WO2007031158A1 - Laboratory temperature control device with top face - Google Patents

Abstract

A laboratory temperature control device (1), with a top face (2) which can be brought to specific temperatures and has depressions (7) adapted to vessels of a first type, is characterized in that an adapter (14, 44, 64) is provided which is designed to conduct heat at least perpendicular to the plane of the top face (2) of the laboratory temperature control device (1) and whose underside is adapted to make planar surface contact with the top face (2) of the laboratory temperature control device (1), while its upper face is designed for planar surface contact with vessels (9, 49) of a second type.

Description

 Laboratory tempering device with top

The invention relates to a laboratory tempering referred to in the preamble of claim 1 Art.

Generic laboratory tempering devices are e.g. from US 5,525,300 A known. They are used to hold laboratory samples at certain temperatures. The laboratory samples are arranged in containers, which are arranged with parts of their outer surface in large-area thermal contact in the wells. It is also possible to arrange a plurality of vessels combined into a plate, so-called microtiter plates with their vessels projecting downwards from the plate into a plurality of wells of the laboratory tempering device, for which purpose the grid dimension of the wells must match the grid dimension of the vessels of the plate.

As indicated in the aforementioned document, generic Labortemperiereinrichtungen can both be designed to hold on the entire top, so in all wells, the same temperatures, as well as over the level of the top of a temperature gradient form, so that in different wells different Temperatures are set. Generic laboratory tempering devices are used in particular for carrying out the PCR (polymerase chain reaction), even with gradient formation for optimizing the PCR. A disadvantage of the generic known Laborortemperiereinrichtungen is the fact that the vessels must fit exactly in the wells in terms of their shape to achieve a good thermal contact and must match the grid in vessel plates. If other vessel sizes or plates with different screen dimensions are used, then another adapted laboratory tempering device must be used, or in a known manner a laboratory tempering device must be used in which the top is replaceable, which is associated with considerable effort and expense.

DE 19646115 A1 also shows a generic construction which, in an embodiment variant, has recesses of different sizes closely nested in the upper side, so that two different vessel sizes and two different patterns can be used. However, other vessel sizes and rasters are not possible here either.

The object of the present invention is to allow the use of different vessel sizes and plate grid in a generic Laborortemperiereinrichtung in a simple manner.

This object is achieved with the feature of claim 1.

According to the invention the laboratory tempering is provided with an adapter which is adapted to its underside of the upper side of the laboratory tempering to flat heat contact and transports the heat to its top, which is adapted to other vessels to flat heat contact. On the top of the adapter so vessels or plates of a second type can be recorded in surface heat contact, while the adapter is adapted on its underside of the top of the laboratory tempering, which in itself for completely different vessels or grid of a first type is formed. In this way it is possible to retrofit a generic laboratory tempering by simply attaching adapters for tempering other vessels or plates with different raster.

The adapter could be configured to contact the top over the recesses with a simple flat bottom. Advantageously, however, the features of claim 2 are provided. Here, the contact of the upper side of the laboratory tempering devices takes place in their depressions, in which projections on the underside of the adapter engage in good heat-conducting, large-area contact. As a result, the heat transfer between the laboratory tempering device and the adapter takes place at the points of the recesses in which the set target temperatures are maintained particularly accurately. In addition, this results from positive engagement of the elevations in the wells a firm grip of the adapter.

In this case, the features of claim 3 are advantageously provided, after which a plurality of elevations on the underside of the adapter fit into a row of depressions of the laboratory tempering devices. For full-surface placement of a laboratory tempering device thus several adapters are to be arranged line by line.

Advantageously, the laboratory tempering device generates a temperature gradient, advantageously according to claim 5, transversely to the lines. The rows are thus at different temperatures, which are transmitted separately upwards by the adapters arranged line by line. In this way, the vessels of the second type, which contact the top of the adapters, are also brought line by line to different temperatures according to the set gradient. More recently, crystallization plates are increasingly being used, in whose vessels crystallization processes take place. In particular, crystallization plates are used for the determination of proteins by X-ray diffraction on a lattice produced by crystallization, eg in genetic research. In the absence of suitable laboratory tempering devices for crystallization plates, however, their exact temperature control has hitherto been very problematic. Advantageously, therefore, the features of claim 6 are provided. In this way, crystallization plates with appropriately designed adapters on conventional laboratory tempering devices, such as are available in the laboratory, can be tempered very simply and precisely. It is also possible to optimize the formation of a temperature gradient, the crystallization temperatures, which was previously not possible.

