Depositing fluid specimens on substrates, resulting ordered arrays, techniques for deposition of arrays

An apparatus for deposit of fluid samples in a dense array of mutually isolated dots, comprising

• a deposit device comprising multiple deposit pins movable relative to the deposit device, each said deposit pin having a tip of a diameter of 0.3 mm or less constructed and arranged to carry and deposit drops of fluid upon a substrate;
• the deposit device and the deposit pin comprising stable lateral reference surfaces or surface portions constructed and arranged to prevent an X and Y displacement of the deposit element and an urging mechanism for providing a substantially vertical force onto the deposit pin;
• a mobile fluid storage including a fluid source for repeatedly providing a discrete drop of fluid on the tip of the deposit element of the device, the mobile fluid storage and the deposit pins being cooperatively arranged for each tip to receive the drop of fluid by surface tension;
• a mechanism for moving the deposit device relatively over an array of spaced apart deposit locations of a receiving substrate, and a mechanism for repeatedly moving the deposit element, relatively, toward and away from the substrate to deposit respective dots at respective deposit locations on the substrate.

A method of producing arrays of fluid dots comprising the acts of:

• providing an array of deposit pins having pin spacing comparable with the well spacing of a 96 well plate, or a plate having a multiple of 96 wells;
• moving the well plate toward a substrate and the array of pins;
• dipping the pins into wells of the well plate to receive fluid by surface tension;
• causing a relative lateral movement of the well plate and the array of pins;
• and
• transferring the fluid from tips of the respective pins to respective dot locations in a substantially denser array on the substrate.

An array product comprising deposited dots of fluid in a dense array of biological objects corresponding to a function of the distribution of wells of a 96 well plate, the array product being created by providing a deposit array of pins having a spacing comparable with the well spacing of the 96 well plate;

• moving the well plate toward a substrate and the array of pins;
• dipping the pins into wells of the well plate to receive fluid by surface tension;
• causing a relative lateral movement of the well plate and the array of pins;
• and transferring the fluid from tips of the respective pins to respective dot locations to create a substantially denser array on the substrate.

A method of causing a biological compound to interact with another substance at a predetermined position on a substrate or to build up on that substrate the step comprising

• providing a deposit device including a deposit pin, movable relative to the deposit device, constructed and arranged to carry and deposit drops of fluid upon a substrate;
• the deposit device and the deposit pin comprising stable lateral reference surfaces or surface portions constructed and arranged to prevent an X and Y displacement of the deposit pin and an urging mechanism for providing a substantially vertical force onto the deposit pin;
• providing the compound or reagent to a mobile fluid storage;
• depositing at least one of the compound or reagent in a precisely determined localized spot relative to the substrate by mechanically lowering the pin to which a drop of the compound or reagent is adhered by surface tension from the mobile fluid storage, toward the substrate until the drop contacts the substrate or a pre-applied compound on the substrate with the pin exerting a controlled force of less than a gram thereon, and thereafter mechanically lifting the pin away from the substrate under conditions in which the fluid drop transfers to the substrate or the pre-applied compound on the substrate.