Hitachi-High-Technologies Corporation

Takeshi Ohura

Ryoji Inaba

Tomohiro Shoji

Takashi Gomi

Manabu Akiba

Motohiro Yamazaki

Satoshi Takahashi

Hiromi Yamashita

Yoshitaka Kodama

Mari Kotoura

Takashi Anazawa

Masashi Kiguchi

Satoshi Ozawa

Taro Nakazawa

Rena Akahori

Toshiyuki Sakurai

The biological polymer analyzing equipment with nanopore includes a chamber part having a chamber having a sample introduction section and a sample outflow section separated by a substrate; a first electrode provided in the sample introduction section and a second electrode provided in the sample outflow section; a thin membrane formed on the substrate; a nanopore provided in the thin membrane of the substrate and communicating between the sample introduction section and the sample outflow section; a third electrode provided near the nanopore of the substrate; and a voltage applying member to electrodes, wherein the voltage applying member includes a member for applying voltages between the first electrode and the third electrode, between the first electrode and the second electrode, respectively, and between the third electrode and the second electrode, and relates to a method for analyzing a biological polymer using the biological polymer analyzing equipment with nanopore.

Nanopore-based analysis device

The present invention provides a device and method for analyzing the characteristics of a biopolymer with excellent mechanical stability, high spatial resolution and sensitivity using a simple device construction. Specifically, the Raman scattered light of a biopolymer is measured and the properties of monomer units forming the biopolymer are analyzed by using a biopolymer property analysis chip () characterized by comprising: a solid substrate (); at least one nanopore () disposed in the solid substrate (); and one or more electrically conductive thin films () disposed on the solid substrate (). The biopolymer property analysis chip () is characterized in that the electrically conductive thin films () are disposed partially on the solid substrate () where the nanopore () is formed and a biopolymer which has penetrated into the nanopore () is caused to generate Raman scattered light by means of irradiation with external light.

Biopolymer optical analysis device and method

The solution reservoir apparatus of the capillary electrophoresis apparatus securely affixes an evaporation-preventing membrane to a container when a capillary is inserted or withdrawn, without extending the cathode end of the capillary. The solution reservoir apparatus comprises a container for reserving a sample or solution, a cover having a bore through which the capillary is passed and covering the container, an evaporation-preventing membrane having a capillary hole through which the capillary is passed, and a container holder for holding the container. The evaporation-preventing membrane has a projection provided at the periphery of the capillary hole, the projection of the evaporation-preventing membrane is engaged with the bore on the cover when the evaporation-preventing membrane is positioned on the cover, and the evaporation-preventing membrane is supported by the cover.

Capillary electrophoresis apparatus

The invention provides a capillary electrophoresis apparatus which can improve the operability and measuring speed. According to the invention, a sensor for identifying the type of sample containers is fixed at the position away from a capillary anode electrode. The sensor is made to be closer to the sample containers by moving a moving stage so that the sample containers disposed on the moving stage can be identified by the sensor. A fixing apparatus for fixing at least a pair of sample containers is provided on the moving stage.

Bubbles can be removed regardless of an individual difference of a pump to fill an electrophoresis medium into a capillary. Of flow passages formed between an inner side surface of a container for accommodating the electrophoresis medium and a side surface of a plunger, one of the flow passages causing an electrophoresis medium to be easily stagnant is formed to have the cross-sectional area larger than the cross-sectional area of the other flow passage on the opposite side. In other words, the flow passage portion causing the electrophoresis medium to be easily stagnant is formed in such a manner as to increase a flow amount of the electrophoresis medium. This can eliminate a region having an extremely small amount of electrophoresis medium flow in the pump.

Electrophoresis device and pump

There is provided a capillary electrophoresis apparatus wherein coupling efficiency of exciting irradiation light to a capillary array does not decline even if any one capillary array of two capillary arrays is removed. Light emission generated by capillaries of each capillary array of 2(n is a positive integer) capillary arrays radiating exciting light from one side is detected by one optical detection system.

An object of the present invention is to prevent a variation in heat dissipating effect of a capillary between a holder part and an oven, to improve reproducibility of migration time, and to reduce a variation of migration time among capillaries in a single electrophoresis run. A cylindrical wall is formed in an upper part of a septa that covers a container holding a solution, and the cylindrical wall surrounds a capillary hole through which a capillary penetrates. Accordingly, the capillary is prevented from being directly affected by wind generated between the septa and the oven.

Capillary electrophoresis device

The object of the present invention is that a dynamic range is extended in an electrophoresis unit and concentration differences among a plurality of samples measured simultaneously are increased. An irradiation time to the samples is adjusted during analysis without changing a sampling time. By shortening the irradiation time, a fluorescence amount of the samples is reduced to cause signal intensity detected by a detector to physically decrease. If the irradiation time is very short (several 100 msec), the irradiation time and fluorescence intensity are in a direct proportional relationship. It is known that, if the irradiation time is reduced to 1/n, the fluorescence intensity, that is, signal intensity to be detected will be 1/n. Thus, for data whose irradiation time is reduced to 1/n during analysis, data obtained by multiplying a substantially measured value by n is used for data analysis as a true value to be originally acquired.

Growing community of inventors

Hitachinaka, Japan

Takeshi Ohura