Extracting apparatus

Abstract

A loading mechanism holds at least one extracting cartridge provided with a filter member, at least one waste liquid vessel for accommodating a discharged liquid of a sample liquid and a discharged liquid of a washing liquid, which discharged liquids have been discharged from the extracting cartridge, and at least one recovery vessel for accommodating a recovery liquid, which contains a recovered nucleic acid and has been discharged from the extracting cartridge. A pressurized air supplying mechanism introduces pressurized air into the extracting cartridge. A liquid injecting mechanism injects each of the washing liquid and the recovery liquid into the extracting cartridge.

1 . An extracting apparatus for performing an extracting operation by use of at least one extracting cartridge provided with a filter member, the extracting operation comprising: 
 injecting a sample liquid, which contains a predetermined substance, into the extracting cartridge, the predetermined substance contained in the sample liquid being thus adsorbed to the filter member of the extracting cartridge,    the apparatus comprising:    a pressurized air supplying means to supply pressurized air into the at least one extracting cartridge; and    a scattering prevention means to prevent scattering of a discharged liquid from a discharge bottom end of the extracting cartridge.    
     
     
         2 . An apparatus as defined in  claim 1  wherein, at the time at which the sample liquid is to be injected into the at least one extracting cartridge, the at least one extracting cartridge is located just above the at least one waste liquid vessel.  
     
     
         3 . An apparatus as defined in  claim 1  wherein the loading mechanism comprises: 
 a) a cartridge holder, which holds the at least one extracting cartridge and is capable of moving vertically, and    b) a vessel holder, which holds the at least one waste liquid vessel and the at least one recovery vessel at positions below the cartridge holder such that the position of the at least one waste liquid vessel with respect to the at least one extracting cartridge and the position of the at least one recovery vessel with respect to the at least one extracting cartridge are capable of being changed over,    the pressurized air supplying mechanism comprises:    a) a pressurizing head for vertically moving at least one air nozzle, which jets out pressurized air from a bottom end, and    b) push pins, which are fitted to the pressurizing head and are capable of coming into abutment with the cartridge holder of the loading mechanism, and    the pressurized air supplying mechanism operates such that:    at the time at which the pressurized air is to be supplied into the at least one extracting cartridge, the push pins come into abutment with the cartridge holder of the loading mechanism in accordance with a downward movement of the pressurizing head in order to regulate the position of the cartridge holder of the loading mechanism and in order to push the cartridge holder, and thereafter the at least one air nozzle is pushed against the at least one extracting cartridge, which has been held by the cartridge holder.    
     
     
         4 . An apparatus as defined in  claim 1  wherein the processing step concerning the injection of the liquid into the at least one extracting cartridge, which processing step is performed after the adsorption processing of the sample liquid, is performed while the discharging bottom end of the at least one extracting cartridge is being kept in the state in which the discharging bottom end of the at least one extracting cartridge is inserted into the at least one vessel.  
     
     
         5 . An apparatus as defined in  claim 1  wherein the predetermined substance is a nucleic acid.  
     
     
         6 . An apparatus as defined in  claim 5  wherein the filter member of the at least one extracting cartridge is constituted of a porous film capable of adsorbing the nucleic acid with an interaction other than interactions in which an ionic bond takes part.  
     
     
         7 . An apparatus as defined in  claim 5  wherein the filter member of the at least one extracting cartridge is constituted of a porous film of an organic material having a hydroxyl group.  
     
     
         8 . An apparatus as defined in  claim 5  wherein the filter member of the at least one extracting cartridge is constituted of a porous film of a mixture of acetylcelluloses having different acetyl values.  
     
     
         9 . An apparatus as defined in  claim 5  wherein the filter member of the at least one extracting cartridge is constituted of a porous film of a regenerated cellulose.  
     
     
         10 . An apparatus as defined in  claim 5  wherein the filter member of the at least one extracting cartridge is constituted of a porous film of an organic material obtained from saponification of a mixture of acetylcelluloses having different acetyl values.  
     
     
         11 . An apparatus as defined in  claim 5  wherein the filter member of the at least one extracting cartridge is constituted of a porous film of an inorganic material containing a silica compound.  
     
     
         12 . An apparatus as defined in  claim 5  wherein the filter member is a glass filter.