Device for particle manipulation

Abstract

An operation pipe and a device equipped with the operation pipe, which use a gel to perform operations such as separation, extraction, purification, elution, recovery, analysis and the like of target components that are biological components such as nucleic acids. More specifically, an operation pipe and a device, with which it is possible to perform operations such as separation, extraction, purification, elution, recovery, analysis and the like of target components in a sealable pipe by operating magnetic particles in the pipe under a magnetic field from outside of the pipe.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An operation pipe for operating target components, comprising:
 a hollow pipe, having a closable open end for supplying a sample containing the target components on one side and a closed end on the other side, and having an operation pipe portion on the open end side and a recovery pipe portion on the closed end side;   an operation medium, which is filled in the operation pipe portion so that gel layers and aqueous liquid layers are alternately multi-layered in the longitudinal direction of the hollow pipe, wherein a layer length of the gel layers and a layer length of the aqueous liquid layers are determined by the length in the longitudinal direction of the hollow pipe;   a recovery medium, which is filled in the recovery pipe portion so that a gel layer and an aqueous liquid layer which is in contact with the closed end are multi-layered, wherein the aqueous liquid layer in contact with the closed end has a predetermined volume, and the layer length of the gel layer is determined by the length in the longitudinal direction of the hollow pipe; and   magnetic particles for capturing and transporting the target components;   wherein the magnetic particles pass through the gel layer in a gel state and move in the longitudinal direction of the operation pipe due to application of a magnetic field.   
     
     
         2 . The operation pipe according to  claim 1 , wherein an inner diameter of the hollow pipe is 0.1 mm-5 mm. 
     
     
         3 . The operation pipe according to  claim 1 , wherein a volume of the aqueous liquid layer in contact with the closed end is 1 μL-1000 μL. 
     
     
         4 . The operation pipe according to  claim 1 , wherein the operation pipe portion and the recovery pipe portion are separable. 
     
     
         5 . The operation pipe according to  claim 1 , wherein the material of the hollow pipe is selected from a group consisting of polyethylene, polypropylene, fluororesin, polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene, polycarbonate, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer, acrylonitrile-styrene copolymer, acrylic resin, polyvinyl acetate, polyethylene terephthalate, cyclic polyolefin, and glass. 
     
     
         6 . The operation pipe according to  claim 1 , wherein an inner diameter of the open end is larger than an inner diameter of the operation pipe portion and an inner diameter of the recovery pipe portion. 
     
     
         7 . The operation pipe according to  claim 1 , wherein the hollow pipe has optical transparency. 
     
     
         8 . The operation pipe according to  claim 1 , wherein surface roughness of an inner surface of the hollow pipe is 0.1 Lm or less. 
     
     
         9 . The operation pipe according to  claim 1 , wherein a length of the gel layer in the longitudinal direction of the hollow pipe is 1-20 mm, the gel layer being filled in the operation pipe portion and the recovery pipe portion. 
     
     
         10 . The operation pipe according to  claim 1 , wherein a length of the aqueous liquid layer in the longitudinal direction of the hollow pipe is 0.5-30 mm, the aqueous liquid layer being filled in the operation pipe portion. 
     
     
         11 . The operation pipe according to  claim 1 , wherein the magnetic particles are particles having a binding force or adsorption force to nucleic acids that are used as the target components,
 the aqueous liquid layer in the operation medium is an aqueous liquid layer containing a liquid that liberates nucleic acids and binds or adsorbs the nucleic acids to the magnetic particles and/or an aqueous liquid layer containing a cleaning liquid of the magnetic particles, and   the aqueous liquid layer in the recovery medium which is in contact with the closed end is an aqueous liquid layer containing a liquid that liberates nucleic acids.   
     
     
         12 . The operation pipe according to  claim 11 , wherein the aqueous liquid layer in the recovery medium which is in contact with the closed end is an aqueous liquid layer further containing a reverse transcription reaction liquid and/or a nucleic acid amplification reaction liquid. 
     
     
         13 . The operation pipe according to  claim 12 , wherein the aqueous liquid layer in the recovery medium which is in contact with the closed end is an aqueous liquid layer further containing a fluorescent dye that is used to be specifically bound to the target components and detect the target components by generating fluorescence by light irradiation. 
     
     
         14 . A device, comprising:
 the operation pipe according to  claim 13 ;   a magnetic field applying part, which is capable of moving the magnetic particles in the longitudinal direction of the operation pipe by applying a magnetic field to the operation pipe; and   an optical detection part, which irradiates light to the recovery pipe portion and detects fluorescence generated from the fluorescent dye specifically bound to the target components.   
     
     
         15 . A device comprising
 a plurality of operation pipes according to  claim 1 , and further comprising   a magnetic field applying part capable of simultaneously moving, for the plurality of operation pipes, the magnetic particles in the longitudinal direction of the operation pipe by simultaneously applying a magnetic field to the plurality of operation pipes.   
     
     
         16 . The device according to  claim 15 ,
 wherein the magnetic field applying part comprises a movable substrate capable of moving in the longitudinal direction of the operation pipe;   a magnetic field moving mechanism, which controls movement of the movable substrate toward the longitudinal direction of the operation pipe; and   a plurality of magnetic sources, which corresponds to the plurality of operation pipes and is held in the movable substrate.   
     
     
         17 . A device comprising the operation pipe according to  claim 1 , and a magnetic field applying part capable of moving the magnetic particles in the longitudinal direction of the operation pipe by applying a magnetic field to the operation pipe; wherein the magnetic field applying part causes the magnetic field to perform amplitude movement in the longitudinal direction of the operation pipe or causes the magnetic field to perform rotational motion.