Nucleic Acid Extraction Cartridge with Rotatable Piston
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional nucleic acid extraction cartridges require complex manufacturing processes and multiple devices for each processing step, leading to increased production costs and low detection efficiency due to lengthy procedures.
Innovation Solution
A cartridge design featuring a first body with multiple chambers, a second body with rotatable piston and angled ports for efficient reagent mixing, and a rubber pad to prevent leakage, simplifying the internal flow path and improving mixing efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If multiple bifurcated flow paths are created inside the piston head to enable direct reagent mixing, then the mixing efficiency is improved, but the manufacturing complexity and production cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The cartridge is divided into separate functional components: the piston head with simple ports, the first body with chambers, and the second body with flow paths. This segmentation moves the complex flow path fabrication from the piston head to the cartridge body, simplifying piston manufacturing while maintaining efficient reagent mixing through the distributed chamber and flow path architecture.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple devices are used for each processing step (concentration, purification), then the functionality is comprehensive, but the processing time increases due to movement between devices
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple processing functions (concentration, purification, lysis, mixing) are integrated into a single cartridge system. The first body contains multiple chambers that can perform different processing steps, and the rotatable piston connects these chambers, allowing all operations to occur within one device without time-consuming transfers between separate instruments.
Solution Approach 2:
The piston serves multiple functions: it acts as a mixing element, a transfer mechanism between chambers, and a rotation-driven pump. The single cartridge design universally handles lysis, concentration, and purification operations, eliminating the need for multiple specialized devices and reducing overall processing time.
3Productivity
If a rotatable piston with multiple ports is used for reagent mixing, then the mixing efficiency is improved, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The cartridge body acts as an intermediary structure that compensates for piston manufacturing tolerances. The flow paths in the second body and chamber positions in the first body are designed to work with a range of piston port positions, allowing functional alignment without requiring ultra-precise piston port placement. This mediator structure decouples the precision requirements from the rotating piston itself.
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 design enhances production efficiency, improves reagent and sample mixing, and facilitates flow path fabrication, while preventing liquid leakage and contamination, thus streamlining the nucleic acid extraction process.
Implementation Method 1
a piston disposed rotatably in the centers of the first body and the second body
Implementation Method 2
when the first flow path overlaps the port of the piston, the second flow path is formed to overlap the vacuum removal groove of the piston
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided a cartridge for nucleic acid extraction comprising: a first body having a plurality of chambers in which ports are formed at the bottom; a second body coupled to a lower region of the first body; and a piston disposed rotatably in the centers of the first body and the second body and having a port formed at the bottom thereof; and characterized in that the cartridge comprises a plurality of flow paths formed on the upper region of the second body, one end overlapping the port of the piston and the other end overlapping the port of the first body.