JP7394886B2 - Processing equipment and measurement systems - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to processing devices and measurement systems.

BACKGROUND ART In order to analyze specimens such as biological samples, various substances contained in the specimens are measured. As such a measurement, a measurement using a lysate reagent containing a horseshoe crab blood cell extract is known. By using the lysate reagent, the amount of endotoxin and β-glucan in the sample solution can be measured. Endotoxin is a lipopolysaccharide that constitutes the cell wall of Gram-negative bacteria, and is a typical pyrogen that causes biological reactions such as fever when even a trace amount enters the bloodstream. Specimens include biological samples such as blood, as well as pharmaceuticals (for example, injections) that are directly introduced into a living body. When performing measurements using such lysate reagents, pretreatment such as heating and cooling the sample solution may be performed prior to the measurement, and processing equipment that performs such pretreatment is not known. It is being

JP-A-2017-129429 describes a measuring device that measures the amount of endotoxin in a sample solution using a LAL (Limulus Amebocyte Lysate) reagent as a lysate reagent. Furthermore, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 08-029432 describes a processing device that pre-processes a sample solution.

The processing apparatus described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 08-029432 includes a transport mechanism that transports a sample container from a heating section to a cooling section using a handling robot. In this transport mechanism, a handling robot grips a sample container inserted into a container insertion hole of a heating section, moves an arm of the robot upward, and pulls out the sample container from the container insertion hole. Next, the handling robot transports the specimen container to the upper part of the cooling section, moves the arm of the robot downward, and inserts the specimen container into the container insertion hole of the cooling section.

However, when a specimen container is transported by a handling robot as in the transport mechanism of JP-A-08-029432, the specimen container gripped by the handling robot tilts during transport and cannot be inserted into the container insertion hole of the cooling section. There is a possibility that a transportation defect such as running out may occur. Furthermore, when the handling robot transports the sample containers one by one, there is a problem that if there are many sample containers, the transport efficiency is poor and the processing time becomes long.

In view of the above circumstances, the technology of the present disclosure is capable of suppressing transport failures when transporting sample containers from the heating section to the cooling section, and suppressing prolongation of processing time caused by transporting the sample containers. The object of the present invention is to provide a possible processing device and a measuring system equipped with this processing device.

A processing device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a storage block that accommodates a sample container, a heating block that heats a sample solution in the sample container to a first temperature by contacting the storage block, and a heating block that contacts the storage block. A cooling block cools the sample solution in the sample container to a second temperature lower than the first temperature, a first state in which the heating block contacts the storage block, and a second state in which the cooling block contacts the storage block. and a contact mechanism for selectively bringing the heating block or the cooling block into contact with the accommodation block.

In the processing apparatus of the above aspect, the contact mechanism may move the heating block and the cooling block relative to the storage block.

Further, in the processing apparatus of the above aspect, the heating block and the cooling block may be moved linearly relative to the accommodation block so that each of them selectively contacts the accommodation block.

Moreover, in the processing apparatus of the above aspect, the heating block and the cooling block may be arranged at positions facing each other with the storage block in between, and may be moved integrally.

The processing apparatus of the above aspect also includes a heat insulating material disposed between the heating block and the cooling block and in contact with an outer area located on the outer edge of the storage block on the opposing surfaces where the heating block and the cooling block face each other. You can.

Moreover, in the processing apparatus of the above aspect, the periphery of the heating block and the cooling block may be covered with a heat insulating material.

Moreover, in the processing apparatus of the above aspect, the heat capacity of the accommodation block may be smaller than the heat capacity of the heating block and the cooling block.

Furthermore, in the processing apparatus of the above aspect, after a preset time has elapsed since the heating block was brought into contact with the accommodation block, the control unit brings the cooling block into contact with the accommodation block by controlling the contact mechanism. You may prepare.

Moreover, in the processing apparatus of the above aspect, the temperature of the heating block may be 30° C. or more and 80° C. or less. Note that the temperature of the heating block may be 60° C. or higher and 80° C. or lower.

Moreover, in the processing apparatus of the above aspect, the temperature of the cooling block may be, for example, 0° C. or more and 10° C. or less.

Furthermore, in the processing apparatus of the above aspect, the accommodation block may be configured to accommodate a plurality of sample containers.

In addition, in the processing apparatus of the above aspect, the specimen solution is a measurement target of a measurement using a reagent containing a horseshoe crab blood cell extract, and the process of changing the temperature of the specimen solution by the contact mechanism is performed before performing the above measurement. It may also be a pre-treatment performed before.

