Hitachi Software Engineering Company, Ltd.

Hitachi, Ltd.

Hitachi Device Engineering Co., Ltd.

Hitachi Electronics Engineering Co., Ltd.

Japan Software Management Co., Ltd.

Hisanori Nasu

Hitoshi Fujimiya

Kenji Yamamoto

Hideki Kambara

Noriko Yurino

Kazunori Okano

Takashi Anazawa

Toshiaki Ito

Toshitsugu Okayama

Satoshi Takahashi

Kazumichi Imai

Keiichi Nagai

Yoshizumi Ishino

Hiroaki Yoshida

Satoru Suzuki

Junji Yoshii

Satoru Kuhara

Toshimasa Watanabe

Hiroaki Machida

Yoshitaka Nakamura

Eiichi Soeda

Tateo Kondou

Takanori Kobayashi

Takehiko Nishida

Tetsuji Masaoka

Tomoichi Fukuda

Atsumi Tsujimoto

Yuuji Tsukamoto

Ichiro Nakayama

Shigeo Nakajima

Toshitaka Ishikawa

Hiromichi Mishima

Hiroaki Ono

Kouji Yuda

Norio Maru

Akito Mugita

Shinichiro Yamamoto

There is provided a method for the detection of a base sequence of interest when amount of a sample DNA or RNA is little and plural base sequences of interest to be detected are present in the sample DNA or RNA. The Problem is solved by a method for the detection of an base sequence of interest in a sample DNA or RNA comprising the steps of (1) contacting a sample DNA or RNA to a probe DNAs or RNAs in an aqueous solution to form a hybridization complex; (2) isolating the hybridization complex; (3) dissociating the complex to recover the probe DNAs or RNAs; and (4) identifying the said probe DNAs or RNAs to detect an base sequence of interest in the sample DNA or RNA.

Method for detection of base sequence of interest

Process for producing biochip

An apparatus and a method for reading a gel electrophoresis pattern can read the gel electrophoresis pattern of a sample, such as a nucleic acid and a protein, with high sensitivity and without requiring the use of an expensive device structure such as a laser light source of unique type. The gel electrophoresis apparatus is structured by a sample supplying section for supplying a sample labeled with a fluorescent substance from an inlet side of an electrophoresis gel unit; an electrophoresis unit for subjecting the sample to electrophoresis by applying an electrophoresis voltage to the electrophoresis gel unit; a carrying section for withdrawing the electrophoresed sample continually from an outlet side of the electrophoresis gel unit into a carrying fluid and carrying the fluid a predetermined distance; a mixing unit for mixing the carrying fluid with a luminous liquid; and a light receiving section for receiving fluorescence emitted from the sample in the luminous liquid at a position to which the carrying fluid has been carried the predetermined distance.

Apparatus and method for reading gel electrophoresis pattern

A sample application method including the steps of: rotating a biochip including a plurality of regions bound with various probes; and dropping a sample onto generally a center of rotation of the rotating biochip so as to apply the sample to the plurality of regions.

Sample application method and device

A method is disclosed which is capable of increasing a S/N ratio without subjecting a sample to any treatment to thereby detect hybridization with high sensitivity. A fragmentarily divided probe is used which is prepared by dividing a single probe 12 into a plurality of fragmentary probes 12a, 12b, and labeling the fragmentary probes with different fluorescent materials 14a, 14b, respectively. When the probe is hybridized with a sample 11, the fragmentary probes 12a,12b reconstitute the single probe. An intermittent light beam is used as excitation light 19. The fluorescent material 14a is excited therewith, and fluorescence 18 emitted from the fluorescent material 14b through multistep excitation is detected while irradiation with the excitation light is intermitted.

Fluorescent material labeled-probe and method for detecting hybridization

A probe-bearing element according to the present invention includes a sheet-like body having a plurality of through holes which each bears a biopolymer probe. The sheet-like body may have a thickness of 100 .mu.m to 2 mm, and may be made of glass, acrylic resin, metal or plastic. Preferably, the size of the through hole is about 10-100 .mu.m in diameter considering the number of samples relative to the size of the element, amounts of probes required for hybridization and the detection sensitivity. The plurality of through holes are preferably arranged in concentric circles or in a spiral.

Probe-bearing element and method for producing the same

The apparatus for reading a luminescence pattern is equipped with a stage on which the sample to be read is mounted. A photoreceptor disk is installed in the lower part of the stage and scans and condenses light from the luminescent pattern of the sample at positions determined by the rotation of a rotary plate. A transport mechanism causes the stage and the photoreceptor disk to undergo relative motion. An optical guide part guides the light from the luminescent pattern to a photoelectric converter. The optical guide part may include mirrors or one or more optical fibers. The photoelectric converter converts the light into an electrical signal. A controller controls how scanning is performed by the photoreceptor disk and transport mechanism and generates a read scanning position signal. A data processor performs data processing by converting the electrical signal into a digital signal and obtains a scanning position signal from the controller. Additionally, a laser light source may be used to shine laser light onto an electrophoresis gel of the sample.

