Cellomics system
AssigneeOnChip Cellomics Consortium
InventorsKazunori Okano, Kenji Yasuda
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In labeling a cell, and separating and collecting the cell according to a degree of the labeling using a cell separator, effects on the cell is minimized and the use of the collected cell is facilitated, thereby, when labeling a cell, the cell is labeled in the state where interaction of each cell is retained. In the labeling, a specific labeling material present on a surface of a target cell is taken in the cell via a transporter, and the cell is dispersed one by one to separate the same with a cell separator. Immediately after the separation, the cell is put in a solution not containing the specific labeling substance to remove the specific labeling substance taken in the cell. This series of steps is continuously conducted with a cell separation chip.
Claims7
A method of separating a target cell comprising the steps of:
- incubating cells with a specific labeling material so that the specific labeling material is taken into a target cell by a transporter;
- optically detecting said specific labeling material taken into the target cell;
- and
- separating the target cell based on the detecting of the specific labeling material taken into target cell,
- wherein said specific labeling material is optically detectable, and
- wherein said step of separating the target cell based on the detecting of the specific labeling material taken into the target cell comprises a cell separation chip, wherein said chip comprises;
- a flow path for introducing a fluid containing a target cell with a specific labeling material taken into a cell separation area by a transporter, and a sample hole connected to the flow path for feeding a fluid containing the target cell;
- a buffer flow path provided in parallel with the flow path with a fluid containing the target cell in the cell separation area introduced therein, and a buffer hole connected to the flow path for feeding a buffer;
- a flow path located on the downstream side from the position in which the flow path introducing a fluid containing the target cell in the cell separation area and the butter flow path converge, for observing a cell in the which the liquid containing a target cell and a buffer-combined fluid flow as a laminar flow;
- the cell separation area comprising:
- two openings for gel electrodes formed on the downstream of the flow path for observing a cell, facing to each other on both sides of the flow path, and placed in a position slightly deviated from the flow direction;
- a target cell collecting flow path located in an imaginary line extended from the flow path;
- and a cell discharge flow path branching out from the flow path;
- a hole for feeding the gel electrodes with a gel electrode material;
- a hole connected to the cell discharging flow path for accommodating a liquid containing a discharged cell;
- a cell dialysis section provided on the downstream side of the target cell collecting flow path;
- a collecting flow path passing therethrough a fluid containing a target cell having passed through the cell dialysis section and a hole connected to the collecting flow path for accommodating a fluid containing the collected cell;
- a buffer retention bath for feeding a buffer provided in a common communication with the sample hole for feeding a fluid containing a target cell and a buffer hole for feeding a buffer;
- a buffer retention bath provided in communication with the hole for accommodating a fluid containing a fluid containing a discharged cell, for accommodating a discharged cell and a buffer;
- and
- a buffer retention bath provided in communication with the hole for accommodating a fluid containing a collected cell, for accommodating target cell and a buffer;
- the cell dialysis section comprising;
- a dialysis area for dialyzing the collected cell via a prespecified porous membrane to discharge a specific labeling material;
- a buffer retention bath for feeding a buffer not containing a specific labeling material in the dialysis area;
- and
- a buffer retention bath for collecting a buffer after dialysis.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.