Multi-channel microarray apparatus and methods

Abstract

A multi-channel microarray reader has a light source carried by a first supporting stage, a second supporting stage having a plurality of reaction assembly receiving positions, each position to receive a reaction assembly, wherein each reaction assembly includes a reaction chamber and an optical substrate to support a microarray chip, and wherein the reaction chamber and the optical substrate encapsulate a buffer solution. The reader also includes an imaging sensor positioned to detect fluorescence emitted from a single microarray chip and a motion control module to position at least one of the first and second supporting stages to cause a selected microarray chip to receive energy emitted from the light source and to position the imaging sensor to receive fluorescence from that microarray chip.

1 . A multi-channel microarray reader, comprising:
 a light source carried by a first supporting stage;   a second supporting stage having a plurality of reaction assembly receiving positions, each position to receive a reaction assembly, wherein each reaction assembly includes a reaction chamber and an optical substrate to support a microarray chip, and wherein the reaction chamber and the optical substrate encapsulate a buffer solution;   an imaging sensor positioned to detect fluorescence emitted from a single microarray chip; and   a motion control module to position at least one of the first and second supporting stages to cause a selected microarray chip to receive energy emitted from the light source and to position the imaging sensor to receive fluorescence from that microarray chip.   
   
   
       2 . The multi-channel microarray reader of  claim 1 , wherein the second supporting stage is a turntable rotated by the motion control module. 
   
   
       3 . The multi-channel microarray reader of  claim 1 , wherein the second supporting stage aligns the reaction assemblies in a column translationally movable by the motion control module. 
   
   
       4 . The multi-channel microarray reader of  claim 1 , wherein the second supporting stage aligns the reaction assemblies along a longitudinal axis and wherein the first supporting stage and the imaging sensor are positioned by the motion control module at selected locations along the axis to position the imaging sensor to detect fluorescence from a selected microarray chip. 
   
   
       5 . The multi-channel microarray reader of  claim 1 , wherein the buffer solution supports a polymerase chain reaction. 
   
   
       6 . The multi-channel microarray reader of  claim 1 , wherein the light source is a laser which activates fluorescently tagged amplicons at the substrate surface to indicate the presence of target DNA. 
   
   
       7 . The multi-channel microarray reader of  claim 1 , wherein the optical substrate is about 1 mm to about 3 mm in thickness. 
   
   
       8 . The multi-channel microarray reader of  claim 1 , wherein the optical substrate carries a marker. 
   
   
       9 . The multi-channel microarray reader of  claim 8 , wherein the marker comprises one of a bar code, a radio-frequency identification chip, a multilayer reflective coating and a multilayer absorptive coating, or combinations thereof. 
   
   
       10 . The multi-channel microarray reader of  claim 8 , wherein the second supporting stage includes at least two sensors for indicating whether a microarray chip is present in each position. 
   
   
       11 . The multi-channel microarray reader of  claim 1 , wherein the imaging sensor comprises one of a camera, a charge-coupled device, a charge-injection device, a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor device, a video camera, a silicon photo-cell, a photodiode, an avalanche photodiode and a photo-multiplier tube, or a combination thereof. 
   
   
       12 . A multi-channel microarray reader, comprising:
 a light source carried by a first supporting stage;   a second supporting stage for supporting at least two reaction assemblies, wherein each reaction assembly includes a reaction chamber and an optical substrate to support a microarray chip, and wherein the reaction chamber and the optical substrate encapsulate a buffer solution;   an imaging sensor positioned to detect fluorescence emitted from the microarray chip in each reaction assembly; and   means for moving at least one of the first stage, the second stage and the imaging sensor, or a combination thereof, to position a selected microarray chip for receiving light emitted from the light source and providing fluorescence to the chip to the imaging sensor.   
   
   
       13 . The multi-channel microarray reader of  claim 12 , wherein the first stage and the imaging sensor are moving and the second stage is fixed. 
   
   
       14 . The multi-channel microarray reader of  claim 12 , wherein the first stage and the imaging sensor are fixed and the second stage is moving. 
   
   
       15 . A method for reading a multi-channel microarray comprising:
 forming a light beam;   illuminating a first one of a plurality of microarrays with the light beam to cause fluorescently tagged amplicons associated with the microarray to fluoresce and measuring the strength of the fluorescence; and   providing relative movement between the light beam and the plurality of microarrays to illuminate a further one of the plurality of microarrays with the light beam and measuring the strength of the fluorescence.   
   
   
       16 . The method of  claim 15  wherein providing relative movement between the light beam and the plurality of microarrays comprises moving the plurality of microarrays relative to the light beam: 
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein providing relative movement between the light beam and the plurality of microarrays comprises moving the light beam relative to the plurality of microarrays. 
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising:
 calibrating an intensity of the light beam;   calibrating a line uniformity of the light beam;   orientating the light beam;   configuring a temperature parameter in which amplicons are formed; and   setting up an image from fluorescence from a selected microarray.   
   
   
       19 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the microarray is a polynucleotide microarray. 
   
   
       20 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the amplicons are formed in a buffer solution that supports a polymerase chain reaction.