A measurement system according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes the processing device described above and a measurement device that performs measurement on a sample solution.

According to the technology of the present disclosure, a process that can suppress transport defects when transporting a sample container from a heating section to a cooling section and suppress an increase in processing time caused by transporting the sample container A device and a measurement system comprising this processing device can be provided.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overview of a measurement system. It is a graph showing the transition of temperature change of the specimen solution during pretreatment. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a processing device according to a first embodiment. It is a perspective view of a temperature adjustment part. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the temperature adjustment section. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the temperature adjustment section. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a measuring device. It is a flowchart for explaining the flow of preprocessing in the processing device. It is a figure showing the state at the time of heating and cooling in a processing device. FIG. 9A shows the heating state, and FIG. 9B shows the cooling state. It is a figure which shows the state at the time of heating and cooling in the processing apparatus of another aspect. FIG. 10A shows the heating state, and FIG. 10B shows the cooling state.

[Overall configuration of measurement system]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overview of a measurement system 1 including a processing device 10 according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 1, the measurement system 1 includes a processing device 10 and a measurement device 60. The processing device 10 performs pre-treatment on a sample solution C generated by diluting a sample A such as a biological sample by adding a buffer B to the sample A before performing endotoxin measurement. The measurement device 60 performs endotoxin measurement using the pretreated sample solution C as a measurement target.

As mentioned above, endotoxin is a typical pyrogen that causes biological reactions such as fever when it enters the blood, even in minute amounts.Specimen A is a biological sample such as blood that is directly introduced into the body. Pharmaceutical products (for example, injections, etc.). In the endotoxin measurement, the amount of endotoxin in sample solution C is measured, and the endotoxin in sample A is quantified. Endotoxin measurement is a measurement using a reagent such as lysate reagent D containing a horseshoe crab blood cell extract. Endotoxin measurement is a measurement that utilizes the fact that endotoxin causes aggregation and coagulation of horseshoe crab blood cell extract. In endotoxin measurement, first, lysate reagent D containing a horseshoe crab blood cell extract is added to sample solution C. A sample solution E is generated by stirring the sample solution C to which the lysate reagent D has been added. Next, the amount of endotoxin in the sample solution E is measured based on the change in the properties of the sample solution E.

A lysate reagent prepared from a hemocyte extract of the American horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus), which is a horseshoe crab that serves as a raw material for lysate reagent D, is called LAL (Limulus Amebocyte Lysate) reagent.

The measuring device 60 in the measuring system 1 of this embodiment uses LAL reagent as the lysate reagent D, and uses the turbidity change of the sample solution E as an index in the process of gelling the lysate reagent D by reaction with endotoxin. Measure endotoxin using the turbidity method. When measuring endotoxin by turbidimetry, pretreatment of heating and cooling the sample solution C is required prior to measurement. As shown in FIG. 1, pretreatment is performed on sample solution C, and endotoxin measurement is performed on sample solution E containing pretreated sample solution C and lysate reagent D.

Specifically, as shown in the graph of FIG. 2, the pretreatment when measuring endotoxin by turbidimetry involves first diluting sample A by adding buffer B to dilute the sample solution C. Heat treatment is performed to inactivate interfering factors in endotoxin measurement by heating at a temperature of 70° C. for about 10 minutes. Thereafter, a cooling process is performed to stop the inactivation process by cooling the sample solution C at about 70° to a temperature of about 5°C. The cooling process time from the start of cooling to the end of cooling is, for example, about 3 minutes. In the cooling process, if it takes time to cool the sample solution C at about 70 degrees to a temperature of about 5 degrees Celsius, variations will occur in the time for the inactivation process on the sample solution C, and the accuracy of endotoxin measurement will decrease. Therefore, in the pretreatment, it is necessary to rapidly cool the specimen solution C, specifically, to cool the specimen solution C at about 70° to a temperature of about 5° C. in a short period of time.

The processing device 10 in the measurement system 1 of the present embodiment is a device that performs the above-mentioned pretreatment on a sample solution C obtained by adding buffer B to diluted sample A.

