Polymerase chain reaction device

Abstract

A polymerase chain reaction device of the present invention comprises an upper heating assembly installed on multiple tubes mounted on a heating block to heat the upper portions of the tubes. The upper heating assembly comprises: multiple caps fitted onto the inlets of the tubes; multiple heat conduction rods extending through the caps and having lower ends positioned inside the tubes; a heat conduction plate installed on the multiple heat conduction rods and in contact with the upper ends of the multiple heat conduction rods to transfer heat to the heat conduction rods; an electric heater installed to be in contact with the top surface of the heat conduction plate to heat the heat conduction plate; and an insulation cover having the heat conduction plate and the electric heater installed therein, the insulation cover having an open lower portion through which the bottom surface of the heat conduction plate is exposed to the outside.

Description

polymerase chain reaction apparatus

[0001] The present invention relates to a polymerase chain reaction apparatus, and more particularly, to a polymerase chain reaction apparatus that can more quickly perform a diagnosis of a disease by preventing condensation inside a tube when a temperature cycle of a reagent contained in the tube is performed.

[0002]

[0003] In general, polymerase chain reaction equipment is used to amplify and analyze small amounts of detected nucleic acids, and is widely used in the diagnosis of diseases caused by bacteria, viruses, etc.

[0004] As a conventional polymerase chain reaction device, for example, there is one known through Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2023-0043442 entitled 'Multi-channel isothermal amplification method and system' (hereinafter referred to as 'prior art').

[0005] The polymerase chain reaction device of the above-mentioned prior art is configured such that, as illustrated in FIG. 1, a plurality of tubes (101) containing reagents are each mounted in a plurality of mounting holes formed in a row on a heating block (100), and the lower half of the tubes (101) where the reagents are located is heated through the heating block (100) while light of a wavelength set by the light source module (210) is sequentially incident thereon so that a detection module (220) can detect a fluorescence signal for the reagents in the tubes (101), thereby enabling quantitative analysis of nucleic acids by detecting in real time the intensity of the fluorescence signal proportional to the concentration of the amplified nucleic acid.

[0006] At this time, heating of the reagent through the heating block (100) is typically performed in a temperature cycle of repeating heating and cooling 40 times between 65 and 95°C.

[0007] However, the prior art is designed to block the entrance of the tube (101) by fitting a cap (102), and the lower half of the tube (101) is heated by the heating block (100), and since the tube (101) and the cap (102) are made of a polymer material with low thermal conductivity, a temperature difference occurs between the lower half of the tube (101) and the cap (102) while the temperature cycle is in progress.

[0008] This temperature difference can cause condensation within the tube (101) when the reagent evaporates, and the condensation delays the progress of the temperature cycle, which has the disadvantage of lengthening the analysis time for the reagent, and thus, there is a problem in that the diagnosis of diseases caused by bacteria, viruses, etc. cannot be processed quickly.

[0009]

[0010] The present invention is intended to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and its purpose is to provide a polymerase chain reaction device that can prevent disease analysis time from being prolonged by suppressing condensation due to evaporation of a reagent as much as possible when a temperature cycle of a reagent contained in a tube is performed, thereby allowing the temperature cycle to proceed smoothly without delay, and further heating the reagent to shorten the temperature cycle time, thereby enabling disease analysis using the reagent to be performed more quickly.

[0011]

[0012] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is characterized by a polymerase chain reaction device having a heating block capable of heating lower halves of a plurality of tubes containing reagents therein, the polymerase chain reaction device comprising an upper heating assembly installed on the upper portions of the plurality of tubes mounted on the heating block for heating the upper halves of the tubes, the upper heating assembly comprising: a plurality of caps each fitted into an inlet of the tube; a plurality of heat-conducting rods having lower portions positioned inside the tubes by penetrating the caps; a heat-conducting plate installed on the upper portions of the plurality of heat-conducting rods and contacting the upper portions of the plurality of heat-conducting rods to transfer heat to the heat-conducting rods; an electric heater installed so as to contact upper surfaces of the heat-conducting plates and heating the heat-conducting plates; and an insulating cover in which the heat-conducting plates and the electric heater are installed inside, the lower portion being open so as to expose the lower surface of the heat-conducting plates to the outside.

