Magnetic material separation device

Abstract

To provide a magnetic material separation device which provides a comprehensive and highly reliable solution for magnetic material separation experiments.SOLUTION: A magnetic material separation device 1 includes a casing 11 and at least one magnetic component assembly 13. The casing 11 has at least one storage section, and the magnetic component assembly 13 is disposed in the storage section. The at least one magnetic component assembly includes at least four cube magnetic components M1. The cube magnetic components M1 are linearly arranged (Halbach array) in different magnetization directions to allow magnetic lines of the magnetic component assembly 13 to concentrate on one side. The at least one magnetic component assembly 13 forms at least one ferromagnetic surface B1 on the casing 11. The one ferromagnetic surface B1 is configured to draw a magnetic material in a sample in a sample container.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a magnetic substance separator.

Background Art

[0002] Conventional magnetic substance separation experiments often face multiple problems. First, the magnetic force of magnetic substances varies greatly depending on the manufacturer, and the characteristics of biological samples (such as encapsulation phenomena) affect magnetic interactions, resulting in a decrease in separation efficiency. Second, the diversity of experimental containers makes it difficult to optimize magnetic interactions. Furthermore, the relationship between magnetic force and distance also affects the separation effect. Conventional magnetic separation devices often struggle to balance efficiency, convenience, automation, biosafety, and biocompatibility, limiting the progress of magnetic separation experiments.

[0003] Therefore, how to provide a magnetic separation device that meets requirements such as efficiency, convenience, automation, biosafety, and biocompatibility, and can flexibly select appropriate container shapes, surface materials, and surface treatment methods according to the characteristics of various samples has become an urgent issue in this field for researchers.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The present disclosure provides a magnetic substance separation device that optimizes the arrangement of magnets, utilizes a strong magnetic force design, adapts to different container shapes, thereby enhancing the efficiency of magnetic interactions, and providing a more comprehensive and reliable solution for magnetic substance separation experiments.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] One embodiment of the present disclosure provides a magnetic substance separation device configured to attract magnetic substances in a sample within a sample container. The magnetic substance separation device includes a casing and at least one magnetic component assembly. The casing has at least one accommodation compartment. The at least one magnetic component assembly is disposed within the at least one accommodation compartment, and the at least one magnetic component assembly includes at least four cubic magnetic components. Further, the at least four cubic magnetic components are linearly arranged with different magnetization directions, enabling the magnetic field lines of the at least one magnetic component assembly to concentrate on one side, and the at least one magnetic component assembly is adapted to form at least one ferromagnetic surface on the casing. The at least one ferromagnetic surface is configured to attract magnetic substances in the sample within the sample container.

Advantages of the Invention

[0006] According to the magnetic substance separation device disclosed in the embodiments of the present disclosure, by arranging the cubic magnetic components in a specific manner, a ferromagnetic surface can be formed on the casing, thereby increasing the magnetic force per unit area with fewer magnetic components. Further, the magnetic substance separation device can be adjusted to adapt to different container shapes, thereby improving the efficiency of magnetic interaction while simultaneously meeting the requirements of efficiency, convenience, automation, biosafety, and biocompatibility.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007] The present disclosure will be better understood from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings presented herein.

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Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0008] In the following detailed description, for the sake of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the disclosed embodiments. However, it will be apparent that one or more embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown schematically in order to simplify the drawings.

[0009] The following description is to be understood as providing various embodiments or examples for implementing different aspects of the present disclosure. The specific components and arrangements described below are merely simplified descriptions of the present disclosure and are provided for illustrative purposes and not for limitation. The term "about" used in the present disclosure refers to a value including the described value and values within an acceptable deviation range, taking into account measurement problems and errors (i.e., the limitations of the measurement system) by those skilled in the art. For example, "about" can mean within one or more standard deviations of the described value, or within ±5% of the described value. The amounts provided herein are approximate values, and even if terms such as "about", "approximately", or "substantially" are not explicitly described, they may be implied. Further, the expression "from a to b" used in the present disclosure indicates a range from "a" or more to "b" or less.

[0010] Terms such as "first", "second", "third", etc. may be used herein to describe various components, regions, layers, and / or parts, but it is to be understood that these components, regions, layers, and / or parts should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one component, region, layer, and / or part from another. Thus, a "first" component, region, layer, and / or part described hereinafter may be referred to as a "second" component, region, layer, and / or part without departing from the teachings of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0011] The present disclosure provides a magnetic substance separation device for the purpose of attracting magnetic substances in a sample within a sample container, thereby separating the magnetic substances from the sample, but its use is not limited to separating magnetic substances from the sample. In some aspects, the magnetic substance separation device can also be configured to separate substances attracted to the magnetic substances or substances linked to the magnetic substances, and whether to hold or discard the separated substances depends on the purpose of the experiment.

