JP7494798B2 - Refining System - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a purification system for purifying a target substance by moving magnetic particles bound to the target substance inside a purification column using a magnetic source.

It has been proposed to purify target substances such as nucleic acids using a hollow tubular device (hereinafter referred to as a purification column) in which layers of washing solution are stacked with gel layers sandwiched between them (see Patent Document 1). The purification of the target substance is performed by applying a magnetic force from outside the purification column to magnetic particles inside the purification column to which the target substance is bound, thereby moving the magnetic particles within the purification column.

A purification device that automatically purifies a target substance in a purification column has also been proposed (see Patent Document 2). The purification device has a purification column set in the front part of a housing, and inside the housing are provided a magnetic source for applying a magnetic force to the magnetic particles introduced into the purification column, and a drive unit for operating the magnetic source along the purification column set in the front part.

WO2015/177933A1 JP 2020-168600 A

At one end of the purification column, a reservoir is provided in which a mixture of a specimen containing the target substance and magnetic particles is filled, and at the other end, an extraction liquid layer is provided for releasing and extracting the purified target substance from the magnetic particles, with washing liquid layers and gel layers provided alternately between the reservoir and extraction liquid layer. When performing purification, a magnetic source is first brought close to the reservoir to apply a magnetic force to the magnetic particles to which the target substance is bound, and the magnetic source is moved along the purification column so that the magnetic particles are introduced into each washing liquid layer in turn, and washing is performed in each washing liquid layer. After washing in each washing liquid layer, the target substance is finally led to the extraction liquid layer to be released from the magnetic particles, and is removed from the purification column using an inhaler or the like.

To accurately carry out the above purification, it is necessary to move the magnetic source accurately to the position of each washing solution layer in the purification column. The positions of each washing solution layer and gel layer in the purification column are constant, although there are some individual differences, so the purification device is designed to have the magnetic source perform a predetermined operation as a purification operation. Therefore, the purification column needs to be set correctly in a specified position in the purification device.

A simple structure for setting a purification column in a purification apparatus is often adopted, in which the purification column is simply fitted into a recess provided in the purification apparatus. However, while this structure makes it easy to attach and detach the purification column from the purification apparatus, it is prone to the purification column being set in a position that is shifted from the specified position. If the purification apparatus starts a purification operation with the purification column set in a position that is shifted from the specified position, there is a risk that the purification operation that should be performed on the target substance in the purification column will not be performed properly.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above problems, and aims to make it possible to prevent the execution of purification operations when the position of the set purification column is shifted from the specified position.

In a first embodiment of the purification device according to the present invention, a purification column is provided with a layer of washing solution and a layer of gel laminated in the longitudinal direction inside for purifying a target substance bound to magnetic particles, and a purification device having a column installation section in which the purification column is set and performing a purification operation of the target substance by moving the magnetic particles in the purification column set in the column installation section within the purification column using a magnetic source, the purification device having an opening and closing door that opens and closes in front of the column installation section and exposes the column installation section when opened, the opening and closing door is closed when the purification operation is performed, and a contact section that comes into contact with the purification column before the opening and closing door is completely closed only when the position of the purification column set in the column installation section is deviated from a specified position.

In a second embodiment of the purification device according to the present invention, the purification device includes a purification column in which a layer of washing solution and a layer of gel for purifying a target substance bound to magnetic particles are stacked in the longitudinal direction inside the purification column, a column installation section in which the purification column is set, and which performs a purification operation of the target substance by moving the magnetic particles in the purification column set in the column installation section within the purification column using a magnetic source, and a column sensor for detecting whether the position of the purification column set in the column installation section has shifted from a specified position.

According to the first embodiment of the purification system of the present invention, the opening and closing door of the purification device is provided with a contact portion that comes into contact with the purification column before the opening and closing door is completely closed only if the position of the purification column set in the column installation section is deviated from the specified position, so that the opening and closing door is not completely closed when the purification column is set in a position deviated from the specified position. This makes it possible to prevent the purification operation from being performed when the position of the set purification column is deviated from the specified position.

