Use of fluid aspiration/dispensing tip as a microcentrifuge tube

Abstract

A fluid aspirating/dispensing member includes a sample cavity for sample acquisition and a sealable cavity that, once sealed, permits the separation of particles from the remainder of a fluid sample within the sample cavity after centrifugation or other separation means. The fluid aspirating/dispensing members, either individually or as part of an array, increase the efficiency of sample processing before analysis by a clinical analyzer.

1 . A fluid aspirating/dispensing member comprising:
 a) a first port in fluid communication with an internal volume of a fluid aspirating/dispensing member;   b) a second port in fluid communication with said internal volume, said second port being opposite said first port;   c) a sample cavity of said internal volume disposed between said first and second ports;   d) a sealable cavity of said internal volume disposed between said second port and said sample cavity; and   e) a cap, attached adjacent to said first port, said cap being configured to close said first port when said cap is placed thereupon,   wherein the sealing of said sealable cavity permits the sealing of said second port to create a fluid container, said container being configured to retain a fluid sample in said sample cavity and to permit the separation of particles suspended in said sample from the remainder of said sample.   
   
   
       2 . The aspirating/dispensing member of  claim 1 , further configured to be placed within a testing apparatus capable of separating particles from the remainder of the sample. 
   
   
       3 . The aspirating/dispensing member of  claim 2 , wherein said apparatus is a clinical analyzer. 
   
   
       4 . The aspirating/dispensing member of  claim 1 , wherein the separation of the particles from the remainder of the sample results from separation by centrifugation. 
   
   
       5 . The aspirating/dispensing member of  claim 1 , wherein the walls of said sample cavity are tapered. 
   
   
       6 . The aspirating/dispensing member of  claim 1 , wherein the walls of said sealable cavity are parallel with respect to the vertical axis of said member. 
   
   
       7 . The aspirating/dispensing member of  claim 1 , wherein said sealable cavity is heat-sealable. 
   
   
       8 . The aspirating/dispensing member of  claim 1 , wherein said cap is removably attached. 
   
   
       9 . The aspirating/dispensing member of  claim 1 , wherein the walls of said sealable cavity are less than 2 mm apart. 
   
   
       10 . The aspirating/dispensing member of  claim 1 , wherein said sealable cavity is less than 1 cm in length. 
   
   
       11 . The aspirating/dispensing member of  claim 1 , wherein said member permits optical or visual testing of a sample within said internal volume of said member. 
   
   
       12 . The aspirating/dispensing member of  claim 1 , wherein the sample comprises a cell suspension. 
   
   
       13 . The aspirating/dispensing member of  claim 1 , wherein the sample comprises blood. 
   
   
       14 . The aspirating/dispensing member of  claim 1 , wherein the particles are cells. 
   
   
       15 . The aspirating/dispensing member of  claim 1 , further comprising a separation barrier disposed in said internal volume of said member. 
   
   
       16 . The aspirating/dispensing member of  claim 1 , wherein the sample further comprises reagents for particle agglutination. 
   
   
       17 . A fluid aspirating/dispensing plate comprising an array of fluid aspirating/dispensing members attached to a solid support, each of said aspirating/dispensing members comprising:
 a) a first port in fluid communication with an internal volume of a fluid aspirating/dispensing member;   b) a second port in fluid communication with said internal volume, said second port being opposite said first port;   c) a sample cavity of said internal volume disposed between said first and second ports; and   d) a sealable cavity of said internal volume disposed between said second port and said sample cavity,   wherein the sealing of said sealable cavity of each of said aspirating/dispensing members permits the sealing of said second ports of each of said members to create a plurality of fluid containers, each of said containers being configured to retain a fluid sample in said sample cavity and to permit the separation of particles suspended in said sample from the remainder of said sample.   
   
   
       18 . The fluid aspirating/dispensing plate of  claim 17 , wherein said solid support is planar. 
   
   
       19 . The fluid aspirating/dispensing plate of  claim 18 , wherein said support further comprises means for supporting said members. 
   
   
       20 . The fluid aspirating/dispensing plate of  claim 17 , wherein said fluid aspirating/dispensing members are reversibly attached to said solid support. 
   
   
       21 . The fluid aspirating/dispensing plate of  claim 17 , wherein said plate comprises 96 fluid aspirating/dispensing members. 
   
   
       22 . The fluid aspirating/dispensing plate of  claim 17 , said plate being further configured to be placed within a testing apparatus capable of separating particles from the remainder of the sample of each said fluid aspirating/dispensing member. 
   
