JP6962789B2 - Inspection device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an inspection device used for chromatography.

Nucleic acid chromatography is a technique for developing, capturing, and detecting a substance to be detected to which a nucleic acid tag that hybridizes with the nucleic acid immobilized on the carrier is added on a chromatography carrier on which the nucleic acid is immobilized. By immobilizing nucleic acids having different base sequences at different positions on a chromatography carrier and adding nucleic acid tags specific to the nucleic acids to a plurality of substances to be detected, a plurality of detection targets contained in one sample. It is possible to detect the substance on one carrier. In addition to nucleic acid chromatography, a chromatography technique for capturing a substance to be detected on a chromatography carrier using an antigen-antigen combination or a ligand-receptor combination capable of forming a specific bond is available. , Widely used in fields such as molecular biology testing and genetic testing for medical and food testing.

In the chromatography as described above, various liquids such as a sample liquid containing a substance to be detected and a developing liquid are used. When these liquids are taken out of the container with an instrument such as a pipette and applied to a chromatography carrier, the liquids may scatter into the test environment, causing contamination that causes false positives. In addition, opening the container in the inspection environment may contaminate the liquid in the container.

While the liquid such as the sample liquid and the developing liquid for use in chromatography is kept in the container, a part of the container is destroyed to leak the liquid and bring it into contact with the chromatography carrier without using an instrument such as a pipette. The device is being developed.

For example, the device that detects an analyte in an affinity bioassay disclosed in Patent Document 1 is
With at least one transparent wall
With at least one test recess adapted to receive at least one test strip and arranged so that the test strip is visible through the transparent wall.
At least one cavity that is adapted to receive a container containing a fluid sample, wherein the cavity communicates with the at least one test recess in fluid communication.
When the container was inserted into the cavity, the container was perforated and disposed corresponding to the at least one cavity such that at least a portion of the sample was released from the container to reach the test recess. It is characterized by including a perforation means.

Further, the completely sealed target nucleic acid amplification product high-speed inspection device disclosed in Patent Document 2 is
Including internal structure and outer box
The internal structure includes a fixed box part and a pedestal part,
There is a corresponding hole in the fixed box part, which is used to put the cleaning solution pack and the PCR tube containing the amplification product.
The pedestal portion includes a cleaning liquid storage unit with a liquid pack piercing needle, an amplification material storage unit with a cutter, a sealing partition, fiberglass paper, and a test strip sealing part with a test strip and transparent window.
The outer box is characterized by including a lever cover, a fixed box compression portion, a cleaning liquid pack compression portion, and a transparent window.

Special Table 2015-512250 Special Table 2010-500009

In chromatography, as described above, various liquids such as a sample liquid containing a substance to be detected and a developing liquid are used. These liquids are usually water-based liquids.

Patent Documents 1, 2 and the like describe devices in which a part of the container containing the liquid is destroyed to leak the liquid and bring it into contact with the chromatography carrier in the housing containing the chromatography carrier. However, when the surface of the housing and / or the chromatography carrier with which the liquid leaked from the container comes into contact is a surface having a large water contact angle, when the liquid leaks from the container in the housing, the liquid is stored in the housing. The present inventor has newly found a problem that the amount of the liquid in contact with the chromatography carrier is reduced because droplets can be formed in the body and easily moved in the housing. The present inventor also has the following problem when the surface of the perforated incision portion such as a blade for perforating or incising the container containing the liquid provided in the housing is a surface having a large water contact angle. I found. That is, when a perforated incision having a large water contact angle on the surface forms a leak outlet in a container containing a liquid, in a state where the perforated incision exists at the leak outlet of the container, the surface of the perforated incision The present inventor has found that there is a new problem that it is difficult for a liquid having low affinity to leak out of the container through the leak outlet.

The inspection device according to the embodiment of the present invention is
A chromatography carrier and a housing for accommodating the carrier are provided.
The housing is
A support for supporting a container containing a liquid used for chromatography,
It is provided with a perforated incision for perforating or incising a container supported by the support and allowing liquid to leak from the container to a position in contact with the carrier.
The surface of the housing and / or the carrier with which the liquid leaked from the container comes into contact is characterized by including a surface having a water contact angle of 90 ° or less.

In the inspection device according to this embodiment, the liquid leaking from the container in the housing is sufficiently wetted on the surface of the housing and / or the chromatography carrier to be contacted, so that the liquid easily comes into contact with the chromatography carrier and is sufficiently absorbed. NS. Further, in the embodiment in which the surface of the perforated incision portion of the housing includes a surface having a water contact angle of 90 ° or less, the liquid leaks smoothly from the perforation or incision of the perforated incision portion of the container. , The intended amount of liquid can be smoothly supplied to the chromatography carrier. Therefore, the inspection conditions on the chromatography carrier are likely to be stable.

In the above-mentioned inspection device, it is preferable that the surface of the housing and / or the carrier having a water contact angle of 90 ° or less is a surface that has been hydrophilized. According to this aspect, the wettability of the surface of the housing and / or the carrier is further enhanced.

In a more preferred embodiment of the above inspection device,
The carrier is housed in a housing so that a part of the carrier is located between a support portion and a perforated incision portion.
In the support portion, while the container is supported, the container is perforated or incised by the perforated incision portion together with the said portion of the carrier from the first position where the container faces the perforated incision portion with the portion of the carrier in between. A container guide portion for guiding the container is formed up to the second position.

In the inspection device of this embodiment, the liquid leaking from the container at the second position is more easily absorbed because it comes into immediate contact with the chromatography carrier. Further, the liquid that leaks from the container and adheres to the wall surface of the housing without being immediately absorbed by the chromatography carrier wets the wall surface and stays in place, so that the liquid is absorbed by the chromatography carrier over time. Further, in the embodiment in which the surface of the perforated incision portion of the housing includes a surface having a water contact angle of 90 ° or less, the liquid leaks smoothly from the container destroyed by the perforated incision portion, which is intended for the chromatography carrier. The amount of liquid can be smoothly supplied.

