263 results about "Multiwell plate" patented technology

The present invention concerns devices, apparatus and methods for transferring liquids. One aspect of the present invention is a device comprising a plate having a plurality of transfer elements. Each of the transfer elements comprises an aperture in the plate where the aperture is capable of being electrically activated. The plate has one of more attaching elements for attaching the plate to a multiwell plate to form a sealed system except for the apertures of the transfer elements. Usually, the device is adapted for sealing attachment to a multiwell plate. In a method in accordance with the present invention a quantity of liquid is disposed to a second side of a plate having a plurality of apertures in the plate. The apertures are capable of being electrically activated. The liquid is present in a closed well except for the apertures in the plate. To simultaneously expel liquid from the apertures, the apertures are electrically activated. Also disclosed are kits comprising a device in accordance with the present invention.

A gas distribution injector for chemical vapor deposition reactors has precursor gas inlets disposed at spaced-apart locations on an inner surface facing downstream toward a substrate carrier, and has carrier openings disposed between the precursor gas inlets. One or more precursor gases are introduced through the precursor gas inlets, and a carrier gas substantially nonreactive with the precursor gases is introduced through the carrier gas openings. The carrier gas minimizes deposit formation on the injector. The carrier gas openings may be provided by a porous plate defining the surface or via carrier inlets interspersed between precursor inlets. The gas inlets may removable or coaxial.

The invention provides exemplary systems, methods, and apparatus for distinctly allocating liquids containing chemical compositions or compounds to known locations in an organized manner so that assays may be performed on the compositions, or so that the chemical compositions may be combined with other distinct chemical compositions or reagents prior to evaluation. In an exemplary embodiment, the invention includes a multiwell plate for handling articles such as resin beads suspended in a liquid. The plate comprises a plurality of wells. The wells in turn have a capillary hole that is adapted to (i) retain articles in the well, and (ii) retain liquid in the well while the liquid is not subjected to extrinsic forces, such as centrifugation or vacuum.

A system and method for automated handling of vials containing liquid medical specimens is disclosed. The robotic system processes the specimens for further downstream molecular analysis. The processing comprises automated vial cap removal, pipetting of the vial contents, transfer of the vial contents to a destination tray such as a multiwell plate, and recapping of the vial.

A system for conducting a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay upon a collection of samples is disclosed. The PCR assay is performed by absorption detection. The system includes a multi-well plate which is adapted to retain a collection of sample wells. This system includes a thermal cycler for the multi-well plate. The system additionally includes a collection of photodetectors, and a corresponding number of light sources. The light sources are positioned such that light emitted from each of the respective light sources passes through a corresponding well retained in the multi-well plate and to a corresponding photodetector. The system also includes a processor or other means for analyzing the output signals from the photodetectors. In certain versions of the system, ultra-violet light is used.

A system has been constructed that recapitulate the features of a capillary bed through normal human tissue. The system facilitates perfusion of three-dimensional (3D) cell monocultures and heterotypic cell co-cultures at the length scale of the capillary bed. A major feature is that the system can be utilized within a “multiwell plate” format amenable to high-throughput assays compatible with the type of robotics commonly used in pharmaceutical development. The system provides a means to conduct assays for toxicology and metabolism and as a model for human diseases such as hepatic diseases, including hepatitis, exposure-related pathologies, and cancer. Cancer applications include primary liver cancer as well as metastases. The system can also be used as a means of testing gene therapy approaches for treating disease and inborn genetic defects.

The showerhead for a CVD apparatus can be easily produced and is capable of forming a film efficiently. The showerhead comprises: a shower plate being made of a metal; and a porous plate contacting a rear face of the shower plate. A plurality of gas diffusion holes are formed in a plate section of the shower plate, which faces a workpiece, and penetrate the plate section in the thickness direction, and the porous plate covers all of the gas diffusion holes.

Methods and devices for reducing evaporation of sample materials from the wells of multiwell plates are disclosed which find particular utility when the plates are placed in a stacked configuration. An example of the methods includes providing at least a first multiwell plate which is configured to be placed in a stacked configuration with at least one second multiwell plate, the at least first multiwell plate having a plurality of wells for receiving sample material therein and opposing side walls which extend around the plate and which define a ridge spaced inwardly of the side walls and extending around the plate between the side walls and the plurality of wells, the method including at least partially filling the ridge with a liquid such as water or buffer solution. The ridge can include one or more ribs which extend upwardly from a lower surface of the ridge to help reduce sloshing of the liquid contained within the ridge and to add structural strength and rigidity to the multiwell plate. The second multiwell plate can be provided with a downwardly extending flange which extends around a lower surface of the plate and which is configured to be removably received by the ridge of the at least first multiwell plate such that when the second multiwell plate is removably positioned on top of the at least first multiwell plate in a stacked configuration, the flange extends at least partially into the ridge and contacts the liquid to thereby create a substantial evaporation barrier to minimize evaporation of sample liquids in the wells of the at least first multiwell plate.

