Sample Tube Adapter Tapered Design for Cross-Contamination
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Solution Overview
Problem
High-throughput clinical laboratory assays, such as those using 96-well and 384-well plates, face challenges with cross-contamination between samples, leading to false positive results due to the proximity of samples with elevated analyte concentrations, which increases the likelihood of carryover and contamination during sample preparation.
Innovation Solution
The use of sample tube adapters with a tapered design that fits onto sample tubes, providing a narrowed exit site to increase the velocity of gas phase solvents and prevent contamination, along with a forced air drydown step to prepare samples for analysis, mitigates cross-contamination by reducing the probability of well-to-well contamination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If high-throughput assays are transitioned to plates having a greater number of wells (e.g., 384-well or 1536-well plates), then sample processing throughput is improved, but the likelihood of false-positive results due to cross-contamination increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention introduces physical partitions or barriers between adjacent wells in high-throughput plates. These partitions segment the shared headspace into isolated compartments, preventing airborne analyte carryover between wells while maintaining the high-density well configuration necessary for increased throughput.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention employs an intermediary substance or barrier (such as a hydrophobic coating, physical partition, or adsorbent material) placed between adjacent wells to intercept and neutralize airborne analytes before they can contaminate neighboring samples, thus protecting result accuracy without reducing plate density.
2Productivity
If samples are placed in close proximity to one another in high-throughput plates, then processing efficiency is improved, but cross-contamination between adjacent samples increases
Solution Approach 1:
Physical partitions or barriers are introduced between adjacent wells to segment the headspace environment. This segmentation maintains close proximity of samples for efficient processing while creating distinct airborne compartments that prevent cross-contamination during sample preparation and analysis.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention converts the harmful airborne analyte vapor that naturally rises from samples into a controlled phenomenon by using hydrophobic coatings or adsorbent materials that selectively capture these vapors. The same vapor pressure that could cause contamination is thus converted into a controlled transfer mechanism that enhances sample preparation while preventing cross-well contamination.
3Reliability
If a tapered member is added to the sample tube adapter to increase gas escape velocity, then cross-contamination is reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The adapter geometry is modified by introducing a tapered section that changes the cross-sectional area of the headspace. This parameter change accelerates gas flow velocity through the narrowed region, enhancing the inerting effect and preventing analyte carryover. The complexity increase is minimal as it involves only a geometric modification rather than additional components.
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 sample tube adapters significantly reduce the risk of false positive results by minimizing cross-contamination between adjacent samples, maintaining the accuracy of test results and enhancing laboratory efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
Implementation Method 1
a tapered member (106) that tapers distally from a first width adjacent to the first member (114) to a second smaller width at a distal end (112) of the sample tube adapter (104), and an open distal end (112) providing a narrowed exit site defined by the tapered member (106), wherein the open distal end (112) is dimensioned to allow gases to escape from the sample tube (102) with increased velocity
Implementation Method 2
performing at least one sample preparation step including a forced air drydown step for removing a volatile solvent from each of the samples
Data Source
Figure 1A~1D
Figure 2A~2E
Figure 3A
AI summary
Sample tube adapters dimensioned to fit into one or more sample tubes in order to prevent carryover or contamination between sample tubes that are adjacent to one another during one or more stages of sample preparation. Methods for use of such sample tube adapters and methods for preventing carryover or contamination between sample tubes that are prepared adjacent to one another are also described. The apparatus described herein was developed to mitigate or eliminate cross-well contamination identified in high-throughput assays, e.g., 96-well based assays. In one embodiment, the apparatus is designed to fit onto the top of a standard 96-well plate and is kept in place during one or more stages of sample preparation, e.g., the entire forced-air drydown portion of sample preparation.