Device and process for analysing gas effects in samples

A device for analyzing the effect of a gas in a sample, the device comprising:

• a housing enclosing at least one sample well, a gas conduit connected to the at least one sample well configured to permit gas to enter and to exit the at least one sample well, a gas source connected to an inlet of the gas conduit, a concentration device that is configured to determine the concentration of at least one component of the gas, and a spectrophotometer arranged to optically measure the at least one sample well, wherein the at least one sample well comprises an array of sample wells, wherein the housing comprises a bottom element in which the array is and a lid element affixable to the bottom element configured to close the sample wells, and wherein the housing contains at least two separate gas conduits, each gas conduit connected to a separate array of sample wells in series and each gas conduit provided with a first gas sensor arranged at the inlet of the gas conduit and with a second gas sensor arranged at the outlet of the gas conduit.

A device for analyzing the effect of a gas in a sample, the device comprising:

• a housing enclosing at least one sample well, a gas conduit connected to the at least one sample well configured to permit gas to enter and to exit the at least one sample well, a gas source connected to an inlet of the gas conduit, a concentration device that is configured to determine the concentration of at least one component of the gas, and a spectrophotometer arranged to optically measure the at least one sample well, wherein the spectrophotometer is connected to a computer configured to analyze light emanating from sample wells at at least one wavelength or at two or more different wavelengths, and to determine absorption for the at least one illumination wavelength, and wherein the computer is configured to determine local oxygen partial pressure of gas in each sample well, local PO2, by linear interpolation in accordance with:
• local PO2=inlet-PO2+((position of sample well along gas conduit/total number of sample wells along gas conduit)×(inlet-PO2-outlet-PO2)).

A process for analyzing the effect of a gas comprising depositing the at least one sample into one of an array of at least two sample wells contained in a housing, continuously delivering a gas composition containing a gas to the array of sample wells through a gas conduit in serial connection with each sample well, and spectrophotometrically concurrently measuring each sample well containing an aliquot of samples while in contact with gas, wherein the at least one sample is a whole blood sample deposited as a droplet on a flat bottom surface of one of the at least two sample wells and is spread into a thin film by moving a stamp front surface against the bottom surface of the one of the at least two sample wells, and determining absorption and/or desorption of gas by the whole blood sample while at least one component of the gas composition has an increasing and/or a decreasing concentration, stepwise or continuous, over time during and/or between measurements.

A process for producing a device for analyzing the effect of a gas in a sample, comprising providing a microtiter plate reader as a spectrophotometer, arranging a housing comprising an array of sample wells connected in series by a gas conduit with its inlet connected to a gas source, the housing comprising an oxygen-sensitive dye arranged in a well of the housing as a first gas sensor, which well is arranged between the inlet and sample wells, and comprising an oxygen-sensitive dye arranged in a well of the housing as a second gas sensor, which well is arranged between sample wells and an outlet of the gas conduit, in a measuring chamber of the microtiter plate reader, and arranging a closure element for closing an opening of a measuring chamber, which closure element accommodates at least a gas feed line connected to the inlet of the gas conduit, wherein the gas conduit is formed as a groove in the lid element, which groove is interrupted in areas of the lid element covering wells.

A process for producing a device for analyzing the effect of a gas in a sample, comprising providing a microtiter plate reader as a spectrophotometer, arranging a housing comprising an array of sample wells connected in series by a gas conduit with its inlet connected to a gas source, the housing comprising an oxygen-sensitive dye arranged in a well of the housing as a first gas sensor, which well is arranged between the inlet and sample wells, and comprising an oxygen-sensitive dye arranged in a well of the housing as a second gas sensor, which well is arranged between sample wells and an outlet of the gas conduit, in a measuring chamber of the microtiter plate reader, and arranging a closure element for closing an opening of a measuring chamber, which closure element accommodates at least a gas feed line connected to the inlet of the gas conduit,

• wherein the gas conduit is formed as a groove in a region of the bottom element spaced from the bottom of the wells, and which is a region of the bottom element against which the lid element is affixed, which groove is configured to be circumferentially closed by the lid element.