KR-20260065990-A - Continuously Loading High-Volume Automated Nucleic Acid Extraction System

KR20260065990AKR 20260065990 AKR20260065990 AKR 20260065990AKR-20260065990-A

Abstract

A high-capacity nucleic acid extraction automation system capable of continuous loading comprises an extraction part having at least three process stations, a magnetic unit for transferring magnetic beads between reagent plates on different process stations through relative movement, and a control unit configured to control the system so that while an extraction process for a first sample plate is being carried out at one process station, another process station receives a second sample plate and performs a subsequent process thereon.

Inventors

천종윤

Assignees

천종윤

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20251031
Priority Date: 20241031

Claims (20)

As a high-capacity nucleic acid extraction automation system capable of continuous loading, A loading station configured to receive a sample plate accommodating multiple samples; Multiple reagent plates pre-filled with reagents and a supply part supplying magnetic beads, An extraction part comprising at least three process stations for extracting nucleic acids, A plate transfer unit configured to transfer one of the reagent plates from the above supply part to one of the above process stations, A magnetic unit comprising a plurality of magnetic rods that generate magnetic force to collect magnetic beads; and It includes a control unit, The magnetic beads are transferred from a reagent plate on one process station to a reagent plate on another process station while collected in the magnetic unit, and are transferred by relative movement between the magnetic unit and the process stations. The above control unit controls another process station to receive a second sample plate for performing an extraction process while a nucleic acid extraction process for a first sample plate is being performed at one process station. Automated nucleic acid extraction system.
In Article 1, The control unit above starts a subsequent process in the extraction part before the ongoing nucleic acid extraction process is completed. Automated nucleic acid extraction system.
In Article 1, It further includes a waste bin for discarding used reagent plates on the above process station, The above control unit is configured to control the plate transfer unit to prepare the reagent plate on the subsequent process station before the operation of the subsequent process station and to discard the used reagent plate on the current process station into the waste bin after the operation of the current process station. Automated nucleic acid extraction system.
In Article 1, The above supply part is configured to supply multiple sets of reagent plates according to the sample type, and The above control unit is, Based on the sample information of the sample plate provided at the loading station, an extraction protocol corresponding to the sample type and a set of reagent plates required therefor are selected from among a plurality of extraction protocols according to a pre-stored sample type; Select the process stations required to perform the above-mentioned selected extraction protocol; Controlling a plate transfer unit to deliver a selected set of reagent plates to selected process stations; Controlling selected process stations in sequence according to a selected extraction protocol, Automated nucleic acid extraction system.
In Article 1, It further includes an opening unit configured to open the film of the reagent plate sealed with a film supplied by the above-mentioned supply part, and The magnetic unit and the opening unit each include a plurality of elements corresponding to each of the wells of the reagent plate. Automated nucleic acid extraction system.
In Article 1, The above loading station receives a sample plate containing a dissolution buffer, and The above supply part supplies a first reagent plate containing a washing buffer and a second reagent plate containing an elution buffer, Automated nucleic acid extraction system.
In Article 6, The above loading station receives a sample plate containing a binding buffer in addition to the sample, Automated nucleic acid extraction system.
In Article 1, The above plate transfer unit is configured to transfer the sample plate from the loading station to the first process station of the extraction part, and The magnetic unit is configured to transport the magnetic bead into the sample plate above the first process station. Automated nucleic acid extraction system.
In Article 8, The above plate transfer unit is configured to transfer the reagent plate from the supply part to the second process station of the extraction part, and The magnetic unit is configured to transfer the magnetic beads from the sample plate of the first process station to the reagent plate of the second process station. Automated nucleic acid extraction system.
In Article 1, The above loading station is the first process station that operates first among the above process stations, and The magnetic unit is configured to transport the magnetic bead into the sample plate above the first process station. Automated nucleic acid extraction system.
In Article 1, It further includes a sample supply unit configured to supply the above sample plate to the loading station, and The magnetic unit is configured to transport the magnetic bead into the sample plate above the loading station. Automated nucleic acid extraction system.
In Article 1, The magnetic unit is configured to be movable in a first direction in which the process stations are arranged and in a second direction in which the supply part and the extraction part are arranged, and moves in the second direction to transfer the magnetic bead from the supply part to the sample plate on the first process station, and moves in the first direction to transfer the magnetic bead to the reagent plate on the next second process station. Automated nucleic acid extraction system.
In Article 1, The above magnetic unit further includes an image sensor configured to generate an image of the area where the magnetic rod descends. Automated nucleic acid extraction system.
In Article 1, The magnetic unit comprises a first magnetic unit and a second magnetic unit operating within one of the extraction parts. Automated nucleic acid extraction system.
In Article 14, The first magnetic unit performs the preceding step among the process stations, and the second magnetic unit performs the subsequent step among the process stations, moving so that their paths do not overlap. Automated nucleic acid extraction system.
In Article 14, The first magnetic unit is configured to sequentially circulate the process stations, and the second magnetic unit is configured to sequentially circulate the process stations following the first magnetic unit. Automated nucleic acid extraction system.
In Paragraph 4, The above process station includes at least one of a function to control the temperature of a solution in a sample plate or reagent plate and a function to stir the solution. Automated nucleic acid extraction system.
In Article 17, The above control unit is configured to determine the combination of process stations and the order of functions performed at each process station according to a determined extraction protocol, Automated nucleic acid extraction system.
In Article 1, One or more of the above process stations are characterized as being multifunctional process stations configured to include both a temperature control function and a stirring function, and to selectively perform one of the two functions or simultaneously perform both functions. Automated nucleic acid extraction system.
In Article 19, The control unit determines one of a plurality of extraction protocols based on the identification information of a sample received at the loading station, and selects one or more of the temperature control function and stirring function of the multi-functional plate unit according to the determined extraction protocol. Automated nucleic acid extraction system.