[0012] According to the present disclosure, a magnetic substance separator includes a casing and at least one magnetic component assembly. The casing has at least one accommodation compartment. The at least one magnetic component assembly is disposed within the at least one accommodation compartment, and the at least one magnetic component assembly includes at least four cubic magnetic components. Further, the at least four cubic magnetic components are linearly arranged with different magnetization directions, enabling the magnetic field lines of the at least one magnetic component assembly to concentrate on one side, such that the magnetic component assembly forms at least one ferromagnetic surface on the casing, and the at least one ferromagnetic surface is configured to attract magnetic substances in a sample within a sample container. The linear arrangement of the cubic magnetic components with different magnetization directions may refer to the case where the magnetization direction of each cubic magnetic component rotates according to a specific pattern. For example, the magnetization direction of each sequentially arranged cubic magnetic component is rotated by 90° with respect to the magnetization direction of the preceding cubic magnetic component.

[0013] In one aspect, the at least four cubic magnetic components are arranged, for example, in a Halbach array.

[0014] In one aspect, the magnetic component assembly may further form a diamagnetic surface on the casing, and the diamagnetic surface and the ferromagnetic surface may be located on opposite sides of the casing. It should be noted that in a configuration where the casing is, for example, plate-shaped, the ferromagnetic surface is defined as being located on a reference plane formed by the X-axis and the Y-axis. The extending direction of the accommodation compartment within the casing may be parallel to, for example, the X-axis or the Y-axis, whereby the magnetic component assembly can have a more flexible configuration based on actual design requirements, but the present disclosure is not limited to the aforementioned extending direction of the accommodation compartment within the casing.

[0015] In one aspect, at least one magnetic component assembly may include a plurality of magnetic component assemblies, and at least one receiving compartment may include a plurality of receiving compartments. The magnetic component assemblies are respectively disposed in the receiving compartments. In other words, the number of magnetic component assemblies may be plural, and the number of receiving compartments may also be plural. Further, the number of magnetic component assemblies may correspond to the number of receiving compartments, whereby each magnetic component assembly can be disposed in a respective receiving compartment. Further, the cubic magnetic components within one of the receiving compartments may be arranged aligned with the cubic magnetic components within another of the receiving compartments, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In other configurations, the cubic magnetic components within one of the receiving compartments may be arranged in an offset configuration with respect to the cubic magnetic components within another of the receiving compartments.

[0016] In one aspect, each two adjacent cubic magnetic components within the same receiving compartment may be in physical contact with each other, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In other configurations, there may be a gap between each two adjacent cubic magnetic components within the same receiving compartment, and the gap is, for example, greater than 0 mm and less than or equal to 2.0 mm.

[0017] In a configuration where the number of accommodation compartments is plural, the casing can have a plurality of partitions, and each partition is disposed between two adjacent accommodation compartments. In other words, the partitions of the casing can divide the internal space of the casing into a plurality of accommodation compartments, and each accommodation compartment is designed to accommodate a magnetic component assembly. Further, the thickness of each partition can be in the range of 1.0 mm to 10.0 mm. Preferably, the thickness of each partition can be in the range of 1.5 mm to 7.9 mm. For example, in one configuration, the thickness of each partition of the casing can be substantially 1.5 mm, in another configuration, the thickness of each partition of the casing can be substantially 1.8 mm, in yet another configuration, the thickness of each partition of the casing can be substantially 4.8 mm, and in yet another configuration, the thickness of each partition of the casing can be substantially 7.9 mm.

[0018] According to the magnetic substance separation device of the present disclosure, the thickness of the casing on the ferromagnetic surface can be in the range of 1.0 mm to 2.0 mm. For example, in one configuration, the casing thickness of the casing on the ferromagnetic surface can be substantially 1.0 mm, in another configuration, the casing thickness of the casing on the ferromagnetic surface can be substantially 1.5 mm, in yet another configuration, the casing thickness of the casing on the ferromagnetic surface can be substantially 1.8 mm, and in yet another configuration, the casing thickness of the casing on the ferromagnetic surface can be substantially 2.0 mm.

[0019] In one configuration, the magnetic component assembly may be in physical contact with the inner peripheral surface of the accommodation compartment, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In other configurations, there may be a gap between the magnetic component assembly and at least a part of the inner peripheral surface of the accommodation compartment.