Crystallization plates are commercially available in a wide variety of forms, e.g. depending on the crystallization method, e.g. "Hanging Drop" or "Sitting Drop". The crystallization vessels are easier with the "hanging drop" method and somewhat more complicated with the "sitting drop" method. There are known crystallization plates with closely nested crystallization vessels and those with a common base plate down individually in the lateral distance hanging crystallization vessels. In the latter embodiment, the features of claim 7 are advantageously provided, wherein the crystallization vessels are laterally encompassed by the wells of the adapter, so that temperature differences within the crystallization vessel, which could interfere with the Kritallisationsprozess be avoided.

In a Kritallisationsplatte with closely juxtaposed crystallization vessels for the "sitting drop" method in which there are smoothly running grooves between vascular lines, which are open to the bottom, the features of claim 8 are advantageously provided. In the drawings, the invention is shown for example and schematically. Show it:

1 shows a section through a laboratory tempering device in a first

embodiment,

2 shows a section along line 2 - 2 in Figure 1,

3 shows a section along line 3 - 3 in Figure 1,

4 shows a section through an adapter of a second embodiment,

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the adapter in section along line 5 - 5 in

4 and

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of an adapter in a third embodiment.

1 shows a longitudinal section of a laboratory tempering direction 1, the planar upper side 2 of which is formed by a thermally highly conductive block 3, which is covered on its underside 4 with a plurality of tempering elements 5 in a planar manner. The tempering elements 5 are, for example, Peltier elements which are supplied with electricity via lines which are not shown and which can heat or cool the block 3 as desired. If the plurality of tempering elements 5 arranged one behind the other in the longitudinal direction are operated at different temperatures, a temperature gradient can be set in the direction of the arrow 6, ie in the longitudinal direction of the upper side 2 in the direction of the arrow 6. Recesses 7 are formed in the upper side 2 of the laboratory tempering device 1 and are arranged, for example, in rows and columns, as is known from the documents cited at the beginning. In a conventional laboratory tempering device 1, they serve vessels of a first type, ie, for example, containing individual vessels containing reaction samples in a large area of good heat-conducting contact, or in the grid (eg 12 rows and 8 columns) suitable microtiter plates, in which an upper surface hanging vessels fit into the recesses 7. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, however, vessels of a different, second type, namely vessels of a crystallization plate 8, are tempered with the laboratory tempering device 1, which is shown in section in FIG. 1 and in plan view in FIG. 3.

The crystallization plate 8 is a crystallization plate with vessels designed for the "sitting drop" method. The crystallization plate 8 has for this purpose formed in a grid crystallization vessels 9, which are divided laterally by crossing continuous partitions 10, are open at the top and have a step 11, are placed on the drops with a protein solution to be crystallized, while in the lower Part of the vessel 9 solvent is arranged. To carry out the crystallization process, which takes a long time, all the crystallization vessels 9 are closed with a covering the entire crystallization plate 8 cover 12, as shown in Fig. 1. Alternatively, the closure can be done with an adhesive film.

The crystallization plate 8 forms on its side facing the laboratory tempering 1 underside under the steps 11 in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the drawing of FIG. 1 extending, rectangular, downwardly open grooves 13. A precise temperature control of the crystallization vessels 9 of the crystallization plate 8 by placing it on the top side 2 of the laboratory tempering device 1 would be difficult because of insufficient contact surfaces. There are therefore provided a plurality of adapters 14 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, which are formed on their upper side as a rectangular shaped beam 15, which in its cross section, as shown in FIG. 1, is adapted exactly to the cross-sectional shape of the groove 13. The bars 15 can thus be used with all-sided large-area and thus good heat-conducting surface contact in the grooves 13.

On its underside, the adapters 14 are provided with projections 16 projecting downwards, which, like FIG. 1, are adapted in their surface form exactly to the inner surface of the depressions 7 in the upper side 2 of the laboratory temperature control device 1.

As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of elevations 16 are provided on an adapter 14, which are arranged linearly in a row which corresponds to the grid of depressions 7 in a row of the upper side 2 of the laboratory tempering device 1.

Fig. 1 shows that the adapters 14 are inserted with their elevations 16 in the recesses 7 and are used with their beams 15 in the grooves 13 of the crystallization plate 8. The crystallization plate 8 is therefore heated over a large area and precisely via the adapters 14, which for this purpose are made of material which conducts heat well, e.g. Metal are formed, wherein it is particularly important to transport the heat in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the top 2 of the laboratory tempering 1.

US 2002/0141905 A1 describes different crystallization plates, the construction shown in FIG. 2 a substantially corresponding to the crystallization plate 8 according to FIG. 1. FIGS. 3a to 5c describe crystallization plates of another embodiment, which are essentially derived from the Crystallization plate 8 differ in that the crystallization vessels have no common partitions, but hang down freely in a lateral distance substantially downwards. Also, such a crystallization plate can be easily supplied with the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 show.

