Sample loading plate

Abstract

To provide a plate capable of appropriately holding a sample solution supplied on the plate.SOLUTION: In a sample loading plate 100 comprising a sample solution holding region 11 for holding a sample solution 41 on a substrate 10, a coating liquid holding region 12 that surrounds the sample solution holding region 11 and holds a coating liquid 42 for coating the sample solution 41, and a liquid-repellent region 13 that surrounds the coating liquid holding region 12 and is liquid-repellent to the coating liquid 42, a first step 32 is included between the coating liquid holding region 12 and the liquid-repellent region 13, the coating liquid holding region 11 is arranged on a lower surface of the first step 32, the liquid-repellent region 13 is arranged on an upper surface of the first step 32, and a side surface connecting the lower surface and the upper surface of the first step 32 is a surface that is lyophilic to the coating liquid 42.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

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[0001] The present invention relates to a sample loading plate for loading samples.

Background Art

[0002] In fields related to medicine and drug discovery, it is widely practiced to obtain necessary cells from living cells and perform analysis. Cell analysis is performed by performing spectral analysis, time-lapse analysis, etc. while holding a sample solution containing arbitrary cells on a plate. In cell analysis, for the purpose of preventing evaporation of the sample solution held on the plate, the sample solution may be coated with a coating liquid such as a water-insoluble oil. As a plate for holding a sample solution, a plate has been proposed that includes a first hydrophilic region, a first water-repellent region surrounding the peripheral edge of the first hydrophilic region, a second hydrophilic region surrounding the outer peripheral edge of the first water-repellent region, and a second water-repellent region surrounding the outer peripheral edge of the second hydrophilic region (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this plate, it is disclosed that the first hydrophilic region is a holding region for the sample solution, and the first water-repellent region and the second hydrophilic region are holding regions for the coating liquid that coats the sample solution.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] When holding droplets such as sample solutions or coating solutions on a plate, depending on the amount of droplets supplied to the plate, problems may occur such as the droplets not covering the entire designated droplet-holding area, or some droplets spilling out of the droplet-holding area, resulting in improper coating or analysis of the sample solution. Such problems are particularly likely to occur with coating solutions used to coat sample solutions. This is because the coating solution is supplied on top of a sample solution already held on the plate, and since the surface of the sample solution held on the plate has curvature, the coating solution supplied onto the sample solution moves along the surface of the sample solution due to its own weight, and the coating solution tends to be biased to one side of the droplet-holding area, resulting in problems such as the sample solution not being completely coated. In view of these problems, the object of the present invention is to provide a plate that can properly hold droplets supplied to the plate. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] A sample loading plate comprising a sample solution holding region for holding a sample solution on a substrate, a coating liquid holding region surrounding the sample solution holding region and holding a coating liquid for coating the sample solution, and a liquid-repellent region surrounding the coating liquid holding region and having liquid-repellent properties against the coating liquid, wherein a first step is provided between the coating liquid holding region and the liquid-repellent region. The coating liquid holding region is located on the lower surface of the first step, and the liquid-repellent region is located on the upper surface of the first step. The side surface of the first step connecting the lower surface and the upper surface of the first step is a surface that is hydrophilic to the coating liquid. Furthermore, the coating liquid holding region may be a surface that is hydrophilic to the coating liquid. Furthermore, the side surface of the first step may be a surface that has an affinity for the coating liquid equal to or higher than the coating liquid holding region. Furthermore, the first step may be formed by placing a film having a predetermined thickness on the substrate at the outer periphery of the coating liquid holding region, and the liquid-repellent region may be formed by placing a liquid-repellent film or an oil-repellent film on the upper surface of the film. Furthermore, a second step may be provided between the sample solution holding area and the coating liquid holding area, with the sample solution holding area positioned on the lower surface of the second step and the coating liquid holding area positioned on the upper surface of the second step. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] The sample loading plate according to the present invention makes it possible to properly hold droplets of sample solution, coating liquid, etc., supplied onto the sample loading plate. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] This is an overall diagram of the sample loading plate according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a partially enlarged view of section AA in Figure 1. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] An embodiment of the sample loading plate according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is an overall diagram of the sample loading plate according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 2 is a partially enlarged view of the AA cross-section of Figure 1. Figure 2 shows a state in which a sample solution and a coating liquid that covers the sample solution are held on the sample loading plate.

