Shimadzu Corporation

Other

The Institute of Physical and Chemical Research

Japan Science and Technology Agency

Japan Science and Technology Corporation

Rintaro Yamamoto

Shin Nakamura

Kiyoshi Nokihara

Yoshihide Hayashizaki

Makoto Hazama

Toru Kaji

Tetsuo Ohashi

Akira Harada

Hidesato Kumagai

Yoshiyuki Togawa

Mitsuhiro Hashimoto

Atsushi Inami

Shinichi Utsunomiya

Keisuke Miyamoto

Satoshi Yomota

Naoki Morita

Ayaka Hori

Toshihiko Yoshida

Takashi Ikegami

Naoya Endo

Tsutomu Nishine

A tactile stimulus presentation device includes a stage, a contact member, a drive mechanism, an information setting part, and a control part. The stage includes an opening and an arrangement surface, the arrangement surface on which a body part of a subject is arranged thereon so as to close the opening. The contact member is for giving a tactile stimulus to the subject by being in contact with the body part of the subject arranged on the arrangement surface of the stage through the opening. The drive mechanism is a mechanism for holding the contact member and moving the contact member in a direction substantially parallel to the arrangement surface and in a direction substantially perpendicular to the arrangement surface. The information setting part is configured to set information to be presented by gibing tactile stimulation to the subject by tactile stimulation. The control part is configured to control the drive mechanism to present the information set by the information setting part by giving tactile stimulation to the body part of the subject arranged in abutment on the arrangement surface.

Tactile stimulus presentation device

An electrophoresis plate has a plurality of separation channels provided inside a substrate. The separation channels are arranged along the surface of the substrate without intersecting each other, and the separation channels have openings on both ends on the substrate surface. When a voltage is applied between the two ends of the channel, a sample is separated by electrophoresis along the channel. The openings on one end are placed in a matrix pattern as sample inlet ports, and the pitch of that placement is set equal to the pitch of the wells of a sample plate containing the samples to be injected into the sample inlet ports. Since the pitch of the sample inlet ports pattern is equal to the pitch of the sample plate wells, sample injection can be performed quickly and conveniently even with a large number of separation channels.

Electrophoresis plate

For automating the operation of an electrophoresis apparatus and improving the throughput, the present electrophoresis apparatus has two platens capable of controlling temperature of electrophoresis plates placed thereon, a loading medium charging unit for sending a loading medium under pressure, a loading medium charging nozzle mechanism having a pair of nozzles connected to the loading medium charging unit, a pipetter mechanism for dispensing samples to sample dispensing openings of the electrophoresis plates placed on the platens, a stacker mechanism for storing sample plates, a loading buffer solution supplying mechanism, a loading buffer solution dispensing mechanism connected to the loading buffer solution supplying mechanism, a power unit for allowing electrophoresis separation for each electrophoresis plate placed on the platens, and a detector for optically detecting components migrating through each electrophoresis flow channel of the electrophoresis plates.

Electrophoresis apparatus

Capillary columns () pass through and are inserted in a rubber plate (), held and fixed by elastic force of rubber, and two-dimensionally arranged on a sample injection side. it fixes the capillary columns () arranged on a plane in close contact by holding the same with a holder plate () from below and with a rubber plate () from above on a detection side. In order to press the capillary columns () against the holder plateand fix the same with the rubber plate (), a holder plate () fixing the rubber plate () to the holder plate () on both sides of the arrangement of the capillary columns () is provided.

Capillary cassette and method of manufacturing the same

An electrophoretic apparatus which can analyze multiple tests specimens and being comprised of an electrophoretic member having a relatively simple configuration of passages, such that one or a plurality of passages are formed inside a plate-shaped member therein in which holes are formed connecting to the passages at positions corresponding to the ends of each passage, a voltage application part for applying a voltage across the passages, a detector part for detecting a specimen within the passage and an electrophoretic-member holding part for holding a plurality of the electrophoretic members so as to provide for simultaneous electrophoretic operations.

