Method for treatment of a semisolid material

Abstract

An apparatus and method for mincing a gel includes a gel mincing tube and a mesh material. The mesh material extends across the end of the tube. To subdivide a gel using the mincing apparatus, a gel is placed upon the mesh material in the mincing tube, the mincing tube, mesh material and the gel are spun in a centrifuge, forcing the gel through the mesh material so that the gel is subdivided into generally uniform smaller fragments. The mesh material may be secured to a tube in the form of a nesting tube. The nesting tube nests within the opening of a recovery vessel. The mesh material may be placed in series with a conditionally porous membrane in the nesting tube. Centrifuging the nesting tube and the recovery vessel subdivides gel material into fragments by forcing the gel through the mesh material. The gel subsequently falls upon the membrane, and may be treated on the membrane to extract or otherwise treat analytes in the gel material.

1 - 10 . (cancelled)  
     
     
         11 . A method for the treatment of a semisolid material using a first treating tube having a conditionally porous material disposed therein, comprising the steps of: 
 (a) combining the semisolid with reactants in the first treating tube to create a reaction mixture; and    (b) centrifuging the first treating tube, such that some or all of the reaction mixture is drawn through the conditionally porous material.    
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , further compromising: 
 (c) placing the first treating tube in a recovery vessel, such that the first treating tube is nested into the recovery vessel; and    (d) capturing the reaction mixture in the recover vessel.    
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising: 
 (e) providing a second treating tube for nesting with the recovery vessel, wherein the second treating tube includes a second conditionally porous material;    (f) nesting the first treating tube in the second treating tube and nesting the second treating tube in the recovery vessel;    (g) centrifuging the first and the second treating tubes; and    (h) capturing the reaction mixture in the recovery vessel.    
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the conditionally porous material comprises a ployvinylidene difluoride membrane or a nylon membrane.  
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the first treating tube comprises an array of treating tubes for aligning and mating with a microtiter plate.  
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the first treating tube includes a mesh material at a first end of a lumen of the first treating tube, and the conditionally porous material is disposed at a second end of the lumen of the first treating tube.  
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the reactants are disposed on the conditionally porous material, and wherein the reactants comprise one or more components selected from the groups consisting of a long-chain alkyl group, an ion exchange group, an antibody, a short chain carboxylate or sulfonate, a chelating group and a boronic acid.  
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the semisolid material comprises an electrophoresis gel, or a subportion thereof.  
     
     
         19 - 58 . (cancelled).