[0009] The sample loading plate 100 is a plate for holding a sample solution 41 containing the object to be tested and a coating liquid 42 that covers the sample solution 41 in predetermined locations. The sample loading plate 100 comprises a rectangular substrate 10, and on one side of the substrate 10, there is a sample solution holding area 11 which is circular in plan view and holds the sample solution 41, a coating liquid holding area 12 which surrounds the outer periphery of the sample solution holding area 11 and has a circular outer shape and holds the coating liquid 42, and a liquid-repellent area 13 which surrounds the outer periphery of the coating liquid holding area 12 and has a liquid-repellent surface for the coating liquid 42.

[0010] In this invention, a liquid-repellent surface refers to a surface that has low affinity for the target liquid and whose contact angle with the target liquid is 90 degrees or more. In this invention, a hydrophilic surface refers to a surface that has high affinity for the target liquid and whose contact angle with the target liquid is less than 90 degrees.

[0011] Multiple sample solution holding regions 11 and coating liquid holding regions 12 are provided at predetermined positions on one surface of the substrate 10, and the liquid-repellent regions 13 are formed in areas on one surface of the substrate 10 where the sample solution holding regions 11 and coating liquid holding regions 12 are not formed.

[0012] In this embodiment, the sample solution holding areas 11 are formed on one side of the substrate 10 in a 4x12 arrangement. Row address marks 15 indicating the row position of each sample solution holding area 11 and column address marks 16 indicating the column position are formed on one side of the substrate 10 by means of applying ink to the substrate 10. In this example, the row address marks 15 are assigned the letters "A" to "D" for each of the 1st to 4th rows, and the column address marks 16 are assigned the Arabic numerals "1" to "12" for each of the 12th columns.

[0013] Here, the sample solution 41 is mainly a water-soluble liquid, and the coating solution 42 is often a water-insoluble liquid. In this example, we will describe a sample loading plate 100 in which the sample solution 41 is a water-soluble liquid and the coating solution 42 is an oil-based liquid.

[0014] The substrate 10 is a glass plate made of, for example, soda-lime glass or borosilicate glass, and its surface is hydrophilic. A first film 21 having an opening in the area corresponding to the sample solution holding area 11 is attached to one surface of the substrate 10. Furthermore, a second film 22 having openings in the areas corresponding to the sample solution holding area 11 and the coating liquid holding area 12 is attached to the first film 21, and a third film 23 having openings in the areas corresponding to the sample solution holding area 11 and the coating liquid holding area 12 is attached to the second film 22. Since the second film 22 and the third film 23 each have openings corresponding to the sample solution holding area 11 and the coating liquid holding area 12, the side end faces of each film at the ends of their openings are located on the same plane. In addition, a sample solution liquid-repellent film 24 is formed on the first film 21 in the area corresponding to the coating liquid holding area 12.

[0015] The first film 21, the second film 22, and the third film 23 each comprise a lipophilic substrate made of, for example, polyethylene terephthalate resin (PET), and an adhesive layer provided on one surface of the substrate. The adhesive layer adheres each film to the substrate 10 or film to which it is attached. The first film 21, the second film 22, and the third film 23 each have a predetermined thickness, forming a step 31 between the first film 21 and the substrate 10, and a step 32 between the first film 21 and the second film 22 and the third film 23. The surface of the third film 23 (the surface without the adhesive layer) is made water-repellent and oil-repellent by, for example, coating it with a fluorine-based coating agent.

[0016] The sample solution liquid-repellent film 24 is made of a water-repellent material with low affinity to the water-soluble sample solution 41, and preferably is a lipophilic film with high affinity to the coating liquid 42. In this embodiment, the sample solution liquid-repellent film 24 is made of acrylic resin. In addition to acrylic resin, ketone resin, polystyrene, etc. can be used as the water-repellent and lipophilic film of the sample solution liquid-repellent film 24. The sample solution liquid-repellent film 24 can be formed by applying the material constituting the sample solution liquid-repellent film 24 to a position on the first film 21 corresponding to the coating liquid-holding region 12 by screen printing or inkjet printing, or by other methods.

[0017] In the sample loading plate 100, the surface of the substrate 10 exposed through the opening of the first film 21 corresponds to the sample solution holding area 11, and the surface of the substrate 10 is a hydrophilic surface. By making the surface of the sample solution holding area 11 a hydrophilic surface with respect to the sample solution 41 in this way, when the sample solution 41 is supplied to the sample solution holding area 11, the sample solution 41 can be wetted and spread throughout the entire sample solution holding area 11.