In the inspection device according to the embodiment of the present invention, the liquid leaking from the container in the housing sufficiently wets the surface of the housing and / or the chromatography carrier to be contacted, so that the liquid easily comes into contact with the chromatography carrier and is sufficiently sufficient. Be absorbed. Therefore, the inspection conditions on the chromatography carrier are likely to be stable.

It is an exploded perspective view of the inspection device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view of the inspection device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view seen from the lower side of the housing upper member of the inspection device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view of the blade (perforation incision part) of the inspection device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view in the longitudinal direction of the inspection device according to the embodiment of the present invention in a state where the container is supported by the support portion of the housing and is positioned at the first position. FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view in the longitudinal direction in a state where a container is supported by a support portion of a housing and is positioned at a second position in the inspection device according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a schematic view of an end face in the lateral direction including one of the containers in a state where the container is supported by the support portion of the housing and is positioned at the first position in the inspection device according to the embodiment of the present invention. In the inspection device according to the embodiment of the present invention, the end face in the lateral direction including one of the containers is in the process of supporting the container on the support portion of the housing and moving the container from the first position to the second position. It is a schematic diagram. FIG. 5 is a schematic view of an end face in the lateral direction including one of the containers in a state where the container is supported by the support portion of the housing and is positioned at the second position in the inspection device according to the embodiment of the present invention. In the inspection device according to the comparative example, in which the surfaces of the housing and the chromatography carrier to which the liquid leaked from the container comes into contact are only surfaces having a water contact angle of 90 ° or more, the container is supported on the support portion of the housing. It is a schematic diagram of the end face in the lateral direction including one of the containers in the state of being positioned at the second position. The structure of the chromatography carrier that can be used in the present invention is shown. (A) shows a plan view, and (B) shows a side view. The structures of other chromatography carriers that can be used in the present invention are shown. (A) shows a plan view, and (B) shows a side view.

Specific embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings, but the scope of the present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiments.

The inspection device 1 of one embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1A to 4C.

The inspection device 1 of the present embodiment includes a housing 10 and a lid 20. The materials constituting the housing 10 and the lid 20 are not particularly limited, and materials such as resin and glass can be appropriately used. As will be described later, in the inspection device of the present invention, the lid 20 included in the inspection device 1 of the present embodiment is not an essential configuration.

The housing 10 forms an internal space 11 inside for accommodating the chromatography carrier 30.

The housing 10 also has a perforated incision 13 arranged in the internal space 11 for perforating or incising the containers 40, 40 and allowing the liquid L to leak from the containers 40, 40 to a position in contact with the chromatography carrier 30. To be equipped.

In the illustrated example, the housing 10 is formed by the housing upper member 10A and the housing lower member 10B. The housing lower member 10B includes a bottom wall portion 101 of the housing 10 and a side wall portion 102 erected from the peripheral edge of the bottom wall portion 101. The housing upper member 10A includes an upper wall portion 103 of the housing 10, a support portion 14 described later, and a lid mounting portion 15. In the upper wall portion 103 of the housing upper member 10A, the surface that becomes the outer surface of the housing 10 when combined with the housing lower member 10B is the upper surface 103a, and the surface that becomes the inner surface of the housing 10 is the lower surface 103b. Four locking claws 10A1 protruding toward the lower surface 103b are formed on the peripheral edge of the upper wall 103 of the housing upper member 10A, and the outer surface 102a of the side wall 102 of the housing lower member 10B is formed on the outer surface 102a of the side wall 102 of the housing lower member 10B. Four locking recesses 10B1 that engage with the locking claw portion 10A1 are formed.

The upper end 102b of the side wall portion 102 of the housing lower member 10B and the peripheral edge portion 103b1 of the lower surface 103b of the upper wall portion 103 of the housing upper member 10A engage the housing upper member 10A and the housing lower member 10B. When they do, they come into contact with each other. Further, on the lower surface 103b of the upper wall portion 103, a protruding portion 103b2 is formed which is adjacent to the inner peripheral side thereof along the peripheral edge portion 103b1 and protrudes from the peripheral edge portion 103b1. When the housing upper member 10A and the housing lower member 10B are engaged, the outer peripheral surface 103b3 of the protrusion 103b2 of the lower surface 103b of the upper wall portion 103 of the housing upper member 10A and the side wall of the housing lower member 10B. Of the inner surface 102c of the portion 102, a portion adjacent to the upper end 102b comes into contact with the inner surface 102c. With these configurations, when the housing 10 is formed by engaging the housing upper member 10A and the housing lower member 10B, it is possible to prevent liquid leakage from the boundary between the side wall portion 102 and the upper wall portion 103. ..

In the illustrated example, the housing 10 is formed of two members (a housing upper member 10A and a housing lower member 10B), but the case is not limited to this, and the housing 10 is formed of one member. It may be formed from three or more members.

The internal space 11 is a space contained in the housing 10, and in the illustrated example, the internal space 11 communicates with the outside through the holes 12 and 12, but the other parts have a closed structure. In the illustrated embodiment, the bottom wall portion 101, the side wall portion 102, and the upper wall portion 103 that surround the internal space 11 constitute the main body portion of the housing 10.