A system has been constructed that recapitulate the features of a capillary bed through normal human tissue. The system facilitates perfusion of three-dimensional (3D) cell monocultures and heterotypic cell co-cultures at the length scale of the capillary bed. A major feature is that the system can be utilized within a “multiwell plate” format amenable to high-throughput assays compatible with the type of robotics commonly used in pharmaceutical development. The system provides a means to conduct assays for toxicology and metabolism and as a model for human diseases such as hepatic diseases, including hepatitis, exposure-related pathologies, and cancer. Cancer applications include primary liver cancer as well as metastases. The system can also be used as a means of testing gene therapy approaches for treating disease and inborn genetic defects.

The present invention provides material removal heads and devices for noninvasively removing materials from the wells of multi-well plates. The material removal heads of the invention are structured to prevent cross-contamination among wells of multi-well plates as materials are removed from the plates. The invention also provides dispense heads and devices that include angled dispensers. Related systems, kits, and methods are additionally provided.

Genetically-encodable, environmentally-responsive fusion proteins comprising ELP peptides. Such fusion proteins exhibit unique physico-chemical and functional properties that can be modulated as a function of solution environment. The invention also provides methods for purifying the FPs, which take advantage of these unique properties, including high-throughput purification methods that produce high yields (e.g., milligram levels) of purified proteins, thereby yielding sufficient purified product for multiple assays and analyses. The high throughput purification technique is simpler and less expensive than current commercial high throughput purification methods, since it requires only one transfer of purification intermediates to a new multiwell plate.

Multiwell plate applications are describe for use with a plurality of fibres having an extraction phase coated thereon in combination with a positioning device. The device and method described are able to perform adsorption of components of interest from a biological system in high volume.

Genetically-encodable, environmentally-responsive fusion proteins comprising ELP peptides. Such fusion proteins exhibit unique physico-chemical and functional properties that can be modulated as a function of solution environment. The invention also provides methods for purifying the FPs, which take advantage of these unique properties, including high-throughput purification methods that produce high yields (e.g., milligram levels) of purified proteins, thereby yielding sufficient purified product for multiple assays and analyses. The high throughput purification technique is simpler and less expensive than current commercial high throughput purification methods, since it requires only one transfer of purification intermediates to a new multiwell plate.

Provided is a multiwell plate for an easy liquid removal, wherein the mutiwell plate includes a well with at least one pore in the sidewall defining the well, and a method of analyzing a target material using the multiwell plate.

Compositions for siRNA delivery are described which include water soluble degradable crosslinked cationic polymers having a water soluble polyethylene glycol component, a cationic polyethyleneimine component and a degradable unit component. The composition may be used to deliver siRNA to cells, particularly cancer cells. The composition may be applied to a solid surface such as a multiwell plate so that the delivery of siRNA may be carried out on the solid surface.

Electrophoretically enhanced methods are disclosed for carrying out binding and other reactions using pulsating and polarity reversing electric fields. The methods are exemplified by E3 ELISAs using free flow electrophoresis in multiwell plates and E3 Westerns using saturated matrices. The E3 methods are much faster than conventional methods and provide superior results. Reagents, buffers, devices and power supplied for carrying out E3 methods are disclosed.

The invention discloses a full automatic instrument for extracting nucleic acids, which is capable of fully automating the processes of acquiring sample information, automatically adding samples, automatically loading consumptive materials, automatically monitoring the extraction process, and establishing a PCR reaction system. The full automatic instrument for extracting nucleic acids comprises a working platform, a sample adding system which is mounted on the working platform, a deep-well multiwell plate movement device and a nucleic acid extraction device, wherein a plurality of working positions are arranged on the working platform and comprise a sample area, a reagent area and an extract product storage area. The sample adding system respectively adds the sample and a PCR reaction reagent into the deep-well multiwell plate movement device and the extract product storage area from the sample area and the reagent area respectively, the sample is moved below the nucleic acid extraction device by the deep-well multiwell plate movement device and allowed to perform the nucleic acid extraction reaction, and the extraction products are stored in the extract product storage area. The impact of human factor on experimental result can be effectively reduced, and the purity the extracted nucleic acid and the nucleic acid extraction efficiency can be improved.

In the present invention cells are placed in a multiwell plate and grown. When the assay is to be performed, one uses gravity to wash away any unbound ligands rather than vacuum or centrifugation. The cells are then examined to detect the bound ligand. To perform the washing step(s) the plate is placed into a carrier plate having open wells in register with the wells of the filter plate or one may use a wicking device or an underdrain attached to the bottom of the filter plate. Sufficient wash liquid is added to allow for filtration by the effect of gravity to occur. Cells are retained within the wells at a rate of 4 times that of other rapid methods.

