colored acrylic material.

5. The fully automated extracellular fluid microdialysis and fluid collection device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The experimental chambers consist of four chambers, which are located at the four corners of the base plate.

6. The fully automated extracellular fluid microdialysis and fluid collection device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The injection device includes a fixed base, which is disposed above the partition. One or more injection pumps are disposed on the fixed base, and each injection pump is connected to the experimental animal through an inlet pipe.

7. The fully automated extracellular fluid microdialysis and fluid collection device according to claim 6, characterized in that, A fixing plate is provided on one side of the fixing base, and one or more holes are provided on the fixing plate. The liquid inlet pipe passes through the holes and then through the partition to connect to the experimental animal.

8. The fully automated extracellular fluid microdialysis and fluid collection device according to claim 7, characterized in that, The liquid dispensing device delivers the microdialyzed liquid to the reagent tube through the liquid outlet pipe; A clamping assembly is installed above the experimental chamber. The clamping assembly is used to clamp the inlet and outlet pipes, which are connected to the experimental animal via a dual-channel swivel.

9. The fully automated extracellular fluid microdialysis and fluid collection device according to claim 8, characterized in that, The clamping assembly includes a first clamping block group, which is clamped and fixed above the side wall of the experimental chamber; a support column is provided above the first clamping block group, and a second clamping block group is horizontally connected to the support column, which is clamped and fixed on the dual-channel rotating ring.

10. The fully automated extracellular fluid microdialysis and fluid collection device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cryogenic storage platform includes a base with a groove on its upper surface. Multiple cooling chips are laid in the groove, with the cold end of the cooling chips facing upwards and the hot end of the cooling chips facing downwards. The bottom surface of the groove has multiple openings that expose the hot end. A heat sink is provided below the base. The upper surface of the heat sink has a protrusion that is embedded in the opening, and the upper surface of the protrusion is in contact with the hot end of the cooling element.

11. The fully automated extracellular fluid microdialysis and fluid collection device according to claim 10, characterized in that, The liquid dispensing device also includes an X-axis motion module and a Y-axis motion module, with the Y-axis motion module positioned above the X-axis motion module; The X-axis motion module includes an X-axis drive motor, an X-axis fixed base, and an X-axis slider. The Y-axis motion module drives the X-axis fixed base to reciprocate along the Y direction, and the X-axis drive motor drives the X-axis slider to reciprocate along the X direction. The X-axis slider is fixedly connected to the base.

12. The fully automated extracellular fluid microdialysis and fluid collection device according to claim 1, characterized in that, Multiple reagent tube slots are provided above the orifice plate, and reagent tubes are placed in the reagent tube slots; The reagent tube slots are multiple, and multiple reagent tube slots are arranged in an array; A cover plate is also provided above the orifice plate. The cover plate is made of colored acrylic material. The cover plate covers the orifice plate and the reagent tubes. The cover plate is provided with multiple through holes. The positions of the through holes on the cover plate correspond one-to-one with the reagent tube slots.

13. The fully automated extracellular fluid microdialysis and fluid collection device according to claim 8, characterized in that, The liquid adding device also includes a Z-axis motion module, which is connected to a pipe fixing block and drives the pipe fixing block to move up and down reciprocally. The pipe fixing block is provided with a vertical pipe hole, and the pipe near the liquid outlet end of the liquid outlet pipe is fixed in the pipe hole.

14. The fully automated extracellular fluid microdialysis and fluid collection device according to claim 13, characterized in that, The Z-axis motion module includes a Z-axis fixed base, which is fixed to the partition plate.

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