[0018] Furthermore, the sample solution holding region 11 is surrounded on its outer periphery by the first film 21, and a step 31 is formed between the first film 21 and the substrate 10 at the outer edge of the sample solution holding region 11. In other words, a well is formed in the sample solution holding region 11 with the exposed surface of the substrate 10 as the bottom surface and the side edge of the first film 21 as the side surface. Therefore, the sample solution 41 supplied to the sample solution holding region 11 is structurally prevented from flowing out of the sample solution holding region 11 by the side edge of the first film 21 (the side surface of the step 31), and the sample solution 41 remains in the sample solution holding region 11.

[0019] Furthermore, in the coating liquid holding region 12 surrounding the outer periphery of the sample solution holding region 11, a sample solution repellent film 24 is provided on the second film 22. In other words, the sample solution repellent film 24 is provided on the upper surface of the step 31 that surrounds the outer periphery of the sample solution holding region 11 and defines the outer periphery of the sample solution holding region 11. In the sample loading plate 100, by providing the sample solution repellent film 24 having a repellent surface with low affinity for the sample solution 41, the sample solution 41 does not wet and spread on the sample solution repellent film 24 located on the outer periphery of the sample solution holding region 11, and the outflow of the sample solution 41 to the outside of the sample solution holding region 11 can be more effectively suppressed.

[0020] Also, in the sample loading plate 100, the surface of the sample solution repellent film 24 surrounding the outer periphery of the sample solution holding region 11 corresponds to the coating liquid holding region 12. The coating liquid holding region 12 is surrounded by the second film 22 and the third film 23 on its outer periphery, and a step 32 is formed between the second film 22 and the third film 23 and the first film 21 at the outer peripheral edge of the coating liquid holding region 12. In other words, in the coating liquid holding region 12, a well is formed with the sample solution repellent film 24 formed on the surface of the first film 21 (and the surface of the substrate 10 exposed from the opening of the first film 21) as the bottom surface and the side end surfaces of the second film 22 and the third film 23 as the side surfaces. Therefore, the coating liquid 42 supplied onto the sample solution 41 is structurally suppressed from flowing out to the outside of the coating liquid holding region 12 by the side end surfaces of the second film 22 and the third film 23 (the side surfaces of the step 32), and stays in the coating liquid holding region 12.

[0021] Furthermore, in the repellent region 13 surrounding the outer periphery of the coating liquid holding region 12, the surface of the third film 23 is an oil-repellent surface. In other words, the upper surface of the step 32 that surrounds the outer periphery of the coating liquid holding region 12 and defines the outer periphery of the coating liquid holding region 12 is an oil-repellent surface. Thus, by making the surface of the repellent region 13 an oil-repellent surface with respect to the coating liquid 42, the coating liquid 42 does not wet and spread on the oil-repellent region 13 located on the outer periphery of the coating liquid holding region 12, and the outflow of the coating liquid 42 to the outside of the coating liquid holding region 12 can be more effectively suppressed.

[0022] Also, the second film 22 and the third film 23 are provided with a lipophilic base material, and the side end surfaces (the side surfaces of the step 32) of the second film 22 and the third film 23 are lipophilic. Therefore, the oily coating liquid 42 wets and spreads well on the side surfaces of the step 32. The coating liquid 42 supplied onto the sample solution 41 may be disposed in any direction within the plane of the substrate 10 on the sample solution 41 or on the coating liquid holding region 12. However, by making the side surfaces of the step 32 that define the outer periphery of the coating liquid holding region 12 and surround all of the outer periphery a lyophilic surface with respect to the coating liquid 42, if the coating liquid 42 comes into contact with a part of the side surface of the step 32 at the outer periphery of the coating liquid holding region 12, the coating liquid 42 wets and spreads from there over the entire side surface of the step 32 (the entire outer periphery of the coating liquid holding region 12), and the coating liquid 42 does not deviate in any arbitrary direction on the sample solution 41 or on the coating liquid holding region 12, and the coating liquid 42 is disposed over the entire coating liquid holding region 12. Thus, the sample solution 41 can be appropriately coated with the coating liquid 42. In addition, it is preferable that the side surface of the step 32 be a surface having an equal or higher affinity for the coating liquid 42 compared to the surface of the coating liquid holding region 12.

[0023] Also, the coating liquid holding region 12 is disposed on the lower surface of the step 32, and a sample solution repellent film 24 is formed on the surface thereof. This sample solution repellent film 24 has water repellency and also has lipophilicity. Thus, by making the sample solution repellent film 24 (the surface of the coating liquid holding region 12) a lyophilic surface with respect to the coating liquid 42, the coating liquid 42 wets and spreads over the entire coating liquid holding region 12, and the coating of the sample solution 41 can be performed more appropriately. In addition, the surface of the coating liquid holding region 12 does not necessarily have to be a lyophilic surface with respect to the coating liquid 42.