The support portion 14 supports one or more (two in the illustrated example) containers 40, 40 containing the liquid L used for chromatography, and the containers 40, 40 are provided from the first position to the second position, which will be described later. Holes 12 and 12 are formed as a container guide portion for guiding. The holes 12 and 12 function as guide holes for guiding the containers 40 and 40 inserted and supported by the holes 12 and 12 from the first position to the second position, which will be described later. The container guide portion may have a structure capable of guiding the container from the first position to the second position, which will be described later, and is not limited to the holes 12 and 12 formed in the support portion 14. The holes 12 and 12 are through holes that communicate the internal space 11 of the housing 10 with the outside. The holes 12 and 12 need only be able to insert and support the containers 40 and 40 in the penetrating direction and guide the inserted containers 40 and 40 toward the perforated incision portion 13, and the shape thereof is It is not limited to a specific shape. The "S" drawn on the outer surface 14a of the support portion 14 shown in FIG. 1A is a sign indicating that the hole 12 is a hole 12 through which the container 40 containing the sample liquid (sample) is inserted as the liquid L, and is referred to as "B". Is a sign that the hole 12 is through which the container 40 containing the developing liquid (buffer) is inserted as the liquid L.

The internal space 11 of the housing 10 serves as a place for developing chromatography. A chromatographic carrier 30 which is a solid phase is installed in the internal space 11. When the liquid L comes into contact with a part of the chromatography carrier 30 in the internal space 11, the liquid L is developed in the chromatography carrier 30 and chromatography is performed.

Examples of the liquid L include a sample liquid containing a substance to be detected in a solvent such as water, a developing liquid, and a liquid containing a labeling substance in a solvent such as water. The solvent is typically water. As the sample solution, a sample solution containing a nucleic acid amplification product can be exemplified. Examples of the developing solution include a phosphate buffer solution, a Tris buffer solution, a Good's buffer solution, and an SSC buffer solution. The developing solution may further contain a surfactant. Further, the liquid L may be a mixed liquid in which one or more of a sample liquid, a developing liquid, and a liquid containing a labeling substance are mixed. Further, as the liquid L, a liquid containing a color-developing reagent or a dye may be used. In the drawings and the following description, the liquids contained in the plurality of containers 40 and the liquids discharged into the internal space 11 are all represented as liquids L, but the liquids L contained in the plurality of containers 40 are liquids having different compositions. It may be there. Further, the container 40 containing the liquid L other than the sample liquid may be inserted into the hole 12 in advance.

The chromatography carrier 30 installed in the internal space 11 of the housing 10 may be a solid-phase carrier, and one made of a resin, a metal, a polysaccharide, a mineral, or the like can be used, and a membrane, a film, a non-woven fabric, or a plate can be used. , Gel or the like. In the illustrated example, the chromatography carrier 30 is an elongated membrane (strip), but is not limited to this example. Preferably, the chromatography carrier 30 has a porous structure. Specific examples of the chromatography carrier 30 include paper, nitrocellulose membrane, polyether sulfone membrane, nylon membrane, various dried gels (silica gel, agarose gel, dextran gel, gelatin gel), silicon, glass, resin and the like. Can be mentioned.

A capture substance for capturing the substance to be detected can be arranged on a part of the chromatography carrier 30. For example, when the substance to be detected contains a nucleic acid, the nucleic acid that hybridizes with the nucleic acid can be used as a capture substance, and if the substance to be detected contains an antigen or an antibody, the antigen or antibody and immunology Antibodies or antigens that react with each other can be used as capture substances.

The substance to be detected is preferably one that can be visually detected on the chromatography carrier 30. For example, if the substance to be detected is labeled with a labeling substance that can be visually detected and developed on the chromatography carrier 30, visual detection is possible. Examples of the labeling substance that can be visually detected include colored particles, dyes, fluorescent substances, and the like. Examples of "colored particles" include metal (for example, gold, silver, copper, platinum, etc.) particles, metal nanorods, metal nanoplates, latex particles containing dyes and fluorescent substances, silica nanoparticles containing dyes and fluorescent substances, and the like. Be done. The method of labeling the substance to be detected with a labeling substance that can be visually detected is not particularly limited. For example, when the substance to be detected contains a nucleic acid, the labeling substance to which the nucleic acid that hybridizes with the nucleic acid is linked can be labeled with the labeling substance by contacting the substance to be detected. For visual detection, at least a part of the wall portion of the housing 10 surrounding the internal space 11 is formed of a material that transmits visible light so that the chromatography carrier 30 can be confirmed from the outside of the housing 10. Is preferable. In particular, it is preferable that at least the portion 103c of the upper wall portion 103 of the housing 10 facing the portion where the chromatography carrier 30 is arranged is formed of a material that transmits visible light.

The structure of the chromatography carrier 30 used in this embodiment is shown in FIG. In this example, the chromatography carrier 30 includes a liquid receiving section 31 and a detecting section 32. The liquid receiving unit 31 is arranged on one end side of the detecting unit 32, and the liquid L is supplied to this portion. The detection unit 32 is a portion where the substance to be detected is developed. An absorption pad 33 is arranged on the other end side of the detection unit 32. A labeling substance holding unit 34 for holding the labeling substance is arranged between the liquid receiving unit 31 and the detecting unit 32. When the liquid L supplied to the liquid receiving unit 31 contains the detection target substance, the detection target substance is labeled by the labeling substance when passing through the labeling substance holding unit 34, and then moves to the detection unit 32. However, when the substance to be detected is labeled in advance, or when the liquid L contains the labeled substance, the labeling substance holding unit 34 is not necessary, and the liquid receiving unit 31 and the detection unit 32 are adjacent to each other. The liquid receiving unit 31 can be omitted. The detection unit 32 is formed with a capture region 321 in which the above-mentioned capture substance is arranged for capturing the substance to be detected. The liquid receiving unit 31, the labeling substance holding unit 34, the detecting unit 32, and the absorbing pad 33 can be made of the above-mentioned materials as materials that can be used as the chromatography carrier 30. These may be composed of the same member or may be composed of different members. The liquid receiving unit 31, the labeling substance holding unit 34, the detecting unit 32, and the absorbing pad 33 can be arranged on the base material 35 as shown. The base material 35 can be made of, for example, a resin, a metal, a polysaccharide, a mineral, or the like. The base material 35 can be partially or wholly omitted. For example, by partially or completely omitting the base material corresponding to the lower part of the liquid receiving portion 31, the flexibility of the liquid receiving portion 31 is improved, and the resistance when the container 40 is pushed toward the perforated incision portion is reduced. can do. The same effect can be obtained by using a highly flexible base material. The chromatography carrier 30 is not limited to the one having the structure shown in FIG. 6, and one having an appropriate structure can be used according to the desired chromatography.