[0020] According to the magnetic substance separation device of the present disclosure, the side length of each cubic magnetic component may be in the range of 1 mm to 15 mm. Preferably, the side length of each cubic magnetic component may be in the range of 3 mm to 10 mm. For example, in one configuration, the side length of each cubic magnetic component of the magnetic component assembly may be substantially 3 mm, in another configuration, the side length of each cubic magnetic component of the magnetic component assembly may be substantially 5 mm, and in yet another configuration, the side length of each cubic magnetic component of the magnetic component assembly may be substantially 10 mm.

[0021] In one configuration, the magnetic substance separation device can further include a holder disposed on the casing, and the holder is configured to fix the sample container on the ferromagnetic surface of the casing.

[0022] In one configuration, the magnetic substance separation device can further include an inclined support rotatably coupled to an end of the casing, and the inclined support is configured to selectively raise the horizontal height of the end of the casing to be equal to or higher than the horizontal height of other portions of the casing.

[0023] In a configuration where the magnetic substance separation device includes a holder, the holder may be a support frame disposed at the upper end of the casing. Further, the holder (for example, the support frame) may have at least one through hole, and the sample container may be, for example, a centrifuge tube. The through hole is configured such that the tube portion of the sample container (for example, the centrifuge tube) passes through and is disposed, and the tube portion can be made to correspond to the ferromagnetic surface, and the peripheral portion of the through hole is configured to support the opening flange portion of the sample container (for example, the centrifuge tube).

[0024] <First Embodiment> Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a magnetic substance separation device according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the magnetic substance separation device shown in FIG. 1.

[0025] In this embodiment, the magnetic substance separator 1 is configured to attract magnetic substances in a sample within a sample container (not shown). The magnetic substance separator 1 includes a casing 11 and a plurality of magnetic component assemblies 13.

[0026] In this embodiment, the casing 11 has four accommodation compartments S1, and the four accommodation compartments S1 are parallel to each other. Specifically, the casing 11 includes a main housing 111, three partitions 112, and a base 110. The three partitions 112 are arranged in the main housing 111 so as to form four parallel elongated grooves in the main housing 111. The base 110 is fixed to the main housing 111 by, for example (but not limited to), screws, whereby four accommodation compartments S1 are formed together with the main housing 111 and the partitions 112. Further, the partitions 112 are respectively arranged between two adjacent accommodation compartments S1. Further, the base 110 has four openings H1 respectively connected to the four accommodation compartments S1, and the magnetic component assembly 13 can be inserted into the accommodation compartment S1 through the opening H1.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 1, the length direction and the width direction of the casing 11 respectively correspond to the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction. In this embodiment, the extending direction of the accommodation compartment S1 is substantially parallel to the X-axis direction and can be considered to extend along the length direction of the casing 11, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the extending direction of the accommodation compartment within the casing may be substantially parallel to the Y-axis direction, which means that the accommodation compartment may extend along the width direction of the casing.

[0028] In this embodiment, the partition 112 is integrally formed with the main housing 111, but the present disclosure is not limited to the foregoing structural configuration. In other embodiments, the main housing, the partition, and the base may be integrally formed as a single casing.

[0029] In this embodiment, the four magnetic component assemblies 13 are respectively arranged in the four accommodation compartments S1. Further, each magnetic component assembly 13 includes at least four cubic magnetic components M1. In other words, each accommodation compartment S1 accommodates at least four cubic magnetic components M1. During assembly, the cubic magnetic components M1 are inserted into the accommodation compartment S1 through the opening H1. Further, the cubic magnetic components M1 are linearly arranged with different magnetization directions so that the magnetic field lines of the magnetic component assembly 13 are concentrated on one side.

[0030] Further, referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, FIG. 3 shows a schematic diagram of the magnetic field distribution formed by linearly arranging four cubic magnetic components with different magnetization directions, and FIG. 4 shows a schematic diagram of the magnetic field distribution formed by linearly arranging five cubic magnetic components with different magnetization directions. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, by linearly arranging the cubic magnetic components M1 with different magnetization directions, a ferromagnetic region can be formed on one surface of the cubic magnetic component M1, and a diamagnetic region can be formed on the other surface of the cubic magnetic component M1. Thereby, a strong magnetic force can be generated in one acting direction (acting surface) with a small number of magnetic components, and the magnetic force per unit area can be increased. To linearly arrange cubic magnetic components with different magnetization directions, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a plurality of cubic magnetic components having N poles and S poles are arranged in a specific pattern (for example, it may be a Halbach array). The number of the cubic magnetic components M1 in FIG. 3 or FIG. 4 is only provided as an example, and the present disclosure is not limited to a specific number as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, each magnetic component assembly may include six or more cubic magnetic components. The aforementioned cubic magnetic component M1 may be, for example, a magnet having N and S poles, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0031] With the above-described arrangement of the cubic magnetic components M1, the four magnetic component assemblies 13 form a ferromagnetic surface B1 and a diamagnetic surface B2 on the opposing faces of the casing 11. The ferromagnetic surface B1 is configured to attract magnetic substances in the sample within the sample container. Specifically, the ferromagnetic surface B1 is located on the surface of the main housing 111 that is farthest from the base 110, and the diamagnetic surface B2 is located on the surface of the base 110 that is farthest from the main housing 111.

