Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation

Tsuneyuki Haga

Toru Miura

Michiko Seyama

Tsutomu Horiuchi

Yuzuru Iwasaki

Tsuyoshi Hayashi

Jun-ichi Takahashi

Serge Camou

Jyunichi Takahashi

Katsuyoshi Hayashi

Jun-Ichi Takahashi

A flow rate measurement apparatus includes a light oscillator; a thin metallic film which causes surface plasmon resonance by light output from the light oscillator; a focusing unit which fixes the thin metallic film and converts the output light of the light oscillator into incident light having a plurality of incident angles to focus the incident light at a location of a focal line in a straight line shape on the thin metallic film; a measurement part having antibody fixed areas to which an antibody is fixed and reference areas to which an antibody is not fixed, the antibody fixed areas and the reference areas being alternately arranged at a location along the focal line location on the thin metallic film; a light receiver which receives reflected light, at the focal line location, of the output light by surface plasmon resonance occurring at the focal line location, at each of the plurality of incident light angles; an SPR angle calculator which obtains a temporal change of an SPR angle in each of the antibody fixed areas and the reference areas in the measurement part; and a flow rate operation unit which calculates the flow rate of the sample flowing in the flow cell based on the temporal change of the SPR angle obtained by the SPR angle calculator.

Flow rate measurement apparatus, antigen concentration measurement apparatus, flow cell, flow rate measurement method, and antigen concentration measurement method

An object of the present invention is to provide an element for SPR measurement without the need of a mechanical solution-sending mechanism. The scope of the present invention is defined by a sensor element for surface plasmon resonance (SPR) measurement utilizing an SPR effect, wherein the sensor element comprises a transparent substrate, a gold thin film formed on at least a part of the transparent substrate, and a thin film with affinity for a sample provided on the transparent substrate having the gold thin film formed on at least a part thereof, and the thin film with affinity for a sample has a measurement region (region A), a sample introduction section (region B) and a sample absorption section (region C) provided with the region A therebetween, the region A is provided with a sample measurement section containing a molecule-recognizing film, an introduction port is formed on the film with affinity for a sample in the region B, an absorption pad is provided on the film with affinity for a sample in the region C so that the whole region C should be covered, and a point in the region B, a point in the region A, and a point in the region C exist in one straight line on the thin film with affinity for a sample.

Sensor element for SPR measurement

The present invention relates to a chip for optical analysis. In particular, the present invention relates to an optical sensor handling a liquid sample, which is a chip for analysis that can be used for selectively measuring a biologically-relevant substance or a chemical substance such as an environmental pollutant or a health affecting substance in a liquid to be measured. The chip for optical analysis of the present invention is characterized in that (1) an adsorption region (filter region) is provided between a sample introduction section and the observation section in a passage of the chip for analysis, (2) a bypass passage is provided in the passage (main passage) of the chip for analysis, and a time lag is generated between samples passed through the main passage and passed through a bypass passage, and (3) a measurement region and a reference region are provided in the observation section of the chip for analysis. In the present invention, the aspects (1) to (3) can be achieved individually or two or more thereof can be combined.

Chip for optical analysis

A flow cell includes: a flow channel through which a sample solution flows; an inlet section which communicates with the flow channel and to which the sample solution is supplied; a transfer section which includes a plurality of opening sections, one end side of which communicates with the flow channel and an other side of which opens to outside air, and which communicates with the flow channel, and draws in and guides the sample solution supplied into the inlet section to the flow channel; a detecting section which faces the sample solution in the flow channel; and a sealing member which unsealably seals at least either one of the opening section or the inlet section.

Flow cell and liquid delivery method

An object of the invention is to provide various flow cells and a method for manufacturing the same, in which formation of a groove on a substrate and formation of components such as an electrode, auxiliary parts such as a pump are not necessary. The inventive flow cells are capable of realize complicated chemical analysis or synthesis or the like. A channel of a porous member provided on a sample-incompatible substrate is formed; the porous member is composed of an air non-contact region having a network structure and an air contact region covering the air non-contact region and having a lower pore density than the air non-contact region; in which a capillary force to be generated within the porous member is a drive force for pumping a liquid.

Flow cell and method for manufacturing the same

A measuring chip installation/removal device of the present invention secures and removes a measuring chip to and from the top surface of an SPR measurement device that measures a specimen in the measuring chip by surface plasmon resonance. The measuring chip installation/removal device includes: a chip carrier on which the measuring chip is mounted; a chip carrier guide that guides the chip carrier on the top surface; and a first magnet provided in the chip carrier, and a second magnet is provided in the chip carrier guide. Orientation of a magnetic force received by the first magnet from the second magnet is reversed by displacing the chip carrier guide, so that the chip carrier is secured to or removed from the top surface.

Measuring chip device using magnets for installation/removal

In a capillary pump unit, a capillary pump including a plurality of through portions making a first point and a second point of an approximately flat-plate-shaped base communicable with each other are formed in the base, and a sample liquid is transferred from the first point to the second point by capillary force by the through portions.

Capillary pump unit and flow cell

A surface plasmon resonance measuring device includes a light source () which irradiates, with condensed light, a sample cell () having the characteristic structure of the reflectance of light that is formed in advance as a code from at least either of a substance film to be measured and a substance film different from the substance film to be measured, from a surface opposite to one on which the substance film to be measured is immobilized to a metal thin film, a CCD camera () which detects light reflected by the sample cell (), and a data processing device () which extracts the identification code of the sample cell () from the feature of an image sensed by the camera ().

Growing community of inventors

Atsugi, Japan

Tsuneyuki Haga