Oxygen-Permeable Substrate for Direct Undiluted Specimen Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing analytical systems face challenges in analyzing target substances in undiluted specimens within tightly closed spaces due to insufficient oxygen supply for oxidative enzyme reactions, leading to inaccurate concentration measurements, particularly for substances like uric acid and creatinine, as they require additional oxygen supplementation which complicates the analysis process.
Innovation Solution
An analytical instrument with substrates made of materials like oriented polystyrene or polypropylene that transmit light and oxygen, allowing capillary flow of specimens and reagents in a tightly closed cell container, enabling direct analysis of target substances through transmission photometry without the need for dilution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a dry reagent layer is used in a tightly closed space with undiluted specimen, then the analysis can be performed in a closed system, but insufficient oxygen supply prevents adequate oxidative enzyme reaction
Solution Approach 1:
The substrate is made of porous material that allows oxygen to permeate through it, providing a continuous oxygen supply to the reaction zone while maintaining the closed system structure. This resolves the contradiction by enabling gas transport through the solid substrate without compromising system integrity.
2Quantity of substance
If specimen is diluted to supplement oxygen supply, then adequate oxygen is available for reaction, but manual dilution increases operational complexity and potential quantitative errors
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically supplies oxygen through the porous substrate without requiring manual dilution operations. The oxygen permeation occurs passively, eliminating the need for complex dilution procedures while maintaining adequate oxygen levels for the reaction.
3Measurement precision
If light-transmitting substrate is used for transmission photometry, then direct analysis is enabled, but the substrate must also maintain oxygen transmission properties
Solution Approach 1:
The substrate is constructed as a composite material that simultaneously provides both light transmission for photometric measurement and oxygen permeation for enzyme reaction. This dual-function composite resolves the contradiction by integrating multiple required properties into a single material.
4Extent of automation
If capillary flow is used for specimen transport, then automated sample handling is achieved, but the cell container design becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
Capillary action, a fluid dynamic phenomenon, is utilized to automate specimen transport through the cell container. The porous substrate and channel design create capillary forces that drive fluid flow without mechanical pumps, achieving automation through fluid physics rather than mechanical 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
This solution ensures efficient oxygen supply within the closed system, allowing for precise and direct analysis of target substances like uric acid and creatinine without dilution, maintaining precision and reducing operational complexity.
Implementation Method 1
at least a part of the upper substrate and/or at least a part of the lower substrate being made of a material that transmits light used for the analysis and has oxygen transmission properties
Implementation Method 2
an air hole for allowing the specimen to flow into the cell container by capillary force
Implementation Method 3
a dry reagent layer applied and dried on at least a part of a facing surface(s) of the upper substrate and/or the lower substrate, the dry reagent layer being adapted to be dissolved by the flowed-in specimen and including an oxidative enzyme
Implementation Method 4
analytical instrument for analyzing a target substance contained in a fluid specimen flowed in a cell container by utilizing an oxidative color-developing agent and an oxidative enzyme reaction
Implementation Method 5
utilizing an oxidative color-developing agent and an oxidative enzyme reaction
Implementation Method 6
a sealing member provided between the upper substrate and the lower substrate to prevent the specimen from flowing out of the cell container
Data Source
Figure 1~2
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AI summary
Provided are an analytical instrument (1) and an analytical method that allow for the direct analysis of a target substance in an undiluted specimen by a transmission photometry in a tightly closed cell container space. An analytical instrument (1) is an analytical instrument (1) for analyzing a target substance contained in a specimen flown in the tightly closed cell container by utilizing an oxidative color-developing agent and an oxidative enzyme reaction, in which an upper substrate (2) and a lower substrate (3) are arranged facing each other and at least a part of the upper substrate (2) and/or at least a part of the lower substrate (3) are/is made of a material transmitting light used for the analysis and having oxygen transmission properties.