<Processing device>
Forward, rear, upper, lower, right, and left used in the following explanations are respectively "FR", "RR", "UP", "DO", "RH", and "LH" in each figure. Corresponds to the direction of the arrow shown. These directions are set for convenience of explanation, and do not necessarily correspond to the front, rear, left, and right directions of the actual product.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the processing device 10. As shown in FIG. 3, the processing device 10 includes a storage block 20, a temperature adjustment section 30, a movement mechanism 12, and a control section 11. The accommodation block 20 accommodates the sample container 5 . The temperature adjustment section 30 includes a heating block 31 and a cooling block 32. The moving mechanism 12 moves the temperature adjustment section 30 relative to the accommodation block 20. The control unit 11 controls the temperature adjustment unit 30 and the movement mechanism 12. The sample container 5 loaded into the processing apparatus 10 has a cylindrical appearance and includes a main body 5a and a lid 5b.

The accommodation block 20 is, for example, a rectangular parallelepiped, and a plurality of container insertion holes 20b for inserting the sample containers 5 are formed in the upper surface 20a. In the accommodation block 20 of the processing apparatus 10 of this embodiment, a plurality of container insertion holes 20b, in this example ten container insertion holes 20b, are arranged in a line. The processing device 10 can be loaded with up to ten specimen containers 5 and can perform pretreatment at the same time. The inner diameter of the container insertion hole 20b is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the sample container 5, but is approximately the same diameter. Therefore, when the sample container 5 is inserted into the container insertion hole 20b, the sample container 5 is held without tilting within the container insertion hole 20b.

The accommodation block 20 is fixed to the housing of the processing device 10. The housing block 20 extends toward the housing block 20 from above the processing device 10, and is fixed in position by a fixing means (not shown) such as an engaging portion that engages with the housing block 20, for example.

It is better for the accommodation block 20 to have a small heat capacity. This is because the accommodation block 20 is used for pretreatment of sequentially heating and cooling the sample solution C. This is because the smaller the heat capacity of the accommodation block 20 is, the easier it is to transfer heat to the sample container 5 in the accommodation block 20, and the easier it is to cool the sample container 5 inside the accommodation block 20. In order to reduce the heat capacity of the accommodation block 20, the following properties are required for the material of the accommodation block 20.

First, it is preferable that the material constituting the housing block 20 has excellent thermal conductivity. Secondly, since it is better to have a smaller volume in order to reduce the heat capacity, the material constituting the housing block 20 should be a material that has high machinability and is easy to precision machine even if the volume is small. preferable. In addition to the properties required from the viewpoint of heat capacity, from the viewpoint of cost, it is of course preferable to use an inexpensive material. Brass, for example, can be used as a material that satisfies these conditions. In this embodiment, the housing block 20 is made of brass.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the temperature adjustment section 30. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the temperature adjustment section 30. FIG. 6 is a sectional view (a sectional view taken along the line VI-VI in FIG. 4) of the temperature adjustment section 30. Note that in FIG. 6, the specimen container 5 is shown in a side view rather than a cross-sectional view. As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the temperature adjustment section 30 includes a heating block 31, a cooling block 32, and a heat insulating material 33.

The heating block 31 includes a heat storage block 40 and a heater 41 that heats the heat storage block 40 to a first temperature.

The heat storage block 40 has a rectangular parallelepiped outer diameter and a hollowed out portion with which the storage block 20 contacts. Since the heat storage block 40 is transported by the moving mechanism 12, it is preferably lightweight. Therefore, it is preferable that the material constituting the heat storage block 40 has a small specific gravity. Further, the material constituting the heat storage block 40 is preferably a material that has excellent thermal conductivity, is resistant to rust, is inexpensive, and has high workability. For example, aluminum can be used as a material that satisfies these conditions. In this embodiment, the heat storage block 40 is made of aluminum. Further, the volume of the heat storage block 40 is larger than the volume of the storage block 20, and the heat capacity of the storage block 20 is configured to be smaller than the heat capacity of the heat storage block 40.

The heater 41 is fixed so that its heat generating surface is in direct contact with the rear surface 40d (here, the RR side surface) of the heat storage block 40. As a pretreatment for the specimen solution C when measuring endotoxin by turbidimetry, it is preferable to heat it at a temperature of 30° C. or higher and 80° C. or lower. Therefore, the temperature of the heater 41 can be set to 30°C or more and 80°C or less. Note that the temperature of the heater 41 is more preferably 60° C. or more and 80° C. or less. In this embodiment, the temperature of the heater 41 is set to 70° C. (an example of the first temperature) based on control from the control unit 11.

The heating block 31 excludes the front surface 40c of the heat storage block 40 (here, the approximately U-shaped surface on the front FR side, the contact surface with the heat insulating material 33) and the contact surface (40g to 40j) of the accommodation block 20. The surrounding area is covered with a heat insulating material (not shown) that is different from the heat insulating material 33.