[0032] In this embodiment, all of the cubic magnetic components M1 are cubes. In other words, each face of the cubic magnetic component M1 is a square. Note that the term "cube" may refer not only to a perfect cube but also to a rectangular parallelepiped whose shape approximates a perfect cube due to manufacturing tolerances.

[0033] In this embodiment, the cubic magnetic component M1 in one of the accommodation compartments S1 is offset with respect to the cubic magnetic component M1 in an adjacent accommodation compartment S1 within the accommodation compartment S1, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the cubic magnetic components in two adjacent accommodation compartments among the accommodation compartments may be arranged in alignment with each other.

[0034] In this embodiment, each two adjacent cubic magnetic components M1 within the same accommodation compartment S1 are in physical contact with each other, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, there may be a gap between each two adjacent cubic magnetic components. The distance between two adjacent cubic magnetic components within a single accommodation compartment may be controlled, for example, by restricting these cubic magnetic components using the wall surfaces at both ends of the accommodation compartment. For example, when the length of the accommodation compartment is substantially equal to the total length of the cubic magnetic components within the accommodation compartment, the wall surfaces at both ends of the accommodation compartment press against the outermost cubic magnetic components, and the cubic magnetic components within the accommodation compartment are closely adjacent to each other. Conversely, when the length of the accommodation compartment is greater than the total length of the cubic magnetic components within the accommodation compartment, there may be a gap between two adjacent cubic magnetic components, for example, due to repulsive force.

[0035] In this embodiment, the cubic magnetic component M1 is physically in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the accommodation section S1. By matching the shape of the cubic magnetic component M1 to the shape of the accommodation section S1, unexpected rotation of the cubic magnetic component M1 within the accommodation section S1 can be prevented, and a structural configuration can be ensured in which the cubic magnetic components M1 are linearly arranged so that their magnetization directions are different.

[0036] In the magnetic substance separation device 1 of this embodiment, the number of accommodation sections S1 is 4, each accommodation section S1 houses 10 cubic magnetic components M1, the length of each side of each cubic magnetic component M1 is substantially 10 mm, and the thickness of each partition 112 is substantially 7.9 mm. Further, the thickness of the casing 11 on the ferromagnetic surface B1 is substantially 2.0 mm. In the above-described configuration, the ferromagnetic surface B1 formed by the magnetic component assembly 13 on the casing 11 can achieve a magnetic field strength of about 600 to 1000 gauss. Under the same conditions, the conventional magnet arrangement can only form a magnetic field strength of about 50 to 300 gauss on a single surface of the casing, which is significantly weaker than the magnetic field strength formed by the magnetic component assembly 13 on the ferromagnetic surface B1 of this embodiment. In the embodiments of the present disclosure, it can be seen that by linearly arranging cubic magnetic components with different magnetization directions, the magnetic force lines of the magnetic component assembly can be concentrated on one side, and the magnetic force per unit area can be increased with fewer magnetic components.

[0037] As an application example, a magnetic bead separation test during cell culture was performed using the magnetic substance separation device 1 of this embodiment. The initial number of added cells and the number of magnetic beads were 5×10 6 each. After 14 days of co-culture, magnetic bead separation was performed using the magnetic substance separation device 1 of this embodiment. As a result, if the number of cells was 1×10 6 the number of residual magnetic beads could be reduced to less than 15, and further to less than 10, which conforms to the recommendation that the number of residual magnetic beads should be less than 30 (Reference: Journal of Hemotherapy, Volume 7, pp437 - 448, 1998)).

[0038] According to the present disclosure, the size of the ferromagnetic surface in the magnetic substance separator can be designed to be equal to or larger than the surface area of the sample container according to actual requirements. For example, the size of the ferromagnetic surface can be adjusted by changing the number of accommodation compartments, the number of cubic magnetic components, the size of the cubic magnetic components, and / or the arrangement density of the cubic magnetic components.