   
       23 . The fluid aspirating/dispensing plate of  claim 22 , wherein said testing apparatus is a clinical analyzer. 
   
   
       24 . The fluid aspirating/dispensing plate of  claim 17 , wherein the separation of the particles from the remainder of the sample results from separation by centrifugation. 
   
   
       25 . The fluid aspirating/dispensing plate of  claim 17 , wherein said sealable cavity is heat-sealable. 
   
   
       26 . The fluid aspirating/dispensing plate of  claim 17 , further comprising a cover said cover being configured to close each of said first ports when said cover is placed on said first ports. 
   
   
       27 . The fluid aspirating/dispensing plate of  claim 17 , wherein said each of said aspirating/dispensing members permit the optical or visual testing of a sample within said internal volume of each of said members. 
   
   
       28 . The fluid aspirating/dispensing plate of  claim 17 , wherein said array of aspirating/dispensing members can be aligned with the wells of a microtiter plate. 
   
   
       29 . The fluid aspirating/dispensing plate of  claim 28 , wherein each of the wells of said microtiter plate contain a sample that is different from each of the other wells. 
   
   
       30 . The fluid aspirating/dispensing plate of  claim 17 , wherein the sample of each of said containers comprises a cell suspension. 
   
   
       31 . The fluid aspirating/dispensing plate of  claim 17 , wherein the sample of each of said containers comprises blood. 
   
   
       32 . The fluid aspirating/dispensing plate of  claim 17 , wherein the particles are cells. 
   
   
       33 . The fluid aspirating/dispensing plate of  claim 17 , each of the fluid aspirating/dispensing members further comprise a separation barrier disposed in said internal volume of each of said members. 
   
   
       34 . The fluid aspirating/dispensing plate of  claim 17 , wherein each of said containers further comprises reagents for particle agglutination. 
   
   
       35 . A method of separating particles in a fluid sample, said method comprising the steps of:
 a) loading a fluid aspirating/dispensing member into an apparatus, said member comprising a first port, a second port and a sample cavity in fluid communication with each of said first and second ports;   b) aspirating a sample into said sample cavity through said second port of said fluid aspirating/dispensing member;   c) sealing said second port of said fluid aspirating/dispensing member to create a fluid container;   d) closing said first port using a cap sized to releasably engage and cover said first port; and   e) separating particles in said sample from the remainder of said sample, wherein the separated particles and sample are retained within said sample cavity of said fluid aspirating/dispensing member for detection the samples or particles.   
   
   
       36 . The method of  claim 35 , wherein said loading step includes the step of attaching said fluid aspirating/dispensing member to a proboscis. 
   
   
       37 . The method of  claim 35 , wherein said fluid aspirating/dispensing member is a metering tip. 
   
   
       38 . The method of  claim 35 , wherein said apparatus is a clinical analyzer. 
   
   
       39 . The method of  claim 35 , wherein the separating step is performed by centrifugation. 
   
   
       40 . The method of  claim 35 , wherein the sealing step is performed by heat sealing said second port of said member. 
   
   
       41 . A method of separating particles in a plurality of fluid samples, said method comprising the steps of:
 a) loading a fluid aspirating/dispensing plate into an apparatus, said plate comprising a plurality of fluid aspirating/dispensing members, each of said members comprising a first port, a second port and a sample cavity in fluid communication with each of said first and second ports;   b) aspirating a plurality of samples into said sample cavities through said second ports of each of said fluid aspirating/dispensing members;   c) sealing said second ports of each of said fluid aspirating/dispensing members to create a plurality of fluid containers; and   d) separating particles in said sample from the remainder of the sample in each of said containers,   wherein the separated particles and sample are retained within said sample cavity of each of said fluid aspirating/dispensing members for detection the particles or sample.   
   
   
       42 . The method of  claim 41 , wherein said loading step requires the attachment of said fluid aspirating/dispensing plate to a plurality of proboscis of said apparatus, said proboscis being part of a metering mechanism. 
   
   
       43 . The method of  claim 41 , wherein said fluid aspirating/dispensing members are metering tips. 
   
   
       44 . The method of  claim 41 , wherein said apparatus is a clinical analyzer. 
   
   
       45 . The method of  claim 41 , wherein the separating step is performed by centrifugation. 
   
   
       46 . The method of  claim 41 , further comprising a step, after said aspirating step, wherein said first ports of each of said members are closed by a lid, said lid being configured to close said first ports of each of said member when said lid is placed on said first ports. 
   
   
       47 . The method of  claim 41 , wherein the sealing step is performed by heat sealing said second ports of each of said members.