Electrophoretic apparatus

Capillary columns () pass through and are inserted in a rubber plate (), held and fixed by elastic force of rubber, and two-dimensionally arranged on a sample injection side. It fixes the capillary columns () arranged on a plane in close contact by holding the same with a holder plate () from below and with a rubber plate () from above on a detection side. In order to press the capillary columns () against the holder plateand fix the same with the rubber plate (), a holder plate () fixing the rubber plate () to the holder plate () on both sides of the arrangement of the capillary columns () is provided.

A capillaryis moved to a position above a vesselhaving a solutionstored therein. Then, the vesselis raised while the inside of a tubeis opened to an ambient pressure until one endof the capillaryis dipped into the solution. The solutionis introduced into the capillaryby means of capillarity. Next, the vesselis lowered, to thereby removing the endof the capillaryfrom the solutionstored in the vessel. Subsequently, the capillaryis moved to a position above a vesselto which the solutionis to be transferred. Then, the tubeis connected to a pressure mechanism, thereby pressurizing the inside of the capillaryfrom another endthereof. The solutionin the capillaryis then discharged to the vessel

Liquid transfer apparatus and reaction vessel

A micro array chip is formed by high-speed in jection molding. A chip body has a thickness of 1 mm and each well has a capacity of 1.2 &mgr;L with the bottom having a wall thickness of 250 &mgr;m. An opening of each well is surrounded by an annular protrusion part, which is raised from a surface of the chip body by a height of 200 &mgr;m. The openings of wells may be closed with a sheet of sealant made of aluminum or a resin. An overall shape of the micro array chip is rectangular and is a flat plate with a level bottom surface. Therefore, the micro array chip can be used with a heat block in flat plate form, which is independent of chip specifications such as a number of wells and their shape.

Micro array chip

Capillary columns ( ) pass through and are inserted in a rubber plate ( ), held and fixed by elastic force of rubber, and two-dimensionally arranged on a sample injection side. It fixes the capillary columns ( ) arranged on a plane in close contact by holding the same with a holder plate ( ) from below and with a rubber plate ( ) from above on a detection side. In order to press the capillary columns ( ) against the holder plate and fix the same with the rubber plate ( ), a holder plate ( ) fixing the rubber plate ( ) to the holder plate ( ) on both sides of the arrangement of the capillary columns ( ) is provided.

Capillary cassette and method of producing the same

A holder for a capillary cassette closes a chamber, and is fixed to a detection side holder fixing member. An acidic solution container, an alkaline solution container, a pure water container and a drain container are arranged on a reservoir stage having a dry chamber. A holder up/down mechanism and a stage moving mechanism successively bring an end of a capillary array into contact with an acidic solution, an alkaline solution, pure water and nitrogen gas, and the chamber is decompressed for successively introducing these into capillary columns and performing pretreatment. Thereafter a gel container is arranged in the chamber, which in turn is pressurized for charging the capillary columns with a gel.

Gel charger for capillary column

The present invention relates to a method for peptide C-terminal fragment sequence analysis, in which the fragment collection is carried out on an allylamine group-derivatized polymer membrane or on allylamine group-derivatized glass fiber filter paper; the collected C-terminal fragment is immobilized thereon using a water-soluble carbodiimide etc.; and the obtained immobilized product is subjected directly to amino acid sequence analysis. The present invention also relates to an apparatus for collecting a peptide fragment. According to the method of the present invention, peptides which are rich in hydrophobic groups in their C-terminus and are therefore difficult to trap with polyvalent ion carriers, currently used in the gas-phase sequencer, can be completely analyzed up to their C-terminus. Also, amino acid sequence analysis can be made even when the amount of C-terminal fragments is very small. In addition, since collection and immobilization of fragments can be done in the same bottle, the risks of contamination and mechanical loss are very low.

