Measuring and testing – Sampler – sample handling – etc. – Capture device
Patent
1989-03-13
1991-11-12
Noland, Tom
Measuring and testing
Sampler, sample handling, etc.
Capture device
7386472, 435292, C12M 132, G01N 112
Patent
active
050637916
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the sampling of material, particularly but not exclusively microbiological material.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Plating out and culture inoculation is a procedure used extensively in life science laboratories. For example, the technique finds wide application in clinical biology as a means of disease identification and treatment, in molecular biology as part of the Sanger DNA sequencing protocol and in pharmaceutical research to screen antibiotics. Briefly, the method comprises growing microbiological material in, for example, a Petri-dish and the selecting from the resultant growth (or lawn) those colonies or plaques (e.g. of yeasts, fungi, bacteria or virus infected plaques) which are required for further study or amplification. The technique is currently effected manually by experienced personnel who, identify the colonies or plaques of interest, then `pick-out` these colonies or plaques with individual sampling probes (usually sterile pointed sticks). The colonies or plaques are then transferred individually to discrete culture tubes or containers in which they are incubated prior to further processing. Many laboratories require hundreds, and possibly thousands, of such operations to be effected daily in a process which is manpower intensive, tedious, repetitive and error prone. Additionally, many cultures of interest may be harmful and consequently there is a health risk with the transfer of such cultures. Furthermore, human operators carry a wide variety of organisms and it is, therefore, difficult to maintain sterile operating conditions when the procedure is being carried out manually.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
WO87/05323 and WO87/07911 each describe a method of sampling microbiological material by advancing an elongate strip of material between a sampling position and a transfer position. A portion of the strip is caused to contact the microbiological material at the sampling position and the strip is then advanced so that the sample is at the transfer position at which it is removed from the strip. Between the sampling and transfer positions, the strip will be carrying a number of samples and it is generally necessary to isolate them from each other to prevent contamination. Additionally, the strip and its containing cassette are mechanically quite complex. These represent disadvantages of these processes.
GB-B-2 122 640 describes an automatic bacterial colony transfer apparatus in one embodiment of which a metal wire stored on a reel thereof is used as a sampling element. The method disclosed comprises collecting a sample of the bacterial colony on a tip of the wire, and then accurately controllably moving the tip so as to contact it with a receiving surface (e.g. a growth medium to which a portion of the sample is transferred. The wire is then pulled off the reel by a feeder device, held by a clamp, and the tip severed (for disposal) to leave a fresh tip for sampling.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided sampling apparatus comprising a guide element for location of the tip of an elongate sampling element and for guiding axial movement of said sampling element, means for effecting relative movement of the guide element and tip towards and away from a material to be sampled, holding means for holding the sampling element axially relative to the guide element, advancement means for advancing the sampling element axially relative to the guide element, and discharge means for discharging the tip away from the guide element complete with any sampled material.
According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a method of obtaining a sample of material using the tip of an elongate sampling element which is located by a guide element from which the tip projects, the method comprising retaining the sampling element axially relative to the guide element, effecting relative movement of the material to be sampled towards the guide element and tip so that said tip c
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International Search Report on Applicant's International Appln. No. PCT/GB88/00638; published with PCT WO89/01026 on Feb. 9, 1989.
National Research Development Corporation
Noland Tom
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