As another example of the chromatography carrier 30, as shown in FIG. 7, the chromatography carrier 30 which does not include the liquid receiving unit 31, the labeling substance holding unit 34, the absorption pad 33, and the base material 35 and consists only of the detecting unit 32. Can be mentioned. Further, although not shown, a chromatography carrier 30 composed of only the detection unit 32 and the base material 35 supporting the detection unit 32 can also be used.

In the present embodiment, when the chromatography carrier 30 includes the labeling substance holding portion 34 in the internal space 11 of the housing 10, the liquid receiving portion 31 comes into contact with the liquid L leaked from the container 40, but it is detected. The portion 32 and the absorption pad 33 are arranged so as not to come into direct contact with the leaked liquid L. As described above, when the liquid L contains a labeling substance or the like, the labeling substance holding portion 34 can be omitted from the chromatography carrier 30. Further, as described above, a chromatography carrier 30 consisting of only the detection unit 32 or a chromatography carrier 30 consisting of only the detection unit 32 and the base material 35 can also be used. When the chromatography carrier 30 in which the labeling substance holding unit 34 is omitted, the chromatography carrier 30 consisting of only the detection unit 32 shown in FIG. 7, or the chromatography carrier 30 consisting of only the detection unit 32 and the base material 35 is used. , The liquid L leaked from the container 40 may be arranged so as to be in direct contact with the detection unit 32.

In the following description, the portion of the chromatography carrier 30 that comes into direct contact with the liquid L leaked from the container 40 is referred to as the liquid contact portion 30L.

In the internal space 11 of the housing 10, a carrier installation portion 16 on which the chromatography carrier 30 is installed, which is erected from the bottom wall portion 101 toward the inside of the internal space 11, is formed. The carrier installation portion 16 places the chromatography carrier 30 between the bottom wall portion 101 and the upper wall portion 103 in the direction opposite to the bottom wall portion 101 and the upper wall portion 103 of the housing 10, and the upper wall portion 103. It is configured so that it can be installed at a position closer to the upper wall portion 103 so as to face the portion 103c. The detection unit 32 of the chromatography carrier 30 and the absorption pad 33 are arranged on the upper surface 16a of the carrier installation unit 16. On the other hand, the liquid contact portion 30L is arranged between the support portion 14 of the housing 10 and the perforated incision portion 13. The detection unit 32 and the absorption pad 33 of the chromatography carrier 30 may be fixed to the upper surface 16a of the carrier installation unit 16 with an adhesive or an adhesive tape. The upper surface 16a of the carrier installation portion 16 is located at a position where the liquid L leaked from the container 40 perforated or incised by the perforation incision portion 13 does not reach. Specifically, when the housing 10 is installed on a horizontal plane, It is located in the internal space 11 at a position higher than the position where the liquid L leaks. The upper surface 16a of the carrier mounting portion 16 has a plan view shape corresponding to a portion including the detection portion 32 and the absorption pad 33 of the chromatography carrier 30, and has a shape having a longitudinal direction and a lateral direction in the illustrated example. The carrier mounting portion 16 is provided at a position surrounding the upper surface 16a with a plurality of positioning protrusions that regulate and position the movement of the chromatography carrier 30 in the direction along the upper surface 16a. The positioning protrusions include first positioning protrusions 16b arranged on both sides of the upper surface 16a in the lateral direction, and second positioning protrusions 16c arranged on one end of the upper surface 16a in the longitudinal direction.

The number of holes 12 which are container guides formed in the support portion 14 of the housing 10 is 2 in the illustrated example, but may be 1 or 3 or more, and is used for the target chromatography. It can be set according to the number of containers 40 containing the liquid L. For example, when a sample liquid and a developing liquid are used as the liquid L, two holes 12 are formed. In this case, although not particularly limited, the two holes 12 and 12 are formed at positions facing the positions where the chromatography carrier 30 is arranged in the internal space 11 along the development direction, and the holes on the downstream side in the development direction. Inserting the container 40 containing the sample solution into the hole 12 and the container 40 containing the developing solution into the hole 12 on the upstream side in the developing direction increases the amount of the substance to be detected that reaches the detection unit 32. preferable. Further, when the number of containers 40 is 2 or more, each container 40 may have a different shape, color tone, or pattern in order to easily distinguish each container, and the liquid L contained in each container 40 may be different. It may be colored to have a different color tone. When two or more containers 40 having different shapes are used, each hole 12 may also have a different shape so as to match each container shape.

The lid 20 is attached to the housing 10 and is configured to cover the support portion 14 of the housing 10. The lid 20 has a support 14 so that when a liquid is present between the support 14 and the lid 20, the liquid does not leak to the outside of the inspection device 1 under normal use conditions. cover.

In the present embodiment, the lid body 20 is composed of a lid main portion 21 and a lid peripheral wall portion 22 extending from the outer peripheral edge of the lid main portion 21 to the inner surface 21a side of the lid main portion 21.

At least one of the housing 10 and the lid 20 includes a lid guide portion 50 that guides the lid 20 to the housing 10.

In the present embodiment, in the housing 10, the support portion 14 is formed at a position protruding outward from the upper wall portion 103, and the support portion 14 and the upper wall portion 103 surround the support portion 14 and have a lid. 20 is connected by a lid mounting portion 15 on which the 20 is mounted.