Description

Continuously Loading High-Volume Automated Nucleic Acid Extraction System The present invention relates to an automated nucleic acid extraction system. More specifically, the present invention relates to a high-capacity automated nucleic acid extraction system capable of continuous loading, comprising an extraction device including a plurality of process stations and a control unit. Molecular diagnostics is a method of determining the presence of disease or infection by analyzing genetic information contained in samples or biological markers contained in proteins using molecular biological techniques. Due to the nature of infectious disease diagnosis, a large volume of identical tests is required when a specific infectious disease is prevalent. Therefore, a centralized model has been primarily used, in which specimens collected from local clinics and public health centers are rapidly transported and processed for molecular testing from large-scale screening centers equipped with mass testing systems. To be applied to this centralized screening system, an automated molecular testing system was developed to process large volumes of samples simultaneously, extract nucleic acids, and carry out test reactions. Existing automated systems designed to process large volumes of samples simultaneously and perform identical tests are primarily developed as batch-type systems, requiring operator intervention whenever a batch is completed. Furthermore, existing high-volume extraction systems were developed based on the premise of routine testing methods that perform the same type of test on identical samples. Consequently, when the extraction of one type of sample is completed and the extraction of another type begins, manual operator intervention is required, such as exchanging buffers and reconfiguring protocols. If the frequency and duration of operator intervention increase relative to the extraction system operation time, the number of systems manageable per operator decreases, and this causes an increase in costs for the screening center. Therefore, there is a need to develop a high-throughput extraction system capable of automatically performing various nucleic acid extractions for diverse samples for various molecular tests, and enabling continuous loading to minimize operator intervention. FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the connection relationships of a nucleic acid extraction automation system according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the planar layout of a nucleic acid extraction automation system according to a first embodiment. Figure 3 shows an embodiment in which the extraction part in Figure 2 is configured modularly. FIG. 4 shows an embodiment in which the first transfer unit in FIG. 2 is omitted. FIG. 5 shows an embodiment in which the storage device is omitted from FIG. 2. FIG. 6 shows an embodiment in which a plurality of magnetic units are provided. Fig. 7 is a modified embodiment of Fig. 6. FIG. 8 shows an embodiment in which an opening unit is provided. FIG. 9 shows an embodiment in which the supply part and the extraction part are spatially separated. Fig. 10 is a modified embodiment of Fig. 9. FIG. 11 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the connection relationships of a nucleic acid extraction automation system according to a second embodiment. FIG. 12 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a planar layout of a nucleic acid extraction automation system according to a second embodiment. FIG. 13 is a modified embodiment of FIG. 12. The present invention will be described in detail below through embodiments and exemplary drawings. These embodiments are intended solely to explain the invention more specifically, and it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the scope of the invention is not limited by these embodiments according to the gist of the invention. In addition, it should be noted that when assigning reference numerals to the components of each drawing, the same components are assigned the same reference numeral whenever possible, even if they are shown in different drawings. Furthermore, in describing the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of related known components or functions could obscure the essence of the invention, such detailed description is omitted. In addition, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b), (i), and (ii) may be used to describe the components of the present invention. These terms are used merely to distinguish the components from other components, and the essence, order, or sequence of the components is not limited by the terms used. In this specification, specific structural or functional descriptions are merely illustrative for the purpose of explaining embodiments of the invention, and embodiments of the invention may be implemented in various forms and should not be interpreted as being limited to the embodiments described in this specification, and should be understood to