National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology

Kankyo Engineering Co., Ltd.

Masaki Torimura

Hiroaki Tao

Takashi Ikeda

Hiroshi Aoki

Ryuichiro Kurane

Takahiro Kanagawa

Shinya Kurata

Yoichi Kamagata

Kazutaka Yamada

Toyokazu Yokomaku

Hiroaki Sato

Sung Bae Kim

Hiroshi Izumi

Atsushi Yamamoto

Tetsuya Nakazato

Yoshiyuki Teramoto

Hidenori Tani

Akihiro Wakisaka

Teruyuki Seino

Taizo Sano

Provided is a sample analysis system including: a droplet device configured to intermittently introduce a sample to a measurement region set in plasma; a light emission detection device configured to detect light emission in the measurement region at a detection timing, the detection timing being set at a predetermined cycle in advance; and an analysis device configured to analyze the sample based on the detected light emission, wherein the analysis device is provided with: a distribution computing unit configured to compute a time-spatial light intensity distribution based on the detected light emission, the time-spatial light intensity distribution being a distribution of a light intensity according to the detection timing, a position in the measurement region, and a wavelength component of the light emission; and a characteristic specifying unit configured to compute, from the time-spatial light intensity distribution, a feature amount that correlates with a sample characteristic indicating a property of the sample and specify the sample characteristic based on the feature amount.

Sample analysis system, learned model generation method, and sample analysis method

The present invention provides means for evaluating harmfulness of a chemical substance before occurrence of cell death, that is, more quickly and sensitively compared to conventional methods wherein the remaining viable cell count is determined using a reductive coloring reagent after a period of time required for occurrence of cell death due to the chemical substance. A double-stranded RNA probe comprising an RNA strand labeled with a fluorescent dye A that emits fluorescence, and an RNA strand labeled with a fluorescent dye B that quenches emission from a fluorescent dye in the vicinity thereof, wherein the fluorescence is quenched in a double-stranded state due to occurrence of fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) between the two kinds of fluorescent dyes. When the probe is introduced into a cell and the cell is in a normal state, the double-stranded RNA is quickly degraded by activity of intracellular ribonuclease to cause cancellation of the FRET state, allowing fluorescence emission of the fluorescent dye A. On the other hand, in cases where the cell is harmfully influenced, activity of intracellular ribonuclease is suppressed, so that the double-stranded RNA remains undegraded, and the fluorescent dye A remains quenched due to the influence of the fluorescent dye B. By detecting a decrease in the degradation rate of intracellular RNA based on this principle, harmfulness of a chemical substance can be quickly and sensitively evaluated before occurrence of cell death.

Method for measuring in vivo inhibition of intracellular RNase

The invention relates to establishment of a series of artificial luciferases based on artificial amino acid sequences extracted by amino acid alignment of copepod-derived luciferase sequences in a database based on amino acid similarity. The invention provides high luminescence intensity, high luminescence stability, and a spectrum with increased wavelength as luminescence characteristics. A series of artificial luciferases (ALuc) was established. The group of ALucs has superior luminescence characteristics, such as an increase in luminescence intensity, an increase in luminescence stability, or an increase in wavelength of the luminescence spectrum, which were not obtained before. Further, by using the artificial luciferases (ALuc) of the invention, it is possible to provide a novel, superior bioassay system, such as a bioluminescent probe, two-hybrid assay, a luminescent capsule, or the like having improved measurement function.

Artificial bioluminescent enzyme

The invention relates to a bioluminescent substrate suitably usable in a series of artificial luciferases (ALuc), and the invention provides a wavelength-shifted spectrum with a selective high intensity luminescence and high luminescence stability obtained by the use of the substrate together with ALuc. The luminescent substrate for ALuc obtained by the invention can be included together with a suitable luminescence solution in a luminescence kit. The bioluminescent substrate for ALuc of the invention can exhibit unprecedented excellent luminescence specificity and functionality in the conventional bioluminescence probe, two-hybrid assay, bioluminescent capsule, and reporter gene assay.

Luminescent substrate for use in artificial bioluminescent enzyme

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

Provided are a laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry sample plate for a soft LDI-MS measurement, in which when a laser beam is irradiated, a correct measurement of high sensitivity can be made without generation of any disturbance peak and uniform coating of a sample can be made on a sample plate in fabrication of the sample, and a measurement apparatus using the sample plate. A specified ionization element having a dot structure is used as an ionization medium which is used in laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry and absorbs a laser beam.

Ionization plate for mass spectrometry and mass spectrometer

Nucleic acid probes are provided, each of which is formed of a single-stranded oligonucleotide which can hybridize to a target nucleic acid and is labeled with a fluorescent dye or with a fluorescent dye and a quencher substance. The nucleic acid probes can be easily designed, permit determination, polymorphous analysis or real-time quantitative PCR of nucleic acids in short time, and are not dissociated during reactions. Nucleic acid determination methods, polymorphous analysis methods and real-time quantitative PCR methods, which make use of the nucleic acid probes, are also provided.

Nucleic acid probes, method for determining concentrations of nucleic acid by using the probes, and method for analyzing data obtained by the method

A novel nucleic acid probe for nucleic acid determination includes a single-stranded nucleic acid labeled with plural fluorescent dyes containing at least one pair of fluorescent dyes to induce FRET, the pair of fluorescent dyes including a fluorescent dye (a donor dye) capable of serving as a donor dye and a fluorescent dye (an acceptor dye) capable of serving as an acceptor dye, in which the nucleic acid probe has such a base sequence and is labeled with the fluorescent dyes so that the fluorescence intensity of the acceptor dye decreases upon hybridization with a target nucleic acid. A novel nucleic acid determination method uses the probe. The probe and method can determine one or more types of target nucleic acids in an assay system in parallel using a simple apparatus.

Growing community of inventors

Tsukuba, Japan

Masaki Torimura