Multi-well plate adaptor with hollow protrusions for debris filtration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Pipetting of liquid samples from wells containing dried blood spots or FFPE samples often results in debris such as filter paper, tissue, or paraffin particles getting stuck on or in pipette tips, leading to incomplete transfer and inaccurate pipetting due to the lack of finesse and visual feedback in liquid handling robots.
Innovation Solution
The use of multi-well plate adaptors or inserts with hollow protrusions that fit onto the wells, allowing liquid to pass through while preventing debris from entering, thereby enabling the separation of solid debris from the liquid aspirate during pipetting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If liquid handling robots are used for automated pipetting, then productivity is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to inability to avoid debris and lack of visual feedback
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary device (adaptor with hollow protrusions) between the well plate and pipette tip. This adaptor acts as a mediator that allows liquid to pass through while blocking solid debris, enabling automated robots to pipette reliably without direct visual feedback or manual intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the harmful function (debris transfer) from the pipetting system by using the adaptor to separate liquid from solid particles. The adaptor removes debris from the aspiration path while allowing liquid to be transferred, solving the reliability issue without compromising automation.
2Device complexity
If standard pipetting is used without adaptors, then device complexity is minimized, but object-generated harmful factors increase due to debris blockage and contamination
Solution Approach 1:
The adaptor serves as a simple intermediary component that blocks debris from entering the pipette tip while allowing liquid passage. This minimal addition prevents contamination and blockage without significantly increasing system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The adaptor utilizes porous or perforated structures (hollow protrusions with openings) that allow liquid to pass through while filtering out solid debris. This physical filtration approach effectively reduces harmful factors with simple structural modifications.
3Reliability
If adaptors with hollow protrusions are used to separate debris from liquid, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional components
Solution Approach 1:
The adaptor is divided into multiple hollow protrusions, each corresponding to a well. This segmentation allows the system to process multiple samples simultaneously while maintaining simple individual structures that are easy to manufacture and replace.
Solution Approach 2:
The adaptor design provides multi-functionality by simultaneously serving as a debris filter, liquid conduit, and well interface. This universal component performs multiple functions that would otherwise require separate devices, minimizing the net increase in system 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 multi-well plate inserts effectively prevent debris from entering the pipette tips, ensuring accurate and complete transfer of lysates during sample handling, even with robotic systems, by allowing only liquid to pass through the protrusions, thus maintaining the integrity of the pipetting process.
Implementation Method 1
multi-well plate adaptors or inserts with hollow protrusions that fit onto the wells, allowing liquid to pass through while preventing debris from entering
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed are multi-well plate inserts that can be used to separate solid debris, including paper punch containing a blood sample, from a liquid containing target biological molecules, such as nucleic acid molecules and proteins. Also provided are methods of using the insert, for example as part of a method that analyzes target biological molecules.