In the present embodiment, the lid guide portion 50 is provided on the housing side screw portion 51 formed on the outer peripheral surface 15a of the lid mounting portion 15 of the housing 10 and the inner peripheral surface 22a of the lid peripheral wall portion 22 of the lid body 20. It is composed of a housing-side screwed portion 51 and a lid-side screwed portion 52 that can be screwed. The housing-side screwed portion 51 and the lid-side screwed portion 52 rotate the lid 20 mounted on the housing 10 about the direction X in which the support portion 14 of the housing 10 and the lid 20 face each other. When moved, the lid body 20 is guided by the lid guide portion 50 and moves toward the support portion 14 of the housing 10 along the direction X.

In order to facilitate the rotation of the lid body 20, as shown in the figure, a plurality of concave grooves 23a extending along the direction X are spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction on the outer surface 22b of the lid peripheral wall portion 22 of the lid body 20. It is preferable to form the non-slip portion 23 formed by leaving a gap. Further, a sign 21c whose rotation direction can be visually identified can be formed on the outer surface 21b of the lid main portion 21 of the lid body 20.

The lid guide portion 50 is not limited to the screwed portion shown in the drawing, and may have other modes. For example, no screw portion is formed on the outer peripheral surface 15a of the lid mounting portion 15 of the housing 10 and the inner peripheral surface 22a of the lid peripheral wall portion 22 of the lid 20, and the lid mounting portion 15 of the housing 10 is not formed. As another aspect, an embodiment in which the lid 20 is slid and guided with respect to the housing 10 while the outer peripheral surface 15a of the lid 20 and the inner peripheral surface 22a of the lid peripheral wall portion 22 of the lid 20 are in contact with each other can be exemplified. Further, no screw portion is formed on the outer peripheral surface 15a of the lid mounting portion 15 of the housing 10 and the inner peripheral surface 22a of the lid peripheral wall portion 22 of the lid 20, and the lid mounting portion 15 of the housing 10 is not formed. Another aspect is that the lid 20 is guided to the housing 10 while the outer peripheral surface 15a of the lid 20 and the inner peripheral surface 22a of the lid peripheral wall portion 22 of the lid 20 are in contact with each other via one or more sealing materials. Can be exemplified as. The sealing material can be formed of an elastically deformable material such as rubber. Each sealing material may be fixed to one of the outer peripheral surface 15a of the lid mounting portion 15 of the housing 10 and the inner peripheral surface 22a of the lid peripheral wall portion 22 of the lid 20.

The perforation incision portion 13 perforates or incises the containers 40, 40 supported by the support portion 14, and causes the liquid L to leak from the containers 40, 40 to a position where the liquid L comes into contact with the liquid contact portion 30L of the chromatography carrier 30. As the perforated incision portion 13, in the present embodiment, a blade for incising the containers 40 and 40 (indicated as “blade 13” when referring to the mode specified for the blade of the perforated incision portion 13) is used as shown in FIG. The blade 13 shown in FIG. 2 is a plate-shaped blade in which the cutting edge portion 131 is formed on a part of the sides and the base end portion 134 is formed on the other side. In the vicinity of the cutting edge portion 131, the two side surfaces 132 and 133 are both inclined and intersect at the cutting edge portion 131, but the present invention is not limited to this, and only one of the two side surfaces 132 and 133 is inclined and the other. May be a single-edged blade that intersects at the cutting edge portion 131 while remaining flat. In the illustrated embodiment, the blade 13 is a rectangular plate-shaped blade, but plate-shaped blades having other shapes such as a parallelogram, a trapezoid, a triangle, and a circle can also be preferably used. Further, the perforated incision portion 13 is not limited to the blade. As the perforated incision portion 13 other than the blade, a needle for perforating the containers 40 and 40 can be exemplified. In the present embodiment, a plurality of containers 40, 40 are configured to be incised by one perforated incision portion 13, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a perforated incision portion 13 corresponding to each container is provided. May be good. The material constituting the perforated incision portion 13 may be any material that can impart strength capable of perforating or incising the containers 40, 40, and may be, for example, a metal such as steel, stainless steel, or aluminum, ceramics, or resin.

The perforated incision portion 13 is arranged in the internal space 11 of the housing 10. In the present embodiment, the perforated incision portion 13 is arranged and fixed in the portion of the bottom wall portion 101 which is the wall portion facing the holes 12 and 12 in the internal space 11 of the housing 10. Not limited. A fixing portion 17 for fixing the perforated incision portion 13 is formed in a part of the bottom wall portion 101. In the present embodiment, the fixing portion 17 fixes the base end portion 134 of the blade 13 which is a perforated incision portion so as to sandwich the base end portion 134 of the blade 13 from both sides in the thickness direction of the blade 13, and the cutting edge portion 131 of the blade 13 has an internal space 11 It is arranged so as to face the support portion 14 inside. In the present embodiment, the fixing portions 17 are arranged on the bottom wall portion 101 so as to be aligned with the carrier installation portion 16. When the inspection device 1 of the present embodiment is placed on a horizontal plane, the upper surface 17a of the fixing portion 17 is located below the upper surface 16a of the carrier mounting portion 16. The carrier installation portion 16 and the fixing portion 17 are connected from the bottom wall portion 101 by a connecting portion 18 erected in the internal space 11, and the upper surface 16a of the carrier installation portion 16 and the upper surface 17a of the fixing portion 17 Is connected by the upper surface 18a of the connecting portion 18 that is inclined from the upper surface 16a of the carrier installation portion 16 toward the upper surface 17a of the fixing portion 17. Third positioning protrusions 17d are further formed on both sides of the upper surface 17a of the fixing portion 17 for fixing the perforated incision portion 13 in the lateral direction. As the containers 40, 40 are guided and moved from the first position to the second position, which will be described later, the chromatography carrier 30 arranged between the perforated incision portion 13 fixed to the fixing portion 17 and the holes 12, 12 is arranged. When the liquid contact portion 30L of the above moves toward the fixing portion 17, the movement of the liquid contact portion 30L is restricted in the moving directions of the containers 40 and 40.