[0013] In addition, in the present invention, the upper heating assembly is characterized by a polymerization enzyme chain reaction device further including a cushion pad installed between the electric heater and the insulating cover.

[0014] In addition, in the present invention, the plurality of heat-conducting rods are integrally connected by being combined with a fixed plate, and the plurality of caps are integrally formed with a connecting plate and are integrally connected to the polymerization enzyme chain reaction device.

[0015] In addition, in the present invention, the heat conducting rod is characterized by a polymerase chain reaction device having a length set such that a portion of the lower portion is precipitated in a reagent contained in a tube.

[0016] In addition, in the present invention, there is provided a polymerase chain reaction device characterized in that the heating block is installed inside the insulating case and has an opening for mounting a tube containing a reagent in a mounting hole of the heating block, a cap through which a heat-conducting rod of the upper heating assembly penetrates can be fitted into the inlet of the tube mounted on the heating block through the opening of the insulating case, and the insulating cover of the upper heating assembly is assembled through the opening of the insulating case so that the lower surface of the heat-conducting plate of the upper heating assembly comes into contact with the upper end of the heat-conducting rod.

[0017]

[0018] According to the polymerase chain reaction device of the present invention having the above-described characteristic configuration, when a temperature cycle for heating a reagent contained in a tube through a heating block is performed, the lower half of the tube is heated by the heating block and the upper half of the tube is heated by the upper heating assembly simultaneously, thereby minimizing the temperature difference between the lower half of the tube and the cap, and thereby preventing condensation due to evaporation of the reagent while the temperature cycle is performed, thereby providing the effect of allowing the temperature cycle to proceed smoothly without delay.

[0019] In addition, the present invention can further increase the heat transfer efficiency in the upper part of the tube by allowing the lower part of the heat conducting rod of the upper heating assembly to partially settle in the reagent contained in the tube, thereby further maximizing the effect of preventing condensation of the reagent, and can also perform the role of heating the reagent by transferring heat to it, thereby further shortening the temperature cycle time, thereby shortening the analysis time for the reagent, and thus having the effect of enabling rapid diagnosis of diseases caused by bacteria, viruses, etc.

[0020]

[0021] Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of the main parts showing the heating configuration of a tube containing a reagent in a conventional polymerase chain reaction device.

[0022] Figure 2 is a perspective view showing a polymerase chain reaction device according to the present invention.

[0023] Figure 3 is a perspective view showing a heating unit in the polymerase chain reaction device of Figure 2.

[0024] Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view of the heating unit shown in Figure 3.

[0025] Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the upper heating assembly in the heating unit shown in Fig. 4.

[0026] Figure 6 is an exploded perspective view of the upper heating assembly shown in Figure 5.

[0027] Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the state before installation of the upper heating assembly according to the present invention.

[0028] Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view showing the state after installation of the upper heating assembly according to the present invention.

[0029] Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing another embodiment of the present invention.

[0030]

[0031] Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail based on the attached drawings.

[0032] The polymerase chain reaction device according to the present invention, as illustrated in FIG. 2, comprises a heating unit (1) for heating a reagent contained in a tube, an optical unit (2) for sequentially irradiating light of a set wavelength onto the reagent in the tube heated by the heating unit (1) to detect a fluorescence signal for the reagent, and an optical transport unit (3) for transporting the optical unit (2) in a direction in which the tubes are arranged in a row, and an intake fan (4) is installed on the rear side of the heating unit (1), and exhaust fans (5, 6) are installed on the left and right sides of the heating unit (1), respectively.

[0033] The heating unit (1) has a plurality of mounting holes (12a) formed in a row for inserting the approximately lower half of a tube (11) containing a reagent, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, and is equipped with a heating block (12) that is heated by the heat source of the heating unit (1).

[0034] A heat sink assembly (13) is installed at the rear of the heating block (12), and an upper heating assembly (20) is installed at the upper part of the tube (11) mounted in the mounting hole (12a) of the heating block (12) to heat the upper half of the tube (11).