According to the second embodiment of the purification device of the present invention, the purification device is equipped with a column sensor for detecting whether the position of the purification column set in the column installation section is deviated from the specified position, so that it is possible to detect that the purification column is not set correctly and to prevent the purification operation from being performed when the position of the set purification column is deviated from the specified position.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a purification system. FIG. 2 shows an example of a purification column in the same embodiment. 1A and 1B are diagrams for explaining the structure of the column installation section, in which (A) shows the state of the column installation section without a purification column installed, and (B) shows the state of the column installation section with a purification column set therein. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the purification column and the contact member when the purification column is set correctly. 13 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the purification column and the contact member when the purification column set in the column installation section is deviated from a specified height. FIG. 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating modified examples of the contact member. 13A and 13B are diagrams for explaining a function of the contact member of the modified example exhibited when the opening and closing door is completely closed.

Below, an example of the purification system is explained with reference to the drawings.

First, we will explain the purification column 100 that constitutes the purification system.

2, the purification column 100 is a linear, hollow tubular member having a reservoir portion 102 at one end (the upper end in the figure) and a main body portion 104 at the other end side of the reservoir portion 102. The reservoir portion 102 is formed wider than the main body portion 104. In the main body portion 104, a gel layer, a washing liquid layer, a gel layer, a washing liquid layer, a gel layer, and an extraction liquid layer are provided in this order from the reservoir portion 102 side. An opening is provided at one end of the purification column 100 for introducing a sample liquid containing the target substance and magnetic particles into the reservoir portion 102, and the opening is sealed by a cap 106. The gel layer in the main body portion 104 is a layer made of gel for separating each liquid layer from each other, and the washing liquid layer is a layer made of washing liquid for removing impurities from the target substance. The extraction liquid layer is a liquid for releasing and dissolving the target substance purified through each washing liquid layer from the magnetic particles.

As shown in FIG. 1, the purification system includes a purification device 1 and the above-mentioned purification column 100. The purification device 1 is a device that purifies the target substance bound to the magnetic particles by applying a magnetic force from outside the purification column 100 to the magnetic particles bound to the target substance in the purification column 100 to manipulate the magnetic particles.

On the front surface 4 of the housing 2 of the purification device 1, a column installation section 6 for setting the purification column 100 and an operation panel 8 are provided. In this embodiment, two column installation sections 6 are provided, and purification of the target substance can be performed simultaneously in two purification columns 100. The number of column installation sections 6 may be one or three or more. In this embodiment, the column installation section 6 is provided on the front surface of the housing 2, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the column installation section 6 may also be provided on the side, back, top, or other surface of the housing 2.

Although not shown in the figure, inside the housing 2 of the purification device 1, there is provided a magnetic source for applying a magnetic force to the magnetic particles in the purification column 100 set in the column installation section 6, a drive section for moving the magnetic source along the purification column 100, and a control circuit for controlling the operation of the drive section.

An opening/closing door 10 that opens and closes in front of the column installation section 6 is attached to the front surface 4 of the housing 2 of the purification device 1 where the column installation section 6 is provided. The opening/closing door 10 is provided so as to expose the column installation section 6 when open and to cover the front of the column installation section 6 when closed. A contact member 14 is provided on the inner surface of the opening/closing door 10 (the surface that faces the front surface of the housing 2 when closed). The contact member 14 is provided so as to be located at the top of each column installation section 6 when the opening/closing door 10 is closed. The function of the contact member 14 will be described later.

A sensor hole 18 is provided at the bottom of the front surface of the housing 2 of the purification device 1, and a detection plate 16 is provided at the bottom of the inner surface of the opening and closing door 10, which is inserted into the sensor hole 18 when the opening and closing door 10 is closed. The purification device 1 is configured to detect that the opening and closing door 10 is closed by inserting the detection plate 16 into the sensor hole 18 when the opening and closing door 10 is closed. In this way, by providing a sensor that detects the open/closed state of the opening and closing door 10, it is possible to configure the purification device 1 so that the operation of purifying the target substance is not performed when the opening and closing door 10 is open.