As the container 40, a container that contains the liquid L used for chromatography, can be inserted and supported through the holes 12 and 12 of the housing 10, and can be perforated or incised by the perforation incision portion 13 is used. be able to. The container 40 is typically a resin container. The container 40 is preferably a tubular container that extends in one direction, has one end closed and has an opening / closing portion at the other end, and specifically, as shown in the figure, when supported by the support portion 14, the outside of the housing 10. A container having an opening / closing portion 41a at the outer end 41 which is the end of the housing 10 and the inner end 42 which is the inner end of the housing 10 is closed can be used. The container 40 having the opening / closing portion 41a at the outer end 41 as shown has a hinge portion 401 and a knob portion 402 that protrude outward in the contour 400 of the outer end 41 in a plan view on the peripheral edge of the opening / closing portion 41a. As such a container 40, a microtube used for a nucleic acid amplification reaction or a biochemical test can be exemplified.

At the positions of the support portion 14 surrounding the holes 12 and 12, the container 40 to be inserted and supported is urged toward the axial center along the penetrating direction of each hole 12 and inside each hole 12 of the container 40. An elastic member 190 that holds the posture in the above position is arranged. Specifically, the elastic member 190 projects from a pair of opposing positions around each hole 12 of the inner surface 14b, which is a surface of the support portion 14 on the side of the internal space 11, to the side of the internal space 11. Elastic support pieces 191 and 192. The pair of elastic support pieces 191 and 192 are arranged so that the surface 191a of one elastic support piece 191 and the surface 192a of the other elastic support piece 192 face each other. The surface 191a of one elastic support piece 191 and the surface 192a of the other elastic support piece 192 are formed so as to be closer to each other as the distance along the direction X from the inner surface 14b of the support portion 14 increases. The pair of elastic support pieces 191 and 192 sandwich the container 40 inserted in each hole 12 from the side and urge the container 40 toward the axis along the penetrating direction of each hole 12 to maintain the posture. The pair of elastic support pieces 191 and 192 are elastically deformable and are pushed open following the shape of the container 40 as the container 40 is pushed toward the perforated incision portion 13. Therefore, as shown in the figure, the inner end 42 The posture of the container 40 can be stabilized even when the container 40 having a shape whose width increases from the outer end 41 to the outer end 41 is used. Further, as long as the elastic support pieces 191 and 192 are within the elastically deformable range, the containers 40 having different widths can be supported and stabilized. In the present embodiment, the position of the container 40 with respect to the perforated incision portion 13 is stabilized by maintaining the posture of the container 40 inserted into each hole 12 by the elastic member 190 provided with the pair of elastic support pieces 191 and 192. The amount of liquid L leaked from the container 40 can be stabilized.

Subsequently, with reference to FIGS. 3A to 4C, a mechanism for perforating or incising the containers 40, 40 inserted and supported in the holes 12, 12 of the support portion 14 by the perforation incision portion 13 will be described.

3A and 4A show a state in which the containers 40 and 40 containing the liquid L are inserted into the holes 12 and 12 of the support portion 14 and supported. At this time, the inner ends 42, 42 of the containers 40, 40 face the cutting edge portion 131 of the blade 13. In this way, the position of the container in a state where the container is supported by the support portion and one end portion of the container faces the perforated incision portion is defined as the “first position”.

The containers 40, 40 supported in the holes 12, 12 of the support portion 14 and positioned at the first position are pushed toward the perforated incision portion 13, and the inner ends 42, 42 of the containers 40, 40 are the fixing portions of the housing 10. The state of being completely moved until it comes into contact with 17 is shown in FIGS. 3B and 4C. At this time, the containers 40 and 40 are incised by the blade 13 from the side of the inner ends 42 and 42 of the containers 40 and 40. In this way, the position of the container in a state where the container is supported by the support portion, guided by the container guide portion, and moved until it is perforated or incised by the perforated incision portion is defined as the “second position”. As shown in FIGS. 3B and 4C, in the present embodiment, the container at the second position is in contact with a part of the housing other than the perforated incision.

In the process in which the containers 40, 40 supported by the holes 12, 12 of the support portion 14 are guided from the first position to the second position, the containers 40, 40 are perforated or incised by the perforation incision portion 13, and the container 40 is perforated or incised. , 40 leaks to a position where the liquid L contained in the chromatography carrier 30 comes into contact with the liquid contact portion 30L of the chromatography carrier 30. FIG. 4B schematically shows a state in which the containers 40 and 40 are in the process of moving from the first position to the second position. The containers 40 and 40 are perforated or incised by the perforated incision portion 13 to form leakage outlets 43 and 43. From the containers 40, 40 in which the leakage outlets 43, 43 are formed, the contained liquid L leaks into the internal space 11 through the leakage outlets 43, 43, and not only the liquid contact portion 30L of the chromatography carrier 30 but also the liquid contact portion 30L. , In contact with a part of the housing 10 including the perforated incision portion 13 and the bottom wall portion 101 (particularly the fixing portion 17) around the perforated incision portion 13.