[0039] <Second Embodiment> Referring to FIGS. 5 to 7, FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a magnetic substance separator according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure, FIG. 6 is a side view of a state in which the magnetic substance separator and the sample container shown in FIG. 5 are horizontally arranged, and FIG. 7 is a side view of a state in which the magnetic substance separator and the sample container shown in FIG. 5 are inclined.

[0040] The magnetic substance separator 1b provided in the second embodiment (corresponding to FIG. 5) is similar to the magnetic substance separator 1 described in the first embodiment (corresponding to FIG. 1). The same or similar reference numerals indicate the same or similar components, and the functions and effects provided by these components are the same as those described above, so the description of this point will not be repeated. Hereinafter, only the main differences between the magnetic substance separator 1b of the second embodiment and the magnetic substance separator 1 of the first embodiment will be described.

[0041] In the second embodiment, the sample container 9b is a flask certified for biocompatibility, and the magnetic substance separator 1b further includes a holder 15b and an inclined support 17b. Further, the holder 15b is disposed on the casing 11b, and the holder 15b is configured to fix the sample container 9b to the ferromagnetic surface B1 of the casing 11b.

[0042] The inclined support 17b is rotatably coupled to the end of the casing 11b, and the inclined support 17b is configured to selectively raise the horizontal height of the end of the casing 11b above the horizontal height of other portions of the casing 11b. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, when the inclined support 17b is in the folded position, the magnetic substance separator 1b and the sample container 9b can be horizontally arranged on a flat surface, and the interaction area between the sample in the sample container 9b and the ferromagnetic surface B1 can be increased. As shown in FIG. 7, when the inclined support 17b is rotated to the unfolded position, the magnetic substance separator 1b and the sample container 9b can be inclined and arranged on a flat surface, facilitating the extraction of the separated sample.

[0043] In the second embodiment, the number of partitions 112b is 7, and the number of magnetic component assemblies 13b and the number of accommodation compartments S1 are both 8. Each magnetic component assembly 13b includes eight cubic magnetic components M1, the length of each side of each cubic magnetic component M1 is substantially 10 mm, and the thickness of each partition 112b is substantially 4.8 mm. Further, the thickness of the casing 11b on the ferromagnetic surface B1 is substantially 2.0 mm. With the above-described configuration, the ferromagnetic surface B1 formed by the magnetic component assemblies 13b on the casing 11b can achieve a magnetic field strength of about 3500 gauss. Under the same conditions, the conventional magnet arrangement can form a magnetic field strength of only about 50 to 300 gauss on a single surface of the casing, which is significantly weaker than the magnetic field strength generated by the magnetic component assemblies 13b on the ferromagnetic surface B1 of the present embodiment. In the embodiments of the present disclosure, it can be seen that by linearly arranging cubic magnetic components with different magnetization directions, the magnetic field lines of the magnetic component assembly can be concentrated on one side, and the magnetic force per unit area can be increased with fewer magnetic components.

[0044] As an application example, a magnetic bead separation test in a cell culture process was performed using the magnetic substance separator 1b of the present embodiment. The initial number of added cells and the number of magnetic beads were 5×10 6It was. After 14 days of co-culture, magnetic bead separation was performed using the magnetic substance separation device 1b of the present embodiment. As a result, when the number of cells was 1×10 6 In the case of, the number of residual magnetic beads can be reduced to less than 15, and further less than 10, which conforms to the recommendation that the number of residual magnetic beads should be less than 30.

[0045] It should be understood that the holder 15b and the inclined support 17b are optional and the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0046] <Third Embodiment> Please refer to FIG. 8 which is a perspective view of the magnetic substance separation device according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0047] The magnetic substance separation device 1c provided in the third embodiment (corresponding to FIG. 8) is similar to the magnetic substance separation device 1b described in the second embodiment (corresponding to FIG. 5). Note that the same or similar reference numerals indicate the same or similar components, and the functions and effects provided by these components are the same as those described above, so the description regarding this point will not be repeated. Hereinafter, only the main differences between the magnetic substance separation device 1c of the third embodiment and the magnetic substance separation device 1b of the second embodiment will be described.