The column installation section 6 is provided with a recess 20 that is provided to match the shape of the purification column 100. When the purification column 100 is set in the column installation section 6, the purification column 100 is fitted into the recess 20 as shown in FIG. 3(A). When the user lowers the purification column 100 from this state manually or by gravity, as shown in FIG. 3(B), the purification column 100 descends to a specified height, and the lower end portion of the reservoir section 102 of the purification column 100 comes into contact with a step provided inside the recess 20 and stops. At this time, the lower portion of the front side of the reservoir section 102 of the purification column 100 engages with a catch section 22 provided in front of the recess 20, preventing the purification column 100 from falling off forward of the column installation section 6. This state is the state in which the purification column 100 is normally set in the column installation section 6.

The purification device 1 is configured to operate the magnetic source inside the housing 2 on the premise that the purification column 100 is set correctly in the column installation section 6, and if the position of the purification column 100 in the column installation section 6 deviates from the normal position, the purification of the target substance may not be performed normally. One example of a case in which the position of the purification column 100 in the column installation section 6 deviates from the normal position is when burrs remaining on the purification column 100 get caught on the inner wall surface of the recess after the purification column 100 is fitted into the recess in the column installation section 6, causing the purification column 100 to stop at a position higher than the specified height.

In this embodiment, only when the height of the purification column 100 set in the column installation section 6 is higher than the specified height, the contact portion 14 of the opening and closing door 10 contacts the cap 106 of the purification column 100, preventing the opening and closing door 10 from being closed. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, when the purification column 100 is set correctly at the specified height in the column installation section 6, the contact portion 14 does not contact the purification column 100 when the opening and closing door 10 is closed. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5, when the purification column 100 is set in the column installation section 6 above the specified height, the contact portion 14 contacts the purification column 100 before the opening and closing door 10 is completely closed, thereby preventing the opening and closing door 10 from being completely closed. This allows the user to easily recognize that the purification column 100 is not set correctly, and prevents the purification device 1 from starting the purification operation of the target substance in a state in which the purification column 100 is set in a misaligned position. The contact portion 14 may be configured to tolerate (allow the opening and closing door 10 to close completely) any deviation in height of the set purification column 100 from the specified height, provided that the deviation is within a certain amount (e.g., 2 mm).

The material of the contact portion 14 is not particularly limited, but the contact portion 14 can be made of an elastic material such as a rubber material or a resin material in order to cushion the impact on the purification column 100 when the user attempts to close the opening and closing door 10 and the contact portion 14 comes into contact with the purification column 100 when the purification column 100 is not set properly.

In the above embodiment, the contact portion 14 has a function of preventing the door 10 from being completely closed by contacting the purification column 100 before the door 10 is completely closed when the purification column 100 is set above a specified height, but instead of this function, another function may be provided.

6, which is a modified example of the contact portion 14, an inclined surface 14a is provided in the contact portion 14 that contacts the purification column 100 before the door 10 is closed when the purification column 100 is set above a specified height. As shown in FIG. 7, the inclined surface 14a of the contact portion 14 is provided so as to apply a downward pressing force to the purification column 100 by utilizing the movement of the door 10 when it is closed, and to push the purification column 100 down to a specified height when the door 10 is completely closed. In this way, by giving the contact portion 14 the function of guiding the purification column 100 to a normal position by utilizing the movement of the door 10 when it is closed, the door 10 will not be completely closed even if the position where the purification column 100 is set is deviated from the normal position. This makes it possible to prevent the purification operation from being started when the purification column 100 is in a misaligned position.

Instead of providing a contact portion 14 on the opening and closing door 10, a column sensor may be provided to detect whether the position of the purification column 10 set in the column installation portion 6 is shifted from a specified position. Such a column sensor can be provided to detect the presence of the purification column 100 only when, for example, the height of the purification column 10 set in the column installation portion 6 is shifted upward from the specified height.

