JPH0680429B2 - Reagent dispensing method - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a reagent dispensing method for a reagent dispensing apparatus used for specimen inspection and the like.

(Prior Art) A reagent dispensing method in a reagent dispensing apparatus is designed so that when a reagent is inhaled, only a reagent container and a syringe for suction and discharge are opened by a three-way valve or a two-way valve arranged in a reagent line. The reagent is sucked into the syringe when the syringe is operated and the reagent is discharged (dispensed) to each testing device.
Sometimes, the valve is switched so that only the discharge nozzle and the syringe are opened, and the operation of discharging the reagent from the nozzle by the operation of the syringe is repeated and dispensed individually to each testing device. Target. When such a series of dispensing is completed and the same reagent as the previous time or another reagent is dispensed to the next group of inspection devices, a three-way valve, (two-way valve,)
It is common practice to clean the lines and nozzles with pure water or the like. Further, pure water or the like remains on the line washed with pure water or the like, and the reagent is diluted at the time of the next dispensing (particularly at the time of initial dispensing), which affects the measured value.

Therefore, the residual water in the line etc. is washed with the reagent to be used next by the same operation as when dispensing.This co-washing is generally done not only all at once but also many times. is there. At this time, the reagent is discharged and discarded out of the system for co-washing.

(Problems to be solved by the invention) In the method of repeating the same operation as the dispensing in the conventional technique and completely placing the water or the like in the system with the reagent to be dispensed, this placement is not performed. The reagent used for is diluted and discarded outside the system.

There are many expensive reagents, and in order to reduce the loss of this reagent, the reagent container, the three-way valve, the reagent syringe, and the dispensing nozzle are arranged so as to reduce the distance between them,
Although the inner diameter of the reagent tube that connects them is reduced, it is difficult to do this especially with large equipment, and there is a limit to the reduction of reagent loss.

(Means for Solving the Problems) The present invention provides a reagent dispensing method used for specimen testing, in which, when a large number of specimens are present at the time of dispensing, the same reagent is placed in a large number of reaction vessels by a plurality of the same operations. In the case of dispensing, when the above-mentioned series of dispensing is completed, the next dispensing (even if the reagent used for the next dispensing is the same but different reagent is used, three-way valve, tube Etc.) and prepare by washing with water etc.

Before performing the next dispensing, a reagent such as water in the system is used, which is characteristic. That is, according to the present invention, the switching means (V) arranged in the reagent line (L) is switched to the reagent container (B) side when the reagent is sucked, the reagent is sucked by the syringe (C), and the (V) is discharged when the reagent is discharged. In the dispensing method of the automatic dispensing device for discharging from the reagent (N) by switching (C) to the discharge nozzle (N) side, before starting the dispensing of the reagent,
(V) is switched to (B) side and the reagent is sucked by (C) through (L), then (V) is switched to (N) side and the reagent reaches the tip of (N) only (C). ) Running
Aspiration is again performed by (C), then (V) is switched to (B) side and (C) is operated so as to return the reagent to (B), and a series of operations is repeated a plurality of times, after which the dispensing of the reagent is started. The method of dispensing a reagent is characterized in that

In the present invention, for example, when the inside of the system (reagent line, switching means, syringe, etc.) is washed with pure water, the pure water remaining in the system is pushed out by air, and most of it is discharged from the system such as the reagent line. . However, the amount of pure water remaining in the system in a small amount is a large ratio for one inspector (also referred to as a reaction container). However, the amount of pure water remaining in the system is a very small ratio with respect to the total amount of reagents in the reagent container.
By utilizing this fact, it becomes possible to utilize the method of the present invention in which the co-washed reagent is returned to the reagent container without wasting the reagent.

The number of repetitions of the co-washing operation of the present invention can be changed as necessary depending on the allowable range of the purity of the reagent, the system capacity of the reagent line, the syringe capacity, and the like.

Embodiments Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. First
The figure shows an example of a dispensing apparatus for carrying out the dispensing method according to the present invention. It is composed of a reagent container 1, reagent tubes 2 and 3, a 3-way valve 4, a reagent syringe 5, and a dispensing nozzle 6.
The reagent dispensing operation is the reagent syringe 5 when the reagent is inhaled.
The three-way valve 4 provided at the tip of the three-way valve 4 is switched to the reagent tube 2 side, and a predetermined amount of reagent is sucked from the reagent container 1 by the reagent syringe 5 via the reagent tube 2 and is discharged. Is switched to the nozzle 6 side, and the reagent is discharged from the reagent nozzle 6. For the reagent replacement operation of the reagent line before dispensing the reagent, the three-way valve 4 is switched to the reagent tube 2 side,
The reagent is sucked by the reagent syringe 5 through the reagent tube 2, and then the three-way valve 4 is switched to the reagent nozzle 6 side.
The operation of operating the syringe 5 until the reagent reaches the reagent nozzle tip a, sucking it again into the syringe, switching the three-way valve 4 to the reagent tube 2 side, and returning the reagent to the reagent container 1 is repeated a plurality of times. FIG. 2 shows changes in the number of repetitions and the reagent concentration in the reagent line when the above-described operation in the reagent line is repeated. This example shows that if the above-mentioned reagent replacement operation is repeated 10 times, the reagent concentration becomes 99.7% and reagent dispensing is possible without loss of reagent.

(Effect of the Invention) The use of the dispensing method of the present invention provides a reagent dispensing method which has an advantage that the loss of the reagent in dispensing is extremely small.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 shows an outline of a dispensing apparatus according to an example of the present invention, and FIG. 2 shows a relationship between a reagent concentration in a reagent line according to an example of the present invention and the number of repeated operations for placing the present invention. It is a figure.

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Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. When a reagent is sucked, a switching means (V) arranged in a reagent line (L) is switched to a reagent container (B) side, a reagent is sucked by a syringe (C), and (V) is discharged when a reagent is discharged. In the dispensing method of the automatic dispensing apparatus that switches the discharge nozzle (N) side to discharge the reagent from (N) by (C), switches (V) to (B) side before starting the dispensing of the reagent. The reagent is inhaled by (C) through (L), and then (V) is switched to the (N) side, and (C) is operated only until the reagent reaches the tip of (N), and again by (C). A reagent characterized in that a series of operations for sucking, then switching (V) to the (B) side and operating (C) to return the reagent to (B) are repeated a plurality of times, and then dispensing of the reagent is started. Dispensing method.