In the present embodiment, the liquid contact portion 30L of the chromatography carrier 30 is further housed in the housing 10 so as to be located between the support portion 14 and the perforated incision portion 13, so that the containers 40 and 40 are combined. It is characterized in that it is perforated or incised by the perforation incision portion 13 together with the chromatography carrier 30. When the containers 40, 40 are in the first position, the inner end 42 of the containers 40, 40 and the perforated incision portion 13 face each other with the liquid contact portion 30L of the chromatography carrier 30 interposed therebetween. When the containers 40, 40 supported by the support portion 14 are guided and moved from the first position to the second position, the containers 40, 40 are perforated by the perforation incision portion 13 together with the liquid contact portion 30L of the chromatography carrier 30. Or it is incised. According to the present embodiment, the liquid L leaked from the containers 40 and 40 easily contacts and permeates the liquid contact portion 30L of the chromatography carrier 30. The detection device 1 having this feature is preferable because the liquid L leaked from the containers 40 and 40 can be efficiently brought into contact with the chromatography carrier 30.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 4A, the lid 20 is mounted on the housing 10 in a state where the containers 40 and 40 are supported by the support portion 14 of the housing 10 and are positioned at the first position. It is mounted on the lid mounting portion 15 that surrounds the support portion 14. At this time, the housing-side screwed portion 51 on the outer peripheral surface 15a of the lid mounting portion 15 of the housing 10 and the lid-side screwed portion 52 on the inner peripheral surface 22a of the lid peripheral wall portion 22 of the lid 20 are partially separated. To screw. As a result, the support portion 14 of the housing 10 and the outer portions 40a and 40a of the containers 40 and 40 are covered with the lid body 20. Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 4B, when the lid body 20 is rotated about the direction X in which the support portion 14 of the housing 10 and the lid body 20 face each other, the lid body 20 has a lid guide portion. Guided by 50, it moves toward the support portion 14 of the housing 10 along the direction X. In the process of this movement, the lid main portion 21 of the lid body 20 comes into contact with the outer ends 41 of the containers 40, 40, so that the containers 40, 40 are pushed toward the perforated incision portion 13, and FIG. 3B and FIG. It reaches the second position shown in FIG. 4C. FIG. 4B schematically shows a state in which the container 40 is pushed into the perforated incision portion 13 while being slightly inclined from the direction X by the rotation of the lid body 20. This action opens the leak port 43 of the containers 40, 40 formed by perforation or incision, so that the liquid L can be effectively leaked and the chromatographic conditions can be stabilized.

It is not essential that the inspection device of the present invention has a lid as in the present embodiment. For example, the inspection device does not have a lid, and the user pushes the container supported by the support portion of the housing from the outside of the housing by using an external force generated by operating a fingertip, a device, or the like. , The container may be configured to move from the first position to the second position.

The inspection device 1 of the present embodiment also has wavy surfaces 102d and 102d formed on at least a part of the outer surface 102a of the side wall portion 102, which is the side surface of the housing 10. The wavy surfaces 102d and 102d are surfaces in which a plurality of grooves 102e extending in a direction in which the bottom wall portion 101 and the upper wall portion 103 of the housing 10 face each other are continuously formed. Since the wavy surfaces 102d and 102d are formed on the outer surface 102a of the side wall portion 102, slippage can be prevented when the user handles the inspection device 1 by hand. Further, when a plurality of inspection devices 1 of the present embodiment are prepared and arranged so that the outer surfaces 102a of the side wall portions 102 of the housing 10 are in contact with each other, the wavy surfaces 102d can be engaged with each other. The wavy surface is an example of an uneven surface, and in the inspection device 1 of the present embodiment, an uneven surface having another shape may be formed instead of the wavy surfaces 102d and 102d. The uneven surface is a surface in which a plurality of grooves extending in one direction are continuously formed, and a flat surface may be formed between adjacent grooves. The shape of the cross section of each of the plurality of grooves on the uneven surface in a plane perpendicular to the extending direction is not particularly limited. The case where the shape of the cross section is a curved surface is the wavy surface shown in the figure, but the shape of the cross section may be a shape such as a rectangle or a U shape.

The inspection device of the present invention is characterized in that the surface of the housing and / or the chromatography carrier with which the liquid leaked from the container comes into contact includes a surface having a water contact angle of 90 ° or less. In the present invention, the "water contact angle" means the angle at which water and the surface of an object come into contact with each other. In the measurement of the water contact angle, 1 μl of ultrapure water is dropped on an object that has been left to stand so that the surface of the object to be measured is horizontal, and the water contact angle is measured with a contact angle meter (KRUSS: Mobile Drop). .. The measurement is carried out at room temperature so as to be completed within 5 minutes after the dropping.

In the present embodiment, in the housing 10, the surface with which the liquid L leaked from the containers 40 and 40 comes into contact is referred to as the liquid contact surface 10L. In the present embodiment, as described above, the containers 40, 40 are perforated or incised by the perforated incision portion 13 in the process of guiding the containers 40, 40 supported by the support portion 14 from the first position to the second position. Leakage ports 43 and 43 are formed in the containers 40 and 40, and the liquid L contained in the containers 40 and 40 leaks into the internal space 11 through the leakage ports 43 and 43, and FIGS. 3B, 4B and 4C As shown in the above, the surfaces 30La and 30Lb of the liquid contact portion 30L of the chromatography carrier 30 and the liquid contact surface 10L of the housing 10 are contacted. In the present embodiment, the liquid contact surface 10L of the housing 10 is specifically the surface of the side surfaces 132 and 133 of the perforated incision portion 13 and the surface of the bottom wall portion 101 adjacent to the perforated incision portion 13 (particularly). It includes the upper surface 17a and the side surface 17b of the fixing portion 17, and the vicinity region 101a1) of the fixing portion 17 of the inner wall surface 101a of the bottom wall portion 101. When at least a part of the surfaces 30La and 30Lb of the liquid contact portion 30L of the chromatography carrier 30 and the liquid contact surface 10L of the housing 10 includes a surface having a water contact angle of 90 ° or less, the leaked liquid L is the above. Wet the surface thoroughly. Therefore, the leaked liquid L comes into contact with the chromatography carrier 30 and is easily absorbed. Specifically, when the surfaces 30La and 30Lb of the liquid contact portion 30L of the chromatography carrier 30 include a surface having a water contact angle of 90 ° or less, the leaked liquid L is the liquid contact portion of the chromatography carrier 30. It is easily absorbed by the surfaces 30La and 30Lb of 30L. When the liquid contact surface 10L of the housing 10 includes a surface having a water contact angle of 90 ° or less, the leaked liquid L is not immediately absorbed by the liquid contact portion 30L of the chromatography carrier 30, but the housing 10 Since the liquid contact surface 10L of the above is wetted and stays, it is easily absorbed by the liquid contact portion 30L of the chromatography carrier 30 over time.

