Process and apparatus for sequential synthesis of biological polymers
AssigneeNitto Denko Avecia, Inc.
InventorKarsten Keller
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for nucleic acid synthesis. The method employs a device including at least one deprotection unit to carry out a step of deprotection, at least one coupling unit to carry out a step of coupling, at least one oxidation/thiolation unit to carry out a step of oxidation or thiolation, at least one capping unit to carry out a step of capping, and at least one washing unit to carry out a step of washing. A plurality of reaction vessels for nucleic acid synthesis are moved to the units in accord with a synthesis scheme for a desired nucleic acid sequence and at least two reaction vessels are simultaneously acted upon at several of the units in series.
Claims19
A method of nucleic acid synthesis using a device comprising at least one deprotection unit to carry out a step of deprotection, at least one coupling unit to carry out a step of coupling, at least one oxidation/thiolation unit to carry out a step of oxidation or thiolation, and at least one washing unit to carry out a step of washing, wherein, a plurality of reaction vessels for nucleic acid synthesis are moved to the units in accord with a synthesis scheme for a desired nucleic acid sequence, wherein at least two reaction vessels are simultaneously acted upon at several of the units in series such that material introduced from one of the several units into a first of the at least two reaction vessels is subsequently received in a second of the at least two reaction vessels from the first.
An apparatus for the multi-stage synthesis of organic molecules, said apparatus comprising in combination:
- (a) a plurality of reaction vessels;
- (b) a plurality of fluid reservoirs;
- (c) valve elements associated with said fluid reservoirs;
- (d) fluid delivery devices for providing a feed stream from the fluid reservoirs to said vessels;
- (e) a plurality of devices capable of monitoring a chemical composition of effluent from a plurality of said vessels;
- and (f) a conveyor having a programmed pattern suitable for transporting the vessels from fluid engagement with one fluid reservoir to a subsequent fluid reservoir sequentially according to the programmed pattern, wherein at least two reaction vessels receive a fluid from at least one of the fluid reservoirs simultaneously and wherein the fluid from the at least one of the fluid reservoirs is introduced into a first reaction vessel and from the first reaction vessel into a second reaction vessel of the at least two reaction vessels.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.