[0048] In the third embodiment, the number of partitions 112c is 6, and the number of magnetic component assemblies 13c and the number of accommodation sections S1 are both 7. Each magnetic component assembly 13c includes 12 cubic magnetic components M1. The length of each side of each cubic magnetic component M1 is substantially 10 mm, and the thickness of each partition 112c is substantially 1.5 mm. Further, the thickness of the casing 11c on the ferromagnetic surface B1 is also substantially 1.5 mm. In the above-described configuration, the ferromagnetic surface B1 formed by the magnetic component assemblies 13c on the casing 11c can achieve a magnetic field strength of about 4300 gauss. Under the same conditions, in the conventional magnet arrangement, a magnetic field strength of only about 50 to 300 gauss can be formed on a single surface of the casing, which is significantly weaker than the magnetic field strength formed by the magnetic component assemblies 13c on the ferromagnetic surface B1 of the present embodiment. In the embodiments of the present disclosure, it can be seen that by linearly arranging cubic magnetic components with different magnetization directions, the magnetic field lines of the magnetic component assembly can be concentrated on one side, and the magnetic force per unit area can be increased with fewer magnetic components.

[0049] As an application example, a magnetic bead separation test during cell culture was performed using the magnetic substance separation device 1c of the present embodiment. The initial number of added cells and the number of magnetic beads were 5×10 6 respectively. After 14 days of co-culture, magnetic bead separation was performed using the magnetic substance separation device 1c of the present embodiment. As a result, if the number of cells is 1×10 6 , the number of residual magnetic beads can be reduced to less than 15, and further to less than 10, which meets the recommendation that the number of residual magnetic beads should be less than 30.

[0050] Furthermore, the extending direction of the accommodation section in the casing shown in the third embodiment is different from that of the accommodation section shown in the second embodiment. In the second embodiment, the accommodation section extends in a direction parallel to the Y-axis, while in the third embodiment, the accommodation section extends in a direction parallel to the X-axis. As a result, the magnetic component assemblies of these two embodiments exhibit different magnetic field distributions, but the present disclosure is not limited to the extending direction of the accommodation section within the casing. For example, the extending direction of the accommodation section within the casing in the second embodiment can be adjusted to be parallel to the X-axis based on actual design requirements, which means that the accommodation section may extend along the length direction of the casing. Similarly, the extending direction of the accommodation section within the casing in the third embodiment can be adjusted to be parallel to the Y-axis based on actual design requirements, which means that the accommodation section may extend along the width direction of the casing.

[0051] <Fourth Embodiment> Please refer to FIG. 9, which is a perspective view of the magnetic substance separation device according to the fourth embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0052] The magnetic substance separation device 1d provided in the fourth embodiment (corresponding to FIG. 9) is similar to the magnetic substance separation device 1b described in the second embodiment (corresponding to FIG. 5). The same or similar reference numerals indicate the same or similar components, and the functions and effects provided by these components are the same as those described above, so the description of this point will not be repeated here. Hereinafter, only the main differences between the magnetic substance separation device 1d of the fourth embodiment and the magnetic substance separation device 1b of the second embodiment will be described.

[0053] In the fourth embodiment, the number of partitions 112d is 16, and both the number of magnetic component assemblies 13d and the number of accommodation sections S1 are 17. Each magnetic component assembly 13d includes 16 cubic magnetic components M1. The length of each side of each cubic magnetic component M1 is substantially 5 mm, and the thickness of each partition 112d is substantially 1.8 mm. Further, the thickness of the casing 11d on the ferromagnetic surface B1 is also substantially 1.8 mm. With the above-described configuration, the ferromagnetic surface B1 formed by the magnetic component assemblies 13d on the casing 11d can achieve a magnetic field strength of at least about 800 gauss. Under the same conditions, the conventional magnet arrangement can only form a magnetic field strength of about 50 to 300 gauss on a single surface of the casing, which is significantly weaker than the magnetic field strength formed by the magnetic component assemblies 13d on the ferromagnetic surface B1 in this embodiment. In the embodiments of the present disclosure, it can be seen that by linearly arranging cubic magnetic components with different magnetization directions, the magnetic flux lines of the magnetic component assembly can be concentrated on one side, and the magnetic force per unit area can be increased with fewer magnetic components.

[0054] As an application example, a magnetic bead separation test during cell culture was performed using the magnetic substance separation device 1d of this embodiment. The initial number of added cells and the number of magnetic beads were 5×10 6 respectively. After 14 days of co-culture, magnetic bead separation was performed using the magnetic substance separation device 1d of this embodiment. As a result, when the number of cells was 1×10 6 , the number of residual magnetic beads could be reduced to less than 15, and further to less than 10, which conforms to the recommendation that the number of residual magnetic beads should be less than 30.