[0024] Furthermore, in the sample loading plate 100 of this embodiment, it is preferable that the sample solution holding area 11 and the coating liquid holding area 12 have at least different hues or tones in order to improve visibility when supplying the sample solution 41 and the coating liquid 42 to the sample loading plate 100. In order to make the sample solution holding area 11 and the coating liquid holding area 12 have different hues or tones, different hues and tones can be achieved by appropriately selecting the material, thickness, surface roughness, etc., that constitute the first film 21 and the sample solution liquid-repellent film 24 in the coating liquid holding area 12 according to the hue and tone of the surface of the sample solution holding area 11.

[0025] In the above description, an example was shown in which there is a step 31 between the sample solution holding region 11 and the coating liquid holding region 12, but the example is not limited to this. For example, the sample solution holding region 11 and the coating liquid holding region 12 may be formed on the same plane without providing a step 31 between them. In that case, a monolayer film that is liquid-repellent to the sample solution 41 may be formed on one surface of the substrate 10 on the outer periphery of the sample solution holding region 11 as a sample solution liquid-repellent film 24.

[0026] Furthermore, although an example was shown in which a sample solution liquid-repellent film 24 was formed on the surface of the second film 22, the second film 22 may be a film in which the substrate is liquid-repellent to the sample solution 41 without forming a sample solution liquid-repellent film 24, and the surface of the substrate of the second film 22 may be exposed to the outside in the coating liquid holding region 12.

[0027] Furthermore, although an example was shown in which the surface of the substrate 10, which is hydrophilic, is exposed to the outside in the fertilizer solution holding region 11, a hydrophilic film or membrane may be formed on the substrate 10, and the surface of that hydrophilic film or membrane may be used as the sample solution holding region 11.

[0028] Furthermore, although this embodiment shows a specific example of the sample loading plate 100 when the sample solution 41 is water-soluble and the coating liquid 42 is oil-based, the embodiment is not limited to this example. For example, although the side surface of the step 32 is configured as an oil-lipid surface, it is not limited to an oil-lipid surface; it can be configured as a surface that is lipophilic with respect to the coating liquid 42. Also, although an example of a water-repellent and oil-repellent surface is shown for the liquid-repellent region 13, the surface of the liquid-repellent region 13 can be any surface that has a lower affinity for the coating liquid 42 than the side surface of the step 32, and does not necessarily have to be a surface that is liquid-repellent with respect to the coating liquid 42. [Explanation of symbols]

[0029] 10 circuit boards 11 Sample solution holding area 12 Coating liquid retention area 13 Liquid repellent area 15-line address mark 16-column address mark 21 First film 22 The second film 23 The third film 24. Liquid-repellent film of sample solution 31 steps 32 steps 41 Sample Solution 42 Coating solution 100 plates

Claims

1. A sample loading plate comprising: a sample solution holding region for holding a sample solution on a substrate; a coating liquid holding region surrounding the sample solution holding region and holding a coating liquid for coating the sample solution; and a liquid-repellent region surrounding the coating liquid holding region and having liquid-repellent properties to the coating liquid, It comprises a first step between the coating liquid holding region and the liquid-repellent region, and a second step between the sample solution holding region and the coating liquid holding region, The coating liquid holding area is positioned on the stepped surface including the lower surface of the first step and the upper surface of the second step. The side surface of the first step that connects the lower surface of the first step and the upper surface of the first step is a surface that is hydrophilic with respect to the coating liquid. The surface of the coating liquid holding region is hydrophilic to the coating liquid and liquid-repellent to the sample solution. A sample loading plate characterized by the following features.

2. The sample loading plate according to Claim 1, characterized in that a sample solution liquid-repellent film having liquid-repellent properties to the sample solution and liquid-hydrophilic properties to the coating solution is formed on the portion of the stepped surface corresponding to the coating liquid holding region.

3. The sample loading plate according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the side surface of the first step is a surface that has an affinity for the coating liquid to the coating liquid that is equal to or has a high affinity for the coating liquid holding area.

4. The sample loading plate according to claim 1, characterized in that the first step is formed by arranging a film having a predetermined thickness on the substrate at the outer periphery of the coating liquid holding region, and the liquid-repellent region is formed by arranging a liquid-repellent film or an oil-repellent film on the upper surface of the film.

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