US 4,668,476 AGranted

Automated polypeptide synthesis apparatus

AssigneeApplied Biosystems, LLC

InventorsJohn Bridgham, Timothy G. Geiser, Michael W. Hunkapiller, Stephen B. H. Kent, Mark P. Marriott, Paul O. Ramstad, Eric S. Nordman

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

patentgrep

Loading patent…

Abstract

An apparatus is provided for automatically constructing a polypeptide of high purity, up to 50 amino acids in length, using only single couplings. The apparatus includes an activation system for receiving protected amino acids, one kind at a time, having a common vessel (an activator vessel) in which to activate each of the amino acids. Also included is a reaction vessel for containing a resin used in solid-phase peptide synthesis for attaching a peptide chain thereto. A transfer system is also provided, which operates under control of a computer, to transfer the activated species from the activation system to the reaction vessel and to transfer amino acids, reagents, gases, and solvents from one part of the apparatus to another.

Claims28

Dependent claims

An automated peptide synthesizer comprising:

activation means for receiving protected amino acids, said activation means including a activation vessel in which to activate each of the amino acids;
reaction vessel means containing a support used in solid-phase peptide synthesis for attaching a peptide chain to said support;
transfer means connected to said activation means and to said reaction vessel means for transferring and mixing materials used in said synthesizer;
and
computer means connected to said transfer means for automatically controlling said transfer means to cause a transfer of a sequence of aliquots of a preselected arbitrary sequence of amino acids into said activation means, one kind of amino acid at a time, for causing said transfer means to transfer a corresponding aliquot of an activating medium into said activation means for each of the aliquots of amino acid transferred into said activation means, for causing said transfer means to mix each of the aliquots in said sequence of aliquots of amino acids with its corresponding aliquot of activating medium to form a sequence of aliquots of activated species of amino acids corresponding to said preselected arbitrary sequence of amino acids, and for causing said transfer means to transfer each aliquot of the activated species of amino acid from said activation means into said reaction vessel means so as to introduce to said support a sequence of aliquots of activated species of amino acids, one kind of amino acid at a time.

2 more elements

A device for synthesizing a polypeptide comprising:

an activator vessel for receiving an amino acid, an activating reagent, and an activating solvent for creating an activated species of the amino acid;
filter means located in said activator vessel for filtering out a precipitate when removing the activated species and the activating solvent from said activator vessel, said precipitate formed when creating the activated species;
a concentrator vessel having concentrator vessel inlet means for receiving the activated species of the amino acid and the activating solvent, and for receiving a coupling solvent, said concentrator vessel having outlet means for venting said concentrator vessel to remove the activator solvent thereby concentrating the amino acid relative to the activating solvent;
a reaction vessel containing a support for solid-phase peptide synthesis on which to couple said reaction vessel having reaction vessel inlet means for receiving the activated species of the amino acid and the coupling solvent;
transfer means coupled to said activator vessel, to said concentrator vessel and to said reaction vessel for removing the activated species and the activating solvent from said activator vessel and for transferring the activated species and the activator solvent to said concentrator vessel, for exchanging the activator solvent with the coupling solvent in said concentrator vessel, and for transferring the activated species of amino acid and the coupling solvent from said concentrator vessel to said reaction vessel.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.