[0035] The heating block (12) and the heat sink assembly (13) are fixedly installed within the insulating case (14), and the upper heating assembly (20) is installed so as to be assembled and detached through an opening (14a) formed in the insulating case (14), and the tube (11) can also be installed or removed from the mounting hole (12a) of the heating block (12) through the opening (14a).

[0036] The upper heating assembly (20) is provided with a plurality of caps (21) that are each fitted into the inlet of the tube (11) as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. It is preferable that the plurality of caps (21) be integrally formed with the connecting plate (21a) so that the plurality of caps (21) are integrally connected, and the material of the caps (21) may be the same polymer as the tube (11), or may be silicone or rubber.

[0037] In addition, a plurality of caps (21) are each formed with through holes (21b), and a heat-conducting rod (22) is installed by penetrating through the through holes (21b). The heat-conducting rod (22) is made of a metal with high thermal conductivity, and its lower half is positioned inside the tube (11) when the cap (21) is inserted into the inlet of the tube (11).

[0038] It is preferable that a plurality of heat-conducting rods (22) are integrally connected to a metal fixing plate (22a), and the upper end of the heat-conducting rods (22) penetrates the fixing plate (22a) and is exposed to the upper surface of the fixing plate (22a). The diameter and length of the heat-conducting rods (22) can be changed according to changes in conditions such as heat transfer temperature and tube size.

[0039] A heat-conducting plate (23) made of a metal material with high thermal conductivity is installed on the upper part of a plurality of heat-conducting rods (22) so as to be in contact with the upper part of the heat-conducting rods (22), and an electric heater (24) is installed in contact with the upper surface of the heat-conducting plate (23), and it is preferable that the electric heater (24) be a ceramic heater.

[0040] It is preferable that the above electric heater (24) and heat conduction plate (23) be covered with an insulating cover (25) with an open bottom for the safety of the user, and a cushion pad (26) be provided between the electric heater (24) and the insulating cover (25) to maintain a gap between the electric heater (24) and the insulating cover (25), while minimizing the loss of heat from the electric heater (24) toward the insulating cover (25).

[0041] In addition, the insulating cover (25) is provided with guide protrusions (25a) on both sides, and the insulating case (14) of the heating unit (1) in which the upper heating assembly (20) is installed is provided with guide grooves (14b) (see FIG. 4) along which the guide protrusions (25a) are guided, so that the upper heating assembly (20) can be assembled or disassembled from the insulating case (14) of the heating unit (1).

[0042] At this time, by assembling the guide projection (25a) of the insulation cover (25) by fitting it into the guide groove (14b) of the insulation case (14), the positions of the guide projection (25a) and the guide groove (14b) are set so that the bottom surface of the heat conduction plate (23) of the upper heating assembly (20) comes into contact with the upper end of the heat conduction rod (22).

[0043] The operation of the polymerase chain reaction device of the present invention having such a configuration is described as follows.

[0044] As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, first, a tube (11) containing a reagent is mounted in the mounting hole (12a) of the heating block (12).

[0045] Next, when the heat-conducting rod (22) is inserted into the cap (21) of the upper heating assembly (20) so that the lower half of the heat-conducting rod (22) protrudes from the lower part of the cap (21), and the cap (21) is inserted into the inlet of the tube (11), the lower part of the heat-conducting rod (22) that has penetrated the cap (21) is positioned in the inner upper half of the tube (11).

[0046] Next, when the guide projection (25a) of the insulating cover (25) having a heat-conducting plate (23), an electric heater (24), and a cushion pad (26) installed inside is inserted into the guide groove (14b) of the insulating case (14) and assembled, the bottom surface of the heat-conducting plate (23) comes into contact with the top of a plurality of heat-conducting rods (22) at the same time as the assembly.

[0047] Next, the lower half of the tube (11) is heated through the heating block (12), and the temperature cycle of heating and cooling the reagent is repeated 40 times between 65 and 95°C, and at the same time, when the electric heater (24) of the upper heating assembly (20) is operated, the heat of the electric heater (24) is transferred to a plurality of heat conducting rods (22) and a cap (21) whose upper ends are in contact with the electric heater (24) through the heat conducting plate (23).