Devices and methods are provided for reducing matrix effects in protein precipitated bioanalytical samples comprising: a support, and a sorbent associated with the support capable of binding matrix interfering agents present in the bioanalytical sample, wherein the device further comprises filtering means for removing precipitated protein particles. The filtering means is a size exclusion filter or a polymeric or inorganic monolith having a maximum pore size less than or equal to the diameter of the particles to be removed from the sample, and can be integral with the sorbent or associated with the sorbent. The sorbent is characterized by sufficient selectivity between the matrix interfering agents and analytes of interest to provide retention of the matrix interfering agents while providing elution of the analytes of interest (e.g., a reversed phase or a polar modified reversed phase). Typical devices incorporating these features include luer syringe filters, individual filter cartridges, multiwell plates, pipette tips, or inline columns for multiple or single use.

Methods and apparatus for depositing a high density biological or chemical array onto a solid support. Specifically, the apparatus is made up of a plurality of open ended channels collectively forming a matrix. The matrix has been redrawn and cut such that the pitch of the channels on the loading end is larger than the pitch of the channels on the liquid delivery end. The upper portion of each channel serves as a reservoir, while the opposing end, which has been formed by the redrawing process, is diametrically sized such that liquid in the reservoir is retained by capillary pressure at the delivery end. At any point along the height of the capillary reservoir device, all cross-sectional dimensions and areas are uniformly reduced. In other words, the on-center orientation of any two channels, also referred to as the pitch between 2 channels, measured as a function of the diameter of any cross section, is constant throughout the structure. The liquid within the channels is either printed directly from the tool onto a substrate or transferred to a substrate by a typographical pin plate. In another embodiment, the device may be used in transferring sample between multiwell plates of different well density.

Methods and apparatus for depositing a high density biological or chemical array onto a solid support. Specifically, the apparatus is made up of a plurality of open ended channels collectively forming a matrix. The matrix has been redrawn and cut such that the pitch of the channels on the loading end is larger than the pitch of the channels on the liquid delivery end. The upper portion of each channel serves as a reservoir, while the opposing end, which has been formed by the redrawing process, is diametrically sized such that liquid in the reservoir is retained by capillary pressure at the delivery end. At any point along the height of the capillary reservoir device, all cross-sectional dimensions and areas are uniformly reduced. In other words, the on-center orientation of any two channels, also referred to as the pitch between 2 channels, measured as a function of the diameter of any cross section, is constant throughout the structure. The liquid within the channels is either printed directly from the tool onto a substrate or transferred to a substrate by a typographical pin plate. In another embodiment, the device may be used in transferring sample between multiwell plates of different well density.

The present invention relates to an automatic refining apparatus for separating target materials from a plurality of biological sample solutions by using magnetic particles to which the magnetic particles are to be reversibly coupled, and to a multi-well plate kit for use in the automatic refining apparatus. Further, the present invention relates to a method for extracting nucleic acids from biological samples by using the above-described automatic refining apparatus. The present invention can be used in the automatic separation of nucleic acid, protein, and the like from biological samples.

The present invention is drawn to the generation of micropatterns of biomolecules and cells on standard laboratory materials through selective ablation of a physisorbed biomolecule with oxygen plasma. In certain embodiments, oxygen plasma is able to ablate selectively physisorbed layers of biomolecules (e.g., type-I collagen, fibronectin, laminin, and Matrigel) along complex non-linear paths which are difficult or impossible to pattern using alternative methods. In addition, certain embodiments of the present invention relate to the micropatterning of multiple cell types on curved surfaces, multiwell plates, and flat bottom flasks. The invention also features kits for use with the subject methods.

Methods and apparatus for depositing a high density biological or chemical array onto a solid support. Specifically, the apparatus is made up of a plurality of open ended channels collectively forming a matrix. The matrix has been redrawn and cut such that the pitch of the channels on the loading end is larger than the pitch of the channels on the liquid delivery end. The upper portion of each channel serves as a reservoir, while the opposing end, which has been formed by the redrawing process, is diametrically sized such that liquid in the reservoir is retained by capillary pressure at the delivery end. At any point along the height of the capillary reservoir device, all cross-sectional dimensions and areas are uniformly reduced. In other words, the on-center orientation of any two channels, also referred to as the pitch between 2 channels, measured as a function of the diameter of any cross section, is constant throughout the structure. The liquid within the channels is either printed directly from the tool onto a substrate or transferred to a substrate by a typographical pin plate. In another embodiment, the device may be used in transferring sample between multiwell plates of different well density.