Disposable Nozzle Tip Spotter for Accurate Nanoliter Cell Dispensing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional spotters face challenges in accurately dispensing small-volume biological samples, such as those in units of several tens of nanoliters, and verifying the number of dispensing events, while also risking contamination due to residual samples and increased process time for cleaning nozzles.
Innovation Solution
A high-speed dispensing spotter with a detachable nozzle tip made of an elastic material and a ring-shaped protrusion to prevent nozzle entry into the body part, coupled with a drop counter module for accurate counting of dispensing events, ensuring rapid and precise dispensing of small volumes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional spotters dispense biological samples through a nozzle, then dispensing can be performed, but residual samples remain in the nozzle tip causing contamination risk and requiring additional cleaning steps
Solution Approach 1:
The nozzle system is divided into two separate parts: a reusable nozzle body and a disposable nozzle tip. The nozzle tip is detached after use and discarded, eliminating the need for cleaning the nozzle body and preventing contamination from residual samples.
Solution Approach 2:
The nozzle tip is designed as a disposable component that is discarded after a single use. This eliminates the contamination risk from residual samples and removes the need for cleaning steps, as the disposable tip is replaced rather than cleaned.
2Measurement precision
If conventional spotters attempt to dispense small-volume samples of several tens of nanoliters, then high precision dispensing is achieved, but it becomes extremely difficult to verify accurate dispensing and count dispensing events
Solution Approach 1:
A detector is introduced as an intermediary component between the nozzle tip and the sample collection area. The detector optically monitors the dispensing process and generates signals to verify accurate dispensing and count dispensing events, solving the measurement verification problem for small-volume samples.
3Device complexity
If conventional spotters use fixed nozzles, then structure is simple, but cleaning steps increase total process time
Solution Approach 1:
The nozzle system is segmented into a reusable body and a disposable tip. This allows the simple reusable body to be paired with disposable tips, eliminating cleaning steps and increasing productivity without significantly increasing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The disposable nozzle tip replaces the need for cleaning complex reusable nozzles. Although it adds a replacement step, it eliminates time-consuming cleaning procedures and increases overall dispensing productivity by enabling rapid replacement rather than lengthy cleaning cycles.
Data Source
AI summary
A biological sample dispensing method using a high-speed dispensing spotter according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: (a) injecting a biological sample into a nozzle tip; (b) inserting a nozzle of a head part of the high-speed dispensing spotter into an inlet of the nozzle tip made of an elastic material, and allowing the nozzle to pick up the nozzle tip to be connected with the nozzle tip; and (c) injecting compressed air into the nozzle tip through the nozzle, so that the biological sample in a body part of the nozzle tip is discharged through a funnel-shaped discharge part of the nozzle tip, wherein, in step (b), the nozzle is arranged between the inlet and the body part of the nozzle tip, and is prevented from entering the body part by a ring-shaped protrusion protruding from an inner surface of the nozzle tip.