Ngk Insulators, Inc.

Toshikazu Hirota

Yukihisa Takeuchi

Takao Ohnishi

Koji Kimura

Kazuyoshi Shibata

Nobuo Takahashi

Tsutomu Nanataki

Shigeki Okada

Natsumi Shimogawa

Motoo Noritake

Iwao Ohwada

Yasuhito Yajima

Yasuko Yoshida

Kazunari Yamada

Yoshihiro Iseki

Hiroyuki Tsuji

Kazuhiro Yamamoto

Mitsuo Kawase

Kousuke Niwa

Shigeki Nakao

Saichi Yamada

Keizo Miyata

Hidemasa Okumura

Shigeki Kira

Yukihasa Takeuchi

An inspection tool for nucleic acid chromatography includes an elongated porous sheet and a backing member. The porous sheet has a surface including a detection surface that has a strip-shaped indication portion where a nucleic acid probe for capturing the target nucleic acid is fixed. The backing member has an attached surface in a concave shape. The porous sheet has a warped shape following the concave shape of the attached surface.

Inspection tool for nucleic acid chromatography

An object of the disclosure of the present specification is to provide a method for detection of a target nucleic acid which allows construction of an effective detection system of a target nucleic acid. For this purpose, in the disclosure of the present specification, a first primer comprising an identification sequence complementary to a target sequence in a target nucleic acid and a tag addition sequence, and a second primer having a label are prepared. The first primer and the second primer are used for the target nucleic acid in a sample to amplify a chimeric DNA having a tag sequence and the label. The chimeric DNA is hybridized with a detection probe on a solid phase to obtain signal intensity information based on the label, and the target nucleic acid is detected based on the signal intensity information.

Method for detection of target nucleic acid

A method of producing a microarray including: (A) ejecting a liquid sample from an outlet onto an inspection carrier to form inspection spots, inspecting the resultant inspection spots for their quality to determine whether the inspected spots are defective or successful, and detecting a defective discharge unit, if any; (B) making the detected defective discharge unit stop discharging the liquid sample to prevent formation of the defective sample spot; (C) forming successful sample spots on a carrier using successful discharge units to provide a successful microarray on which the successful spots are aligned in a predetermined pattern on the carrier; and (D) forming a successful spot to be formed originally on the successful microarray at the position of the defective spot where no spot is formed in step (B).

Method of producing microarray

A liquid droplet discharging piezoelectric deviceprovided with a cavity memberwith a built-in cavity; an introduction memberhaving introduction channelconnecting with the cavity; and a nozzle memberhaving nozzle channelconnecting with the cavityon a side opposite to the channel. This liquid droplet discharging piezoelectric deviceis provided with an introduction port, attached to the introduction member, capable of introducing a liquid into the cavityvia the introduction channel, and a discharge port, attached to the nozzle member, capable of discharging as droplets a liquid filled in the cavityvia the nozzle channel. Even in a case where an amount of liquid droplets is of a nanoliter (nl) order, excellent stability and reproducibility are attained, and the unit can stably be operated when attached to an apparatus.

Liquid drop discharge piezoelectric device

When the genetic analysis is performed by using a DNA microarray, the inspection accuracy is improved. A sample solution is supplied onto a base plate to prepare the DNA microarray comprising a large number of spots based on the sample solution arranged on the base plate. In the microarray, the planar configuration of the spot is substantially circular, and a plurality of spots having different spot sizes are formed on the base plate.

Biochip

In a method for producing a biochip comprising a large number of spots based on captures, the spots are arranged on a base plateby supplying, onto the base plate, a plurality of types of the captures to be used to specifically react with a specimen in order to obtain information on a structure or a function of the specimen, an immobilization-reinforcing solutionis supplied onto the base plate(first supply step). Subsequently, a sample, which is obtained in a sample preparation step, is supplied onto the immobilization-reinforcing solutionhaving been supplied onto the base plateto produce the biochip thereby (second supply step).

Biochip and method for producing the same

A reaction cell is provided with a vessel-like cell main body and a circular piezoelectric/electrostrictive oscillator fixed to an outside of a bottom surface of the cell main body. The cell main body includes a circular bottom plate portion and a circumferential wall portion which rises from a circumferential edge of the bottom plate portion so as to thereby surround the bottom plate portion. The bottom plate portion and the circumferential wall portion are integrally formed from ceramics. A solution accommodation space is formed above the bottom plate portion and is partially enclosed by the circumferential wall portion. The piezoelectric/electrostrictive oscillator is concentrically adhered to the outside of the bottom surface of the cell main body.

Reaction cell and operation method thereof

An improved structure of a liquid drop emitter is provided which works to emit minute drops of liquid to deposit them in a dense array of dots on a substrate to produce a DNA chip, for example. The liquid drop emitter has a plurality of liquid inlets formed in rows in a staggered fashion, thereby allowing the liquid inlets to have a maximum possible area without any physical interference between adjacent two of them and also allowing outlet nozzles to be arranged in a dense array.