The cooling block 32 includes a heat storage block 42 and a cooling element 43 that cools the heat storage block 42 to a second temperature.

The heat storage block 42 has the same shape and is made of the same material as the heat storage block 40 of the heating block 31, and is configured such that the heat capacity of the accommodation block 20 is smaller than that of the heat storage block 42.

The cooling element 43 is fixed so that its cooling surface directly contacts the front surface 42c (here, the front FR side surface) of the heat storage block 42. As a pretreatment for the specimen solution C when measuring endotoxin by turbidimetry, it is preferable to cool it at a temperature of 0° C. or higher and 10° C. or lower. Therefore, the temperature of the cooling element 43 can be set to 0° C. or higher and 10° C. or lower. In this embodiment, the temperature of the cooling element 43 is set to 5° C. (an example of the second temperature) based on the control from the control unit 11. As the cooling element 43, a Peltier element is used.

The cooling block 32 excludes the rear surface 42d of the heat storage block 42 (here, the substantially U-shaped surface on the rear RR side, the contact surface with the heat insulating material 33) and the contact surfaces (42g to 42j) of the accommodation block 20. The surrounding area is covered with a heat insulating material (not shown) that is different from the heat insulating material 33.

The heat insulating material 33 is disposed between the heating block 31 and the cooling block 32, and contacts an outer area located on the outer edge of the housing block 20 on the opposing surfaces where the heating block 31 and the cooling block 32 face each other. The outer region is the front surface 40C of the heat storage block 40 in the heating block 31, and the rear surface 42d of the heat storage block 42 in the cooling block.

The moving mechanism 12 relatively moves the temperature adjustment section 30 and the accommodation block 20. In this example, the moving mechanism 12 moves the temperature adjustment unit 30 with respect to the housing block 20 whose position is fixed. The moving mechanism 12 includes an actuator that linearly moves the temperature adjusting section 30 between the front FR and the rear RR in FIG. This moving mechanism 12 switches between a first state in which the heating block 31 is in contact with the accommodation block 20 and a second state in which the cooling block 32 is in contact with the accommodation block 20. Alternatively, it functions as a contact mechanism that selectively brings the cooling block 32 into contact.

The control unit 11 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11a, a memory 11b, and a storage 11c in which a control program is stored. The memory 11b is a work memory used when the CPU 11a executes a control program, and is, for example, a volatile memory. The storage 11c is a nonvolatile memory for storing various data, and a flash memory or the like is used. The control unit 11 functions as a control unit that controls each part of the heater 41, the cooling element 43, and the moving mechanism 12 by executing a control program.

<Measuring device>
FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the measuring device 60. As shown in FIG. 7, the measuring device 60 includes an LED (Light Emitting Diode) 61 that irradiates measurement light onto the sample container 5, and a PD (Photodiode) disposed at a position facing the LED 61 with the sample container 5 in between. ) 62 and a measurement control section 63. The measurement control unit 63 measures the amount of endotoxin in the sample solution E based on the detection result of the PD 62. Further, the measurement control unit 63 controls the LED 61 and the PD 62. The specimen container 5 contains a specimen solution E in which a pretreated specimen solution C and a lysate reagent D are mixed.

The measurement control section 63 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 63a, a memory 63b, and a storage 63c in which a measurement control program is stored. The memory 63b is a work memory used when the CPU 63a executes a measurement control program, and is, for example, a volatile memory. The storage 63c is a nonvolatile memory for storing various data, and a flash memory or the like is used. The measurement control section 63 functions as a control section that controls each section of the LED 61 and the PD 62 by executing a measurement control program. Furthermore, the measurement control unit 63 functions as a measurement unit that measures the amount of endotoxin in the sample solution E based on the detection result of the PD 62 by executing a measurement control program.

As a method for measuring endotoxin in the measuring device 60, the nephelometric method is used as described above. The nephelometric method is a method that uses as an index the change in turbidity during the gelation process of lysate reagent D due to the action of endotoxin. The turbidity of the sample solution E changes depending on the amount of endotoxin in the sample solution E and the elapsed time since the lysate reagent D was added to the pretreated sample solution C. When the turbidity of the sample solution E changes, the amount of measurement light that passes through the sample solution E changes. Therefore, by measuring the change in the amount of transmitted light over time using the PD62, the state and transition of the turbidity of the sample solution E can be measured. can do. The measurement control unit 63 calculates the amount of endotoxin in the sample solution E based on the state and transition of the turbidity of the sample solution E.

