JPH0140045Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] The present invention relates to an applicator for applying a sample to a support when testing a sample such as serum by electrophoresis.

BACKGROUND ART Electrophoresis has traditionally been used in hospitals and the like as a means of analyzing biopolymers such as proteins.
As is well known, in this electrophoretic test, a sample such as serum is applied using a sample applicator onto the surface of a support such as a cellulose acetate membrane moistened with a buffer solution, and then electricity is applied to perform electrophoresis. After forming a partial image of a sample, which is a subject to be examined, the support on which the partial image has been formed is stained with a staining solution, leaving the dye bound to the sample and decolorizing the parts other than the partial image.
Furthermore, the dried material is immersed in a clarifying solution to make it transparent, and then quantitative measurement is performed using a densitometer. The applicant has developed a sample applicator for applying samples such as serum onto a support, particularly for applying multiple samples onto the support at the same time.

This sample applicator supports two thin plates almost parallel to each other with a spacer of a predetermined thickness in between to form a gap at a predetermined distance, and holds a predetermined amount of serum in this gap at the tip of the thin plate. A predetermined amount of serum is applied onto the support by bringing the tip of the thin plate into contact with the support surface. However, in the case of such a small sample applicator, since the two thin plates are easily deformed, the amount of sample that can be held at the tip of the thin plate may change, and the tip of the thin plate may not be attached to the support. There was a drawback that the sample may not come into proper contact with the support, resulting in uneven coating of the sample on the support. In other words, the distance between parallel thin plates may change due to warpage or burrs in the spacer, or when two thin plates are supported together with a spacer by screws, the thin plates themselves may warp due to the tightening torque of the screws. There is. Further, the end face of the tip portion of the parallel thin plate may have a step or may become non-parallel. Therefore, when manufacturing conventional serum applicators, great care is required and they have the disadvantage of being expensive. Since the amount of serum to be applied is minute, these applied spots greatly affect the testing accuracy of electrophoresis.

The purpose of this invention is to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks, and to use a simple structure to reliably hold samples such as serum and coat them stably on the surface of a support, as well as to provide a small sample coating for electrophoretic testing that is easy to manufacture. The aim is to provide tools.

An arm part is integrally formed at one end of the applicator body by bending it parallel to the applicator body with a certain gap, and the body and arm part have a groove for holding the sample and a groove for applying the sample to the support. It is characterized by comprising a contact surface.

The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an inclined view showing the structure of an embodiment of a sample applicator for electrophoretic testing according to the present invention, with the sample application surface facing upward. The applicator 10 of this example can be formed by punching out a single metal plate.
An arm portion 1 is integrally formed at one end, and this arm portion 1 is bent so as to be positioned parallel to the sample applicator main body 2 with a certain gap therebetween to form a groove 3 between the arm portion 1 and the main body 2. One end surface 4 of the part 1 and one end surface 5 of the main body 2 are located in the same plane.
5 to uniformly abut against the support. Main body 2
A hole 6 is formed in the hole 6.

In the sample applicator 10 having such a configuration, the main body 2
By bringing the end faces 4 and 5 into contact with the support, the serum held in the groove 3 between the arm 1 and the arm 1 can be stably applied to the support. The coating area and sample coating amount can be obtained. The holes 6 hold a predetermined minute amount of serum in the groove 3, have the function of preventing excessive adhesion of serum, and are effective in rapidly applying the serum onto the support. By adjusting the end surface 4 of the arm portion 1 and the end surface 5 of the main body 2 so that they are located in the same plane, the support body and the sample applicator 10 are always properly abutted, and uneven coating can be prevented. Furthermore, since this sample applicator is integrally molded, it is possible to make the quality of individual products uniform.

The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned examples,
Many variations are possible. For example, in the embodiment described above, a hole communicating with a groove for holding serum is formed, but this hole does not necessarily have to be provided. However, it is more advantageous to form holes because the amount of serum retained in the grooves can be regulated and the efficiency of application to the support can be increased. Furthermore, the shape of the hole is not limited to a rectangular shape, but may also be triangular, semicircular, or the like.

Furthermore, when applying the applicator of the present invention to an automatic device and configuring it to apply a large number of samples to a large number of supports at the same time, a plurality of applicators 20 are used as shown in FIG. For example, it is preferable to connect them to the arm 21 which moves up and down in groups of five. In this case, each applicator 20 is preferably attached to the arm 21 so that it can be independently displaced in its moving direction.

As is clear from the above description, the sample applicator for electrophoretic testing according to the present invention has the advantage of being able to evenly and uniformly apply a predetermined amount of a sample such as serum to a support and being easy to manufacture.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the construction of an embodiment of a sample applicator for electrophoretic testing according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which a number of sample applicators of the present invention are attached to an arm. 1... Arm portion, 3... Groove, 4, 5... Contact surface, 6
...hole, 10, 20...sample applicator.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] An arm part is integrally formed at one end of the applicator body by bending it parallel to the applicator body with a certain gap, and the body and arm part have a groove for holding the sample and a groove for applying the sample to the support. A sample applicator for electrophoresis testing, characterized in that it comprises a contact surface.