Liquid drop emitter

Technology is disclosed for highly accurate automated execution of processing for alignment of a detection area to a DNA microarray image file and processing for quantitative determination of success/failure of the alignment during DNA microarray analysis. A probe reactive chip used for the technology comprises a substrate; a spot region wherein spots for fixing a probe capable of specifically reacting to a sample marked so as to be optically detectable are formed in a matrix on a surface of the substrate; and a reference pattern area, which is arranged within the spot region or approximate to the spot region, and comprises a plurality of different alignment marks in order to correct misalignment of the spot during analysis of the sample on the surface of the substrate.

Probe reactive chip, sample analysis apparatus, and method thereof

A biochip manufacturing method can densely align spots of a plurality of samples in predetermined locations on a substrate using a discharge head equipped with one or more discharge modules composed of one or more discharge units, and a first moving table on which one or more trays with one or more substrates fixed thereon are detachably mounted. According to the biochip manufacturing method, the high precision in the operation for densely aligning and fixing droplets with a minute volume on a predetermined substrate (micro spot-forming operation) can be attained, and the time required for the micro spot-forming operation can be shortened as well.

Method for manufacturing biochips

A method of fabricating a piezoelectric/electrostrictive device including a driving portion, a movable portion, and a fixing portion for holding the driving portion and the movable portion. The driving portion includes a pair of thin plate portions facing each other, and a film-like piezoelectric/electrostrictive element formed on at least a part of the outer surface of at least one of the thin plate portions. A ceramic green laminate including at least one ceramic green sheet constituting one of the thin plates and at least one ceramic green sheet having at least one hole formed thereon is formed. The ceramic green laminate is sintered to produce a ceramic laminate. A piezoelectric/electrostrictive element is formed by a film formation method on the outer surface of the thin plate portion of the ceramic laminate. The ceramic laminate is then cut with the piezoelectric/electrostrictive element formed thereon.

Method of fabricating a piezoelectric/electrostrictive device

A liquid droplet ejection method and apparatus comprising a base member and a piezoelectric/electrostrictive element. The interior of the base member includes a pressurizing chamber and an ejection opening. When the interval from the last pressurizing operation to the current pressurizing operation exceeds a predetermined time, applied voltage to the piezoelectric/electrostrictive element is increased at a first increase rate so that liquid within the pressurizing chamber is pressurized for ejection at a first pressurizing increase rate. When the interval from the last pressurizing operation to the current pressurizing operation is shorter than the predetermined time, the applied voltage is increased at a second increase rate smaller than the first increase rate so that the liquid is pressurized for ejection at a second pressurizing rate which is relatively small. This ensures proper pressurization of a liquid whose viscosity increases over time, achieving proper ejections.

Liquid droplet ejecting method and a liquid droplet ejection apparatus

A micropipette constructed for dispensing sequential, different sample solutions, including a substrate, an inlet port formed in or on the substrate, a cavity into which the sample solutions are poured through the inlet port and which is filled sequentially with the sample solutions, an introduction hole between each inlet port and cavity, an injection port for sequentially expelling the sample solutions formed in communication with each cavity, and a piezoelectric/electrostrictive element provided on at least one wall of the substrate adjacent each cavity.

Micropipette and dispenser

A micropipette usable for producing a biochip inclusive of DNA micro arrays capable of arraying and fixing droplets of a micro-volume on a substrate in a high density includes a main body, at least one cavity for storing a sample, at least one ejection port, a piezoelectic/electrostrictive element mounted on the outer surface of the main body, and at least one sample inlet port for supplying sample from the outside. A sample that is temporarily stored in the cavity is discharged from at least one ejection port, by virtue of the movement of the piezoelectric/electrostrictive element, to outside of the micropipette via a through hole in a nozzle portion formed in the pipette main body. The nozzle portion through hole has three or more projection radially protruding from the center of the through hole and having a specific shape.

Micropipette, dispenser and method for producing biochip

A micropipette is provided including at least one substrate, an inlet port through which a sample is delivered from the outside, a cavity to be poured and filled with the sample, an introduction hole, and an injection port for expelling the sample are formed on the at least one substrate. The substrate for forming the cavity is made of ceramics, a piezoelectric/electrostrictive element is provided for at least one wall surface of the substrate, and the sample moves as a laminar flow in the cavity. The volume of the cavity is changed by driving the piezoelectric/electrostrictive element to expell a certain amount of the sample in the cavity from the injection port. According to the micropipette, it is possible to form microspots with high accuracy and high speed. According to a dispenser including the micropipette, it is possible to efficiently dispense hundreds to ten thousands of different samples at one time and form microspots. Therefore, productivity is remarkably improved.

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Nagoya, Japan

Toshikazu Hirota