[0055] <Fifth Embodiment> Please refer to FIG. 10, which is a perspective view of the magnetic substance separation device according to the fifth embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0056] The magnetic substance separation device 1e provided in the fifth embodiment (corresponding to FIG. 10) is similar to the magnetic substance separation device 1b described in the second embodiment (corresponding to FIG. 5). Note that the same or similar reference numerals indicate the same or similar components, and the functions and effects provided by these components are the same as those described above, so the description regarding this point will not be repeated. Hereinafter, only the main differences between the magnetic substance separation device 1e of the fifth embodiment and the magnetic substance separation device 1b of the second embodiment will be described.

[0057] In the fifth embodiment, the number of partitions 112e is 23, and both the number of magnetic component assemblies 13e and the number of accommodation compartments S1 are 24. Each magnetic component assembly 13e includes 26 cubic magnetic components M1. The side length of each cubic magnetic component M1 is substantially 3 mm, and the thickness of each partition 112e is substantially 1.8 mm. Further, the thickness of the casing 11e on the ferromagnetic surface B1 is also substantially 1.8 mm. In the above-described configuration, the ferromagnetic surface B1 formed by the magnetic component assemblies 13e on the casing 11e can achieve a magnetic field strength of at least approximately 800 gauss. Under the same conditions, the conventional magnet arrangement can only form a magnetic field strength of about 50 to 300 gauss on a single surface of the casing, which is significantly weaker than the magnetic field strength formed by the magnetic component assemblies 13e on the ferromagnetic surface B1 in this embodiment. In the embodiments of the present disclosure, it can be seen that by linearly arranging cubic magnetic components with different magnetization directions, the magnetic force lines of the magnetic component assembly can be concentrated on one side, and the magnetic force per unit area can be increased with fewer magnetic components.

[0058] As an application example, a magnetic bead separation test during cell culture was performed using the magnetic substance separation device 1e of this embodiment. The initial added cell number and the number of magnetic beads were 5×10 6 respectively. After 14 days of co-culture, magnetic bead separation was performed using the magnetic substance separation device 1e of this embodiment. As a result, if the cell number is 1×10 6 , the number of residual magnetic beads can be reduced to less than 15, and further less than 10, which conforms to the recommendation that the number of residual magnetic beads should be less than 30.

[0059] <Sixth Embodiment> Please refer to FIG. 11, which is a perspective view of a sample container and a magnetic substance separator according to the sixth embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0060] The magnetic substance separator 1f provided in the sixth embodiment (corresponding to FIG. 11) is similar to the magnetic substance separators described in the above embodiments. The same or similar reference numerals indicate the same or similar components, and the functions and effects provided by these components are the same as those described above, so the description regarding this point will not be repeated. Hereinafter, only the main differences between the magnetic substance separator 1f according to the sixth embodiment and the magnetic substance separators according to the above embodiments will be described.

[0061] In the sixth embodiment, the sample container 9f may be a centrifuge tube approved for biocompatibility, specifically, for example, a 15 mL, 25 mL, or 50 mL centrifuge tube. Alternatively, the sample container 9f may be a microcentrifuge tube approved for biocompatibility (also known as an Eppendorf tube), specifically, for example, a 5 mL, 2 mL, or 1.5 mL microcentrifuge tube. The holder 15f of the magnetic substance separator 1f is configured to fix the sample container 9f to the ferromagnetic surface B1 of the casing 11f.

[0062] Specifically described, the holder 15f is a support frame disposed at the upper end of the casing 11f. The holder 15f has a through hole F1 configured such that the cylindrical portion 90f of the sample container 9f passes therethrough, whereby the cylindrical portion 90f can be made to correspond to the ferromagnetic surface B1, and the peripheral edge of the through hole F1 is configured to support the opening flange portion 91f of the sample container 9f.

[0063] In the sixth embodiment, both the number of magnetic component assemblies and the number of accommodation compartments are 7. Each magnetic component assembly includes 12 cubic magnetic components, and the side length of each cubic magnetic component is substantially 10 mm. The number of partitions arranged between two adjacent accommodation compartments is 6, and the thickness of each partition is substantially 1.5 mm. Further, the thickness of the casing 11f on the ferromagnetic surface B1 is also substantially 1.5 mm. In the above configuration, the ferromagnetic surface B1 formed by the magnetic component assemblies on the casing 11f can achieve a magnetic field strength of about 4300 gauss. Under the same conditions, the conventional magnet arrangement can only form a magnetic field strength of about 50 to 300 gauss on a single surface of the casing, which is significantly weaker than the magnetic field strength formed by the magnetic component assemblies on the ferromagnetic surface B1 of this embodiment. In the embodiments of the present disclosure, by linearly arranging cubic magnetic components with different magnetization directions, the magnetic force lines of the magnetic component assembly can be concentrated on one side, and it can be seen that the magnetic force per unit area can be increased with fewer magnetic components.