[0048] Accordingly, since the lower half of the heat conducting rod (22) is located in the upper half inside the tube (11), the temperature of the upper half inside the tube (11) and the cap (21) can be increased, and thus the temperature difference with the lower half of the tube (11) whose temperature is increased by the heating block (12) can be reduced, thereby preventing the occurrence of condensation due to the temperature difference.

[0049] In this way, by preventing condensation from occurring within the tube (11) during the temperature cycle of the reagent, the temperature cycle can proceed smoothly without delay, allowing disease analysis of the reagent to be performed quickly.

[0050] FIG. 9 is another embodiment of the present invention, in which the length of the heat-conducting rod (22A) is set so that the lower part of the heat-conducting rod (22A) in the upper heating assembly (20) is partially deposited on the upper part of the reagent contained in the tube (11), and the diameter and length of the heat-conducting rod (22A) can be changed according to changes in conditions such as heat transfer temperature, tube size, etc.

[0051] Since the other configurations are the same as the above-described embodiment, the same symbols are assigned and the detailed configuration and operation descriptions are omitted.

[0052] By configuring other embodiments like this, it is possible to obtain the same effect as the above-described embodiment, and in addition, as the lower part of the heat-conducting rod (22A) is partially deposited in the reagent in the tube (11), the heat generated by the operation of the electric heater (24) of the upper heating assembly (20) is transferred through the heat-conducting plate (23) and the heat-conducting rod (22), thereby also performing the role of heating the reagent.

[0053] Therefore, when the temperature cycle is performed, the reagent can be further heated in addition to the heating by the heating block (12), and as a result, the temperature cycle time is shortened, and the analysis time for the reagent is shortened, so that the diagnosis of diseases caused by bacteria, viruses, etc. can be processed quickly.

[0054] As described above, the best practice embodiments have been disclosed in the drawings and specifications. While specific terminology has been used herein, it is solely for the purpose of describing the present invention and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention as defined in the claims. Therefore, those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications and equivalent embodiments are possible. Therefore, the true scope of technical protection of the present invention should be determined by the technical spirit of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A polymerization enzyme chain reaction device having a heating block that is capable of heating the lower half of a plurality of tubes containing reagents inside, It includes an upper heating assembly installed on the upper part of a plurality of tubes mounted on the above heating block to heat the upper half of the tubes. The upper heating assembly comprises a plurality of caps, each of which is fitted into the inlet of the tube; A plurality of heat conducting rods having their lower ends positioned inside the tube by penetrating the cap; A heat conducting plate installed on the upper portion of the plurality of heat conducting rods and contacting the upper portions of the plurality of heat conducting rods to transfer heat to the heat conducting rods; An electric heater installed to contact the upper surface of the heat-conducting plate and heats the heat-conducting plate; and A polymerization enzyme chain reaction device characterized by including an insulating cover in which the heat-conducting plate and the electric heater are installed inside and the lower part is open so that the lower surface of the heat-conducting plate is exposed to the outside.

2. In the first paragraph, the upper heating assembly, A polymerization enzyme chain reaction device further comprising a cushion pad installed between the electric heater and the insulating cover.

3. A polymerization enzyme chain reaction device characterized in that in the first paragraph, the plurality of heat-conducting rods are integrally connected by being combined with a fixed plate, and the plurality of caps are integrally formed with a connecting plate so that the plurality of caps are integrally connected.

4. In the first paragraph, the heat conducting rod, A polymerase chain reaction apparatus characterized in that the length is set such that a portion of the lower portion is precipitated in the reagent contained in the tube.

5. In the first paragraph, the heating block is installed inside and includes an insulating case having an opening for mounting a tube containing a reagent into a mounting hole of the heating block. Through the opening of the above insulating case, the cap through which the heat-conducting rod of the upper heating assembly passes can be inserted into the inlet of the tube mounted on the heating block. A polymerization enzyme chain reaction device characterized in that the lower surface of the heat-conducting plate of the upper heating assembly is brought into contact with the upper end of the heat-conducting rod by assembling the insulation cover of the upper heating assembly through the opening of the insulation case.

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