Carbon-Based Sample Holder for Light-Shielded Bioassays
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional biological sample vessels made of glass or plastic face limitations in high-throughput and miniaturized applications, particularly in complex processes requiring electrophysiological measurements, fluorescence assays, and cryopreservation, due to issues with light interference, mechanical damage, and limited adaptability.
Innovation Solution
A sample holder device with a carbon-based material that is opaque and electrically conductive, providing shielding from external light, enabling electrophysiological measurements, and supporting cryopreservation with rapid heat transfer, while being chemically inert and biocompatible, allowing for various processing methods without vessel changes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If transparent vessel materials (glass or plastic) are used for visual checking of samples, then transparency and ease of observation are improved, but light interference and inability to shield external light worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The vessel wall is designed with different optical properties at different locations or aspects - the material itself is opaque to block external light, but the design allows for localized optical access or measurement interfaces where transparency is not needed, enabling fluorescence detection without ambient light interference
Solution Approach 2:
The vessel material uses an opaque appearance (effectively blocking all visible light wavelengths) to prevent external light interference, while maintaining functional transparency for specific measurement purposes through design rather than material transparency
2Measurement precision
If specialized vessels are used for electrophysiological tests or cryopreservation, then measurement precision and thermal stability are improved, but mechanical damage risk and process complexity worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The vessel is designed to perform multiple functions simultaneously - it serves as both a cultivation vessel and an electrophysiological measurement chamber, and can also be used for cryopreservation. The opaque, electrically conductive material enables fluorescence measurements, electrophysiological recordings, and optical isolation without requiring transfer to specialized vessels
Solution Approach 2:
The vessel uses an opaque, electrically conductive material that combines properties previously requiring separate materials - optical blocking, electrical conductivity for measurements, and chemical inertness - into a single composite material system that enables multiple measurement modalities in one vessel
3Adaptability or versatility
If frequent vessel changes are executed for different processing steps, then adaptability to different methods is improved, but time loss and operational complexity worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The vessel is designed as a universal platform that can accommodate multiple processing steps and measurement techniques without requiring vessel changes. It supports cultivation, fluorescence imaging, electrophysiological measurements, and cryopreservation in the same vessel, eliminating transfer time and reducing operational complexity
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The carbon-based sample holder device facilitates high-throughput, miniaturized, and complex biological sample processing, including cryopreservation, with reduced mechanical and thermal stress, and enables simultaneous electrophysiological and fluorescence measurements without background noise.
Implementation Method 1
The carbon-based material has such a high carbon content that the material is opaque and electrically conductive
Implementation Method 2
The carbon-based material has such a high carbon content that the material is opaque and electrically conductive
Implementation Method 3
supporting cryopreservation with rapid heat transfer, and supporting cryopreservation with reduced mechanical and thermal stress
Data Source
AI summary
A sample holder device 100, 101 which is designed to hold biological samples 1 includes a base body 10 having at least one wall 11 which is arranged to delimit a sample receptacle 12, wherein the at least one wall 11 includes, at least on a surface facing the sample receptacle 12, a planar, carbon-based material which is impermeable to a liquid in sample receptacle 12, wherein the carbon-based material has such a high carbon content that the carbon-based material is opaque and electrically conductive. The sample holder device includes, e.g., a dish, in particular petri dish 101, a planar substrate, a multiwell plate, a sample beaker, in particular in the form of a beaker glass, a sample tube, in particular in the form of a test tube or a tube for cryopreservation (cryovial), and/or a hollow fiber. Methods for using the sample holder device are also described.