The above-described examples merely illustrate embodiments of the refining system according to the present invention. Other embodiments of the refining system according to the present invention are as follows:

In a first embodiment of the purification system according to the present invention, a purification column is provided with a layer of washing solution and a layer of gel stacked longitudinally inside for purifying a target substance bound to magnetic particles, and a purification device having a column installation section in which the purification column is set and performing a purification operation of the target substance by moving the magnetic particles in the purification column set in the column installation section within the purification column using a magnetic source, the purification device having an opening and closing door that opens and closes in front of the column installation section and exposes the column installation section when opened, the opening and closing door is closed when the purification operation is performed, and a contact section that comes into contact with the purification column before the opening and closing door is completely closed only when the position of the purification column set in the column installation section is deviated from a specified position.

In the first aspect of the first embodiment, the contact portion comes into contact with the purification column before the door is completely closed, thereby preventing the door from being completely closed. With this aspect, the door cannot be completely closed when the purification column is not set in the correct position, so that the user can easily recognize that the purification column is not set in the correct position.

In the first aspect, the contact portion can be made of an elastic material. This can reduce the impact on the purification column when the contact portion comes into contact with the purification column.

In a second aspect of the first embodiment, the contact portion has an inclined surface at a portion that contacts the purification column set at a position shifted in a specific direction from the specified position, which applies a pressing force to the purification column in a direction opposite to the specific direction in response to the operation of closing the opening and closing door, and is configured so that the purification column is guided to the specified position when the opening and closing door is closed. With this aspect, the purification column is prevented from shifting from its normal position when the opening and closing door is completely closed, so that it is possible to prevent the purification operation from being started without the purification column being set correctly.

A second embodiment of the purification system according to the present invention includes a purification column in which a layer of washing solution and a layer of gel for purifying a target substance bound to magnetic particles are stacked longitudinally inside the purification column, and a purification device having a column installation section in which the purification column is set and which performs a purification operation of the target substance by moving the magnetic particles in the purification column set in the column installation section within the purification column using a magnetic source, and the purification device includes a column sensor for detecting whether the position of the purification column set in the column installation section is deviated from a specified position.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Purification device 2 Housing 4 Front surface 6 Column installation section 8 Operation panel 10 Opening and closing door 14 Contact section 14a Inclined surface 16 Detection plate 18 Sensor hole 20 Depression 22 Catch section 100 Purification column 102 Reservoir section 104 Main body section 106 Cap

Claims (5)

a purification column in which a layer of a washing solution and a layer of a gel for purifying a target substance bound to magnetic particles are laminated in a longitudinal direction inside the column;
a purification device having a column mounting section in which the purification column is mounted, and performing a purification operation of the target substance by moving magnetic particles in the purification column mounted in the column mounting section using a magnetic source,
the purification apparatus has an opening/closing door that opens and closes in front of the column installation section and exposes the column installation section when the door is opened;
The opening and closing door is closed when the purification operation is performed, and is provided with a contact portion that comes into contact with the purification column before the opening and closing door is completely closed only when the position of the purification column set in the column installation section is deviated from a specified position. The purification system according to claim 1, wherein the contact portion comes into contact with the purification column before the door is completely closed, thereby preventing the door from being completely closed. The refining system according to claim 2, wherein the contact portion is formed from an elastic material. the contact portion has an inclined surface at a portion that contacts the purification column set at a position shifted in a specific direction from the specified position, the inclined surface applying a pressing force to the purification column in a direction opposite to the specific direction in response to an operation of closing the opening/closing door,
The purification system according to claim 1 , wherein the purification column is guided to the specified position when the door is closed. a purification column in which a layer of a washing solution and a layer of a gel for purifying a target substance bound to magnetic particles are laminated in a longitudinal direction inside the column;
a purification device having a column mounting section in which the purification column is mounted, and performing a purification operation of the target substance by moving magnetic particles in the purification column mounted in the column mounting section using a magnetic source,
A purification system, wherein the purification apparatus is provided with a column sensor for detecting whether or not the position of the purification column set in the column installation section is deviated from a specified position.

Images