Gene examining apparatus and method of detecting target nucleic acid using the same

• Main Authors: SHIBAZAKI TAKAMI, YONEKAWA HIROYUKI, SATOH TAKATOMO, SAKAMOTO HIROKO
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 14.06.2007
• Subjects: APPARATUS FOR ENZYMOLOGY OR MICROBIOLOGY; BEER; BIOCHEMISTRY; CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL LABORATORY APPARATUS FOR GENERAL USE; CHEMISTRY; COMBINATORIAL CHEMISTRY; COMPOSITIONS OR TEST PAPERS THEREFOR; COMPOSITIONS THEREOF; CONDITION-RESPONSIVE CONTROL IN MICROBIOLOGICAL ORENZYMOLOGICAL PROCESSES; CULTURE MEDIA; ENZYMOLOGY; INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIRCHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES; LIBRARIES, e.g. CHEMICAL LIBRARIES, IN SILICOLIBRARIES; MEASURING; MEASURING OR TESTING PROCESSES INVOLVING ENZYMES, NUCLEICACIDS OR MICROORGANISMS; METALLURGY; MICROBIOLOGY; MICROORGANISMS OR ENZYMES; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL; PHYSICS; PROCESSES OF PREPARING SUCH COMPOSITIONS; PROPAGATING, PRESERVING OR MAINTAINING MICROORGANISMS; SPIRITS; TESTING; TRANSPORTING; VINEGAR; WINE

The present invention relates to a gene examining apparatus utilizing a computer, the apparatus comprising (1) DNA microarrays in each of which a large number of fine liquid accommodating sections are two-dimensionally arranged so that openings of the fine liquid accommodating sections are located on the same plane, in which each of the liquid accommodating sections can three-dimensionally accommodate a liquid, and in which hybridization reaction occurs in the liquid accommodating section between a target nucleic acid already labeled with an optical marker substance and the nucleic acid probe, and (2) a microscope comprising a stage supporting the DNA microarrays set forth in (1), a temperature regulating section that regulates the temperature of each DNA microarray, and imaging means for picking up an image of an optical signal from the DNA microarray.