[0064] As an application example, a magnetic bead separation test during cell culture was performed using the magnetic substance separation device 1f of this embodiment. The initial number of added cells and the number of magnetic beads were 5×10 6 respectively. After 14 days of co-culture, magnetic bead separation was performed using the magnetic substance separation device 1f of this embodiment. As a result, if the number of cells is 1×10 6 , the number of residual magnetic beads can be reduced to less than 15, and further less than 10, which conforms to the recommendation that the number of residual magnetic beads should be less than 30.

[0065] As can be seen from the first to sixth embodiments described above, the magnetic substance separation device of the present disclosure can be configured in various ways, whereby the magnetic substance separation device can be adapted to various situations and sample requirements. Further, in the experiments conducted using an appropriate sample container, when the number of cells is 1×10 6In this case, it has been demonstrated that the magnetic substance separation device can satisfy the recommended number of residual magnetic beads of less than 30. Furthermore, in these experiments, the cell loss rate was controlled to approximately 10%, and the cell survival rate was maintained at 94.1% or higher.

[0066] According to the magnetic substance separation device disclosed in the above embodiment, by arranging the cubic magnetic components in a specific manner, a ferromagnetic surface can be formed on the casing, and the magnetic force per unit area can be increased with fewer magnetic components. Furthermore, the magnetic substance separation device can be adjusted to adapt to different container shapes, and while meeting requirements such as efficiency, convenience, automation, biosafety, and biocompatibility, the efficiency of magnetic interaction can be enhanced.

[0067] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the disclosed embodiments. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, and the true scope of the present disclosure is indicated by the following claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A magnetic substance separation device configured to attract magnetic substances contained in a sample within a sample container, a casing having at least one accommodation compartment, and at least one magnetic component assembly disposed in the at least one accommodation compartment and having at least four cubic magnetic components, wherein the at least four cubic magnetic components are linearly arranged with different magnetization directions to allow the magnetic field lines of the at least one magnetic component assembly to concentrate on one side, whereby the at least one magnetic component assembly forms at least one ferromagnetic surface on the casing, and the at least one ferromagnetic surface is configured to attract the magnetic substances in the sample within the sample container. A magnetic substance separation device.

2. The magnetic substance separation device according to claim 1, wherein the at least four cubic magnetic components are arranged in a Halbach array.

3. The magnetic substance separation device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one magnetic component assembly further forms a diamagnetic surface on the casing, and the diamagnetic surface and the at least one ferromagnetic surface are located on opposite sides of the casing.

4. The magnetic substance separation device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one magnetic component assembly has a plurality of magnetic component assemblies, the at least one accommodation compartment has a plurality of accommodation compartments, and the plurality of magnetic component assemblies are respectively arranged in the plurality of accommodation compartments.

5. The magnetic substance separation device according to claim 4, wherein the at least four cubic magnetic components in one of the plurality of accommodation compartments are arranged in alignment or offset with respect to the at least four cubic magnetic components in another one of the plurality of accommodation compartments.

6. The magnetic substance separation device according to claim 4, wherein two adjacent cubic magnetic components within the same accommodation compartment are physically in contact with each other.

7. The casing has a plurality of partitions, the plurality of partitions are respectively disposed between two adjacent ones of the plurality of accommodation compartments, the thickness of each of the plurality of partitions is in the range of 1.0 mm to 10.0 mm, and the thickness of the casing at the at least one ferromagnetic surface is in the range of 1.0 mm to 10.0 mm. The magnetic substance separation device according to claim 4.

8. The magnetic substance separation device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one magnetic component assembly physically contacts an inner circumferential surface of the at least one accommodation compartment.

9. The magnetic substance separation device according to claim 1, wherein the length of each side of the cubic magnetic component ranges from 1 mm to 15 mm.

10. The magnetic substance separation device according to claim 1, further comprising a holder disposed on the casing, the holder being configured to fix the sample container on the at least one ferromagnetic surface of the casing.

11. The magnetic substance separation device according to claim 10, further comprising an inclined support rotatably coupled to an end of the casing, the inclined support being configured to selectively raise a horizontal height of the end of the casing to be equal to or higher than a horizontal height of another portion of the casing.

12. The holder is a support frame, the holder is disposed at an upper end of the casing, the holder has a through hole, the sample container is a centrifuge tube, and the through hole is configured such that a tube portion of the sample container passes therethrough, so that the tube portion can be made to correspond to the at least one ferromagnetic surface, and a peripheral portion of the through hole is configured to support an opening flange portion of the sample container. The magnetic substance separation device according to claim 10.

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