FIG. 4 shows the same laboratory tempering device 1 with recesses 7 as in FIG. 1. Adapters 44, which largely correspond to the adapters 14, that is to say have elevations 46 which correspond to the depressions 7 in the grid and the shaping, are inserted into these are adapted. On their upper side, the adapters 44 are again designed as bars 45, which in the embodiment of FIGS. 4 and 5, however, have depressions 47 which are formed in a shape-matched manner to the outer surface of the crystallization vessels 49 of a crystallization plate 48.

Fig. 6 shows in an embodiment variant of an adapter 64, which consists of individual adapters 44 of FIG. 5, which are placed side by side parallel to each other standing in the embodiment with a release layer 65 of thermally insulating material. In this way, the adapter 44 of FIG. 4 can be assembled to form a plate-shaped adapter 64, which can be handled as a whole. If the adapter 64 is used on a laboratory tempering device 1 according to FIG. 1, in which the gradient 6 is generated in the direction transverse to the longitudinal extension of the individual adapters 44, then the thermally insulating separating layer 65 ensures that the desired different temperatures in the individual adapters 44 can be adjusted trouble-free.

In the adapter 64, which is shown in Fig. 6, and the separating layer 65 can be omitted, so that the adapters is formed in its upper part as a continuous plate made of thermally conductive material. He would be in this form for Laboratory tempering suitable to generate over its top 2 across a uniform temperature. However, such an embodiment of an adapter would also be suitable when using a temperature gradient, which would then also be generated by appropriate heat flow in the adapter 64.

If a respective row of wells 7 serving adapter 14 (Fig. 1) or 44 (Fig. 4) is used, then connected to the top of the adapter vessels in their arrangement grid in the direction transverse to the extension of the adapter to the grid of the recesses 7 in the laboratory tempering 1 fit. In the other direction, namely in the longitudinal direction of the adapters 14 and 44, however, the vessels adapted above may have a different grid than the depressions 7. This applies, for example, to the example shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, in which the grid of the crystallization vessels 9 in the direction of the arrow 6 must coincide with the grid of the recesses 7, may differ transversely thereto.

If, as described for Fig. 6 as an alternative embodiment, an adapter used with a continuous plate which engages with elevations 46 in the recesses 7 of FIG. 1, depressions, such as depressions 47, may be arranged in any desired pattern on the upper side of the adapter , which completely deviates from the grid of the wells 7. Also, the vessel shapes to be contacted above can be completely different from the vessel shape, which fits into the wells 7. So it can be e.g. to a laboratory tempering device with wells in 8x12 grid via a suitably designed adapter a microtiter plate are adapted with 16x24 grid.

Claims

CLAIMS: 1. laboratory tempering device (1) having an upper side (2) which can be brought to certain temperatures and the recesses (7) which are adapted to vessels of a first type, characterized in that an adapter (14, 44, 64) is provided is at least perpendicular to the plane of the top side (2) of the laboratory tempering device (1) is thermally conductive, the surface of the top (2) of the laboratory tempering (1) is adapted to contact surface and at its top for surface contacting of vessels ( 9, 49) of a second type is formed. 2. Laboratory tempering device according to claim 1, characterized in that the adapter (14, 44, 64) on its underside at least one elevation (16, 46) having a recess (7) of the surface (2) of the laboratory tempering device (1) area is adapted to contact. 3. Laboratory tempering device according to claim 2, characterized in that the adapter (14, 44) has a plurality of elevations (16, 46) which are adapted to a row of depressions (7) in the surface (2) of the laboratory tempering device (1). 4. Laboratory tempering device according to claim 1, characterized in that the laboratory tempering device (1) for generating a temperature gradient (6) in the direction of the plane of its surface (2) is formed. 5. Laboratory tempering device according to claims 3 and 4, characterized in that the temperature gradient (6) is formed transversely to the rows. 6. laboratory tempering device according to claim 1, characterized in that the upper side of the adapter (14, 44, 64) for the surface contacting of crystallization vessels (9, 49) of a crystallization plate (8, 50) is formed. 7. laboratory tempering device according to claim 6, characterized in that the upper side of the adapter (44, 64) recesses (47), the crystallization vessels (49) are formed encompassing. 8. laboratory tempering device according to claims 3 and 6, characterized in that the crystallization plate (8) on its underside in the direction of the rows of wells in the top (2) of the laboratory tempering device (1) extending grooves (13) between two rows of crystallization vessels (9) and in that the upper side of the adapter (14) is designed as a beam (15) adapted in its cross section to the cross section of the groove (13).