Pipette Tip With Inclined Filter Opening for Low Dead Volume
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing chromatography methods face challenges in efficiently capturing and purifying target substances due to issues such as carrier dispersion, contamination risks, and high dead volumes, particularly in column chromatography and batch chromatography, leading to incomplete separation and purification of substances like proteins, nucleic acids, lipids, viruses, and exosomes.
Innovation Solution
A pipette tip design featuring an inclined portion in the lower opening portion with a filter, allowing for efficient dispersion and adsorption of carriers, combined with a filter material like PTFE or PVDF, to enhance the concentration of target substances in a sample solution, reducing dead volume and improving purification efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a filter is disposed above and below the carrier in a column tip, then the carrier is less likely to disperse in the liquid, but the target substance and carrier are less likely to encounter each other, reducing adsorption efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The lower opening portion is divided into an inclined portion and a non-inclined portion. The inclined portion promotes carrier dispersion and contact with target substance, while the non-inclined portion maintains carrier stability. This segmentation allows both functions to coexist without compromising either carrier stability or adsorption efficiency.
2Volume of moving object
If the column tip has a narrow width, then the structure is compact, but the tip is likely to be clogged and suction/discharge cannot be repeated without significant speed reduction
Solution Approach 1:
The lower opening portion is designed with different local qualities: the inclined portion has a larger effective opening area to prevent clogging and allow repeated suction/discharge operations, while the upper portion maintains a narrow width for compactness. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction between compact size and operational repeatability.
3Ease of operation
If centrifugation is used to separate carrier from sample solution, then separation is achieved, but there is a risk of sample solution leaking or scattering due to tube breakage or lid looseness
Solution Approach 1:
The centrifugation step is extracted and replaced by a passive filtration mechanism. The filter in the pipette tip enables separation of carrier from sample solution without centrifugation, eliminating the risks of tube breakage and lid loosening while maintaining ease of operation. The harmful factors associated with centrifugation are completely removed.
4Ease of operation
If magnetic beads are used as carrier, then carrier separation is achieved, but it is difficult to recover magnetic beads when target substance concentration is low
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses a disposable filter tip design where the filter and carrier system is discarded after single use. This eliminates the need to recover magnetic beads from low-concentration samples, as the entire system is replaced. The productivity loss from inability to recover beads is offset by the simplicity and reliability of the disposable system.
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 pipette tip achieves repeated dispersion of carriers, minimizing dead volume and increasing the concentration of target substances, thereby enhancing the recovery rate and purity of the concentrated solution.
Implementation Method 1
a filter disposed in a lower opening portion of a lower end of the tip main body... a carrier is held in the tip main body
Implementation Method 2
an inclined portion is provided in at least a part of the lower opening portion in which the filter of the lower end of the tip main body is disposed... allowing for efficient dispersion and adsorption of carriers
Data Source
AI summary
One aspect of the present invention relates to a pipette tip capable of repeatedly dispersing a carrier in the tip by suction and discharge, and capable of producing a concentrated solution having a small dead volume and having increased concentration of a target substance from a sample solution containing a target substance or a target substance-containing substance, and a method for producing a concentrated solution using the pipette tip, the pipette tip includes a tip main body that stores a liquid; and a filter disposed in a lower opening portion of a lower end of the tip main body, an inclined portion is provided in at least a part of the lower opening portion in which the filter of the lower end of the tip main body is disposed, and the carrier is held in the tip main body.