FIG. 5 has the same configuration as that of the above embodiment except that the surfaces of the housing 10 and the chromatography carrier 30 that the liquid leaked from the containers 40 and 40 come into contact with are only surfaces having a water contact angle of more than 90 °. The state when the containers 40, 40 are supported by the support portion 14 and guided from the first position to the second position by using the inspection device 1'of the comparative example is schematically shown. The liquid L leaked from the leakage ports 43 and 43 of the containers 40 and 40 is not absorbed by the liquid contact portion 30L of the chromatography carrier 30, the liquid contact surface 10L of the housing 10 is not wet, and the liquid L is inside the housing 10. To form a droplet as shown in. Therefore, in the inspection device 1'of the comparative example, the amount of the liquid L that comes into contact with the chromatography carrier 30 and is absorbed is small, and stable inspection is difficult.

Further, in a mode in which the side surfaces 132 and 133 of the perforated incision portion 13 of the housing 10 include a surface having a water contact angle of 90 ° or less, as shown in FIGS. 3B, 4B and 4C, the perforated incision portion 13 is used. Even when the perforated incision portion 13 is inserted into the leak outlets 43 and 43 of the formed containers 40 and 40, the liquid L can smoothly leak from the leak outlets 43 and 43. As a result, the intended amount of liquid L can be smoothly supplied to the chromatography carrier 30.

The surface of the housing and / or the surface of the chromatography carrier having a water contact angle of 90 ° or less is preferably formed by a hydrophilization treatment. The hydrophilization treatment includes plasma treatment, fluorine gas treatment, coating of a hydrophilic or water-soluble resin such as polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) or polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), coating of a surfactant, fine unevenness processing, or the like. The combination thereof can be mentioned. Further, the portion of the housing and / or the chromatography carrier including the surface with which the liquid leaked from the container comes into contact may be made of a material containing a hydrophilic or water-soluble resin such as PVP and PVA. In particular, it is preferable that the liquid contact portion of the chromatography carrier is made of a material containing PVP or PVA.

The inspection device 1 of the above-described embodiment having the structure shown in FIGS. 1A to 4C was created. As the chromatography carrier 30, a chromatography carrier 30 having a structure shown in FIG. 6 in which a liquid receiving unit 31, a labeling substance holding unit 34, a detecting unit 32, and an absorption pad 33 were arranged on a base material 35 was used. The surface of the liquid receiving portion 31 and the surface of the base material 35 correspond to the surfaces 30La and 30Lb of the liquid contact portion 30L. As the blade 13, a metal blade 13 was used, and the blade 13 not treated with the water-repellent spray for rust prevention was designated as "without oil film", and the blade 13 was designated as "with oil film". As the housing 10, a case in which the main body including the bottom wall portion 101, the side wall portion 102, and the upper wall portion 103 is made of polycarbonate resin was used.

The side surface (132 or 133) of the blade 13 without or with an oil film of the inspection device 1, the fixing portion 17 (upper surface 17a or side surface 17b) of the housing 10, the liquid receiving portion 31 of the chromatography carrier 30, the chromatography carrier. The water contact angle on the surface of the base material 35 of 30 was measured. The water contact angle was measured by dropping 1 μl of ultrapure water onto an object that had been allowed to stand so that the surface of the object to be measured was horizontal, and measuring the water contact angle with a contact angle meter (KRUSS: Mobile Drop). The measurement was carried out at room temperature so as to be completed within 5 minutes after the dropping. The water contact angle was measured three times and the following results were obtained.

0は液体が染み込むため

0 is because the liquid soaks in

In the inspection device 1 of the above embodiment using the blade (without oil film) as the blade 13, the sample liquid appropriately leaked from the container 40 and was absorbed by the chromatography carrier 30.

In the inspection device 1 of the above embodiment using the blade (with an oil film) as the blade 13, the sample liquid may not properly leak from the container 40.

1: Inspection device 10: Housing 12: Hole (container guide)
13: Perforated incision part 14: Support part 10L: Liquid contact surface of housing 30: Chromatography carrier 30L: Liquid contact part of chromatography carrier 40: Container L: Liquid

Claims (2)

It ’s an inspection device,
A chromatography carrier and a housing for accommodating the carrier are provided.
The housing is
A support for supporting a container containing a liquid used for chromatography,
It is provided with a perforated incision for perforating or incising a container supported by the support and allowing liquid to leak from the container to a position in contact with the carrier.
Housing and / or the carrier, the surface of the liquid leaked from the container in contact with the water contact angle is seen contains the following surface 90 °,
The carrier is housed in a housing so that a part of the carrier is located between a support portion and a perforated incision portion.
In the support portion, while the container is supported, the container is perforated or incised by the perforated incision portion together with the said portion of the carrier from the first position where the container faces the perforated incision portion with the portion of the carrier in between. An inspection device characterized in that a container guide portion for guiding the container is formed up to the second position. The inspection device according to claim 1, wherein the surface of the housing and / or the carrier having a water contact angle of 90 ° or less is a surface that has been hydrophilized.

Images