Method for peptide C-terminal fragment sequence analysis and apparatus

The present invention relates to an apparatus for collecting a peptide fragment, wherein a C-terminal peptide fragment is collected from a peptide fragment mixture resulting from specific cleavage of the peptide bond between a lysine residue and the C-terminal amino acid residue adjacent thereto. The apparatus has an immobilizing means, a cleaving means, a recovering means and a control means. According to the present invention, since the control means sequentially executes the immobilizing means, cleaving means and recovering means, no skillful work is required in peptide fragment collection, making it possible to collect the carboxyl-terminal peptide fragment with simple operation and high reproducibility.

Apparatus for collecting peptide fragment

The present invention is directed to a simultaneous multiple chemical synthesizer comprising a number of reaction vessels wherein each vessel has a filter in the bottom portion thereof, a number of needles wherein each needle is connected to an aspiration injection line of a reaction mixture and a gas supply line in connection with each reaction vessel and each needle does not touch the resin contained in the reaction vessel, a number of arms which are horizontally and vertically movable and hold the respective needles, a bubbling gas line and a waste discharge line in connection with each reaction vessel, wherein each line is connected to the bottom portion of each reaction vessel, a number of purging means which move synchronously with said waste discharge lines, and means for washing the portions of the needles and purge means which contact with the reaction reagents.

Simultaneous multiple chemical synthesizer

In connection with an automated peptide synthesizer, an apparatus and associated method through which peptides produced in simultaneous multiple synthesis are together isolable. Cleavage to liberate the peptides from linkage to the support matrix of the solid phase is carried out in the same vessels in which the synthesizing reactions took place. Prior to cleavage, a drainage port of each reaction vessel is closed off by a cap. The reaction vessel is inserted into a centrifuge tube, which in turn is put into a rack supporting a number of tubes equal to the number of channels of the peptide synthesizing apparatus. After the peptides are cleaved and dissolved into cleaving solution added into each of the reaction vessels, the caps are removed from the drainage ports of each reaction vessel, and the vessel is returned into the centrifuge tube. A plastic jet-fitting attached to the nozzle tip of a blow unit pressure gun is inserted into and pressed into contact against the supply opening of the reaction vessel. Operating a trigger of the pressure gun releases pressurized inert gas into the reaction chamber. The peptide-dissolved cleaving solution is thereby passed through the drainage port, and is thus transferred in liquid phase into the centrifuge tube as filtrate. Associated with the blow unit pressure gun, a needle tube fitting is provided for localized desiccation of wetted peptide following precipitation and centrifuging.

Apparatus for isolation of synthetic peptide without mechanical loss

In an automated solid-phase peptide synthesizing apparatus comprising at least one reaction vessel containing particulate resin as an insoluble support matrix which anchors elongating peptide chains yielded through coupling-assembly formation of peptide bonds, mixing agitation of reagents, as well as circulation agitation of washing solvents flushing the coupling-associated reaction solutions, introduced in peptide chain-assembly process steps into the reaction vessel, is effected by the bubbling of an inert gas forcibly passed through the reagents or washing solvent via a drainage port of the reaction vessel, in order to promote peptide synthesis. A removable agitation stabilizer is inserted into the reaction vessel as a barrier for inhibiting extra-vessel escape, due to action of the bubbling inert gas, of the reagents as well as the washing solvents, and of the support matrix anchoring the elongating peptide chains. The stabilizer also breaks clumping and coagulative skinning of elongated peptides bound to the support matrix, as effects further consequent of the action of the bubbling inert gas and levitated thereby toward the mouth of the reaction vessel during peptide synthesis. The stabilizer additionally acts as a baffle furthering mixing agitation, to promote dispersive mixing of the peptidyl resin with the reagents and washing solvents during peptide chain assembly; and It also serves to distribute washing solvents evenly along the inner surface of the reaction vessel.

Growing community of inventors

Kyoto, Japan

Rintaro Yamamoto