National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology

Hiroshi Aoki

Hiroaki Tao

Masaki Torimura

Takashi Ikeda

Akiko Kitajima

A spotter that includes a plurality of spotting heads, each of the plurality of spotting heads having a discharging portion at a tip portion, the plurality of spotting heads form an m&#xd7;n array (m, n&#x3e;1) with m spotting heads arranged lengthwise and n spotting heads arranged crosswise; and a pitch varying mechanism configured to vary an array pitch of the plurality of spotting heads arrayed in a lengthwise direction and an array pitch of the plurality of spotting heads arrayed in a crosswise direction.

Variable pitch array spotter

In a dispensing apparatus for dispensing a liquid, such as a sample solution, on a substrate, such as a glass slide, the dispensing apparatus includes a capillary provided with a distal end and a proximal end, a pump unit configured to pump an operating liquid into the capillary and to pump the operating liquid out of the capillary, and a controller configured to control the pump unit so as to change a position of a liquid surface of the operating liquid in the capillary so that a predetermined volume of liquid is suctioned from the distal end into the capillary and the liquid suctioned in the capillary is discharged from the distal end. As a result, it is possible to precisely dispense extremely small volume amounts of liquids such as a nanoliter.

Dispensing apparatus and a dispensing method

Constitute a molecular recognition probe comprising: an electrochemically active group; an activity suppression group that suppresses an electrochemical activity of the electrochemically active group; a receptor area where a molecule of a target substance is specifically recognized; and a molecule area where a steric structure is changed as a result of molecular recognition; wherein the electrochemically active group is suppressed of its activity by the activity suppression group before the molecule is recognized and restores its activity after the molecule is recognized; or constitute a molecular recognition sensor by providing an anchor area on the molecular recognition probe and fixing it on a surface of an electrode.

Growing community of inventors

Tsukuba, Japan

Hiroshi Aoki