Apparatus for reading a luminescence pattern of a sample

A scanning apparatus for scanning and reading a luminescent pattern of a sample in a flat-plate shape, having a placing member for placing the sample as an object for reading; a light condensing member for condensing light emitted from the luminescent pattern of the sample; a movement member for moving the light condensing member relative to the placing member; a light receiving member for dividing the light of the luminescent pattern of the sample condensed by the light condensing member into predetermined segments and receiving the light by scanning the light from the segments in a one-dimensional way; a photoelectrical conversion member for converting optical signals of the light received by the light receiving member into electrical signals; a control member for controlling a scan by the light receiving member in accordance with the electrical signals from the photoelectrical conversion member; and a data processing member for converting the electrical signals from the photoelectrical conversion member into digital signals and reconfiguring an image from the optical signals of the light from the segment received selectively in a one-dimensional way. The scanning apparatus can likewise scan and read a non-luminous or less luminous pattern of a sample by allowing light from a plane light source to transmit through the pattern of the sample.

Scanning apparatus

A capillary electrophoresis system comprising a plurality of capillaries filled with a migration medium in which samples to which fluorephore labels are added migrate, a light source providing an excitation light exciting the fluorephore labels, a photo detector detecting a fluorescence radiated from the fluorephore labels, and light focusing means placed between the plurality of capillaries to which the excitation light is irradiated. The parts of the plurality of capillaries to which the excitation light is irradiated and the light focusing means are arranged in a plane shape. The excitation light is irradiated through the plurality of capillaries and the light focusing means, the capillaries and light focusing means alternatively placed in the parts where an excitation light is irradiated. The light focusing means consisting of cylindrical rod lenses. The axis of the cylindrical rod lenses is placed substantially parallel with the capillaries, which can detect the fluorescence from samples by irradiating a plurality of capillaries substantially at the same time in a batch without mechanical scanning of a plurality of capillaries or without optical scanning of a light beam, providing a highly sensitive detection of samples.

Capillary array electrophoresis system

The method of base sequence determination according to the present invention ensures an effective determination of a long DNA base sequence, by providing simultaneous determination of base sequences of two or more positions of the long DNA or base sequences of two or more DNAs, using the DNA probe chip which classifies and retains the DNA oligomers having various sequences, and using fluorophorelabeled primers which have the same sequencies as the oligomers in the chip and are labeled by various fluorophores, then followed by the extension of the determined base length by re-selection of the primers complementary to the sequence thus determined.

Method of DNA base sequence determination

DNA sequencing by extension of probe chip immobilized oligonucleotides

The gene database retrieval system, for making a retrieval for a gene sequence having a sequence similar to a sequence data from a gene database, contains a gene database for storing the sequence data of genes whose structures or sequences have already been analyzed and identified, a dynamic programming operation unit for determining the degree of similarity between target data and key data by utilizing the sequence data of the bases of the gene from the gene database as the target data and the sequence data of the bases as the key for retrieval, and a central processing device unit for executing the access process to make access to the gene database, in parallel to the operation process for determining the degree of similarity by transmitting the sequence data of the bases from the gene database continually one after another into the dynamic programming operation unit as the target data, by controlling the gene database and the dynamic programming operation unit.

Gene database retrieval system where a key sequence is compared to

The electrophoresis apparatus has a capillary filled with gel for use in electrophoresis. A first buffer solution container is provided for storing a buffer solution and introducing a sample labelled with a fluorescent substance into an inlet of said capillary for electrophoresis. A second buffer solution container is provided for storing a buffer solution containing a luminous solution, into which said sample is continually introduced from an outlet of said capillary after electrophoresis. Electrophoresis means is provided for subjecting said sample to electrophoresis by applying a predetermined value of voltage to said gel through which said sample is being transferred while being electrophoresed. Light receiving means is disposed underneath the outlet of said capillary to read fluorescence emitted from said sample from bottom in a direction in which said sample is approaching closer. This electrophoresis apparatus has benefits in that it can read an electrophoresis pattern of a sample of a nucleic acid or a protein obtained by subjecting the sample to electrophoresis with a high sensitivity without requiring any expensive device structure such as a laser beam source system. Thus, it is cheaper than conventional systems requiring such a laser beam system and is easier to handle.

Capillary electrophoresis apparatus for detecting emitted fluorescence

In the multi-color fluorescence detection type electrophoresis apparatus provided with the electrophoresis gel plate, excitation laser source, means to separate the fluorescence images according to each emission wavelength, and the detector of the fluorescence subjected to wavelength selection, two or more laser sources are provided, each of laser lights is irradiated on the sample on a time-sharing basis, and the filter which cuts off the scattered light of each the laser synchronous with the laser beam is installed in front of the wavelength separation means thereby providing simultaneous, quick and real-time analysis of a great number of samples such as DNA and RNA labeled by many types of fluorophores, without overlapping the wavelengths of the excitation light and the fluorescence.

Fluorescence detection type electrophoresis apparatus

A DNA sequence transcribing method involves labeling a DNA fragment with a fluorescent substance, subjecting the labeled fragments to electrophoresis, exposing a gel containing the DNA fragment to light during electrophoresis, and detecting fluorescence generated upon exposure. An image corresponding to a fluorescent image on the gel is transcribed on a recording medium by entering a detecting signal in synchronization with operation of detecting fluorescence on the gel containing the DNA fragment after electrophoresis. This arrangement enables a crude fluorescent image on the gel containing the DNA fragment to be recorded as an intact image of the DNA sequencing on the basis of the fluorescent method, and the image can be retained.

Method for transcription of a DNA sequence

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Yokohama, Japan

Hisanori Nasu