[Flow of preprocessing]
FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining the flow of preprocessing in the processing device 10.

First, sample solution C is generated by adding buffer B to sample A and diluting it. The sample container 5 containing the generated sample solution C is inserted into the container insertion hole 20b of the storage block 20. After that, the control unit 11 controls the moving mechanism 12 to move the temperature adjustment unit 30 to the front FR, so that the heating block 31 comes into contact with the accommodation block 20, as shown in FIG. 9A in the upper row of FIG. The state is set to the first state (step S1). Thereby, heating of the storage block 20 is started, and through heating of the storage block 20, heating of the sample solution C in the sample container 5 is started.

Next, the control unit 11 determines whether 10 minutes have passed since the first state was entered (step S2). In step S2, if it is determined that 10 minutes have not elapsed (determination result No), the control unit 11 continues the first state.

In step S2, if it is determined that 10 minutes have elapsed (determination result: Yes), the control unit 11 controls the moving mechanism 12 to move the temperature adjustment unit 30 to the rear RR, and the lower diagram in FIG. As shown in 9B, a second state is set in which the cooling block 32 contacts the housing block 20 (step S3). As a result, cooling of the storage block 20 is started, and through cooling of the storage block 20, cooling of the sample solution C in the sample container 5 is started.

Next, the control unit 11 determines whether three minutes have passed since the second state was entered (step S4). In step S4, if it is determined that three minutes have not elapsed (determination result No), the control unit 11 continues the second state.

In step S4, if it is determined that three minutes have elapsed (determination result: Yes), the process moves to step S5. In step S5, the control unit 11 controls the moving mechanism 12 to move the temperature adjustment unit 30 to the front FR, so that the accommodation block 20 does not contact either the heating block 31 or the cooling block 32 (i.e., the cooling block (Contact release), and the process ends.

[Effect]
As explained above, the processing device 10 of the present embodiment heats the sample solution C in the sample container 5 to the first temperature by contacting the accommodation block 20 that accommodates the sample container 5 and the accommodation block 20. a cooling block 32 that cools the sample solution C in the sample container 5 to a second temperature lower than the first temperature by contacting the accommodation block 20; and the heating block 31 comes into contact with the accommodation block 20. As an example of a contact mechanism that selectively brings the heating block 31 or the cooling block 32 into contact with the housing block 20 by switching between a first state in which the cooling block 32 contacts the housing block 20 and a second state in which the cooling block 32 contacts the housing block 20. A moving mechanism 12 is provided.

With such a configuration, it is possible to both heat and cool the sample solution C in the sample container 5 while the sample container 5 is loaded in the storage block 20. This eliminates the need for a transport mechanism such as a handling robot to transport sample containers from the heating section to the cooling section, unlike conventional processing equipment that has separate heating and cooling sections. The problem of poor conveyance can be solved.

Moreover, even when a plurality of sample containers 5 are loaded into the storage block 20, both heating and cooling can be performed without moving the plurality of sample containers 5. Therefore, processing time can be shortened compared to the case where sample containers are transported one by one by a handling robot as in conventional processing apparatuses.

Furthermore, the processing device 10 of the present embodiment is configured such that the storage block 20 is fixed to the housing of the processing device 10 and the heating block 31 and the cooling block 32 are moved relative to the storage block 20. . With such a configuration, it is possible to both heat and cool the sample solution C in the sample container 5 while keeping the sample container 5 stationary. The processing apparatus 10 of this embodiment does not require moving the sample container 5, and is therefore effective in cases where it is undesirable to apply vibrations due to movement to the sample container 5 or the sample solution C.

Further, the processing apparatus 10 of this embodiment is configured such that the heating block 31 and the cooling block 32 move linearly relative to the accommodation block 20. By having such a configuration, the configuration of the contact mechanism, using the moving mechanism 12 as an example, is simplified compared to the case where the heating block 31 and the cooling block 32 are moved along a curved path or a bent path. can do. Further, by moving the heating block 31 and the cooling block 32 linearly, the moving time can be easily shortened compared to the case where the heating block 31 and the cooling block 32 are moved along a curved path or a bent path.

Furthermore, the processing apparatus 10 of the present embodiment is configured such that the heating block 31 and the cooling block 32 are arranged at opposing positions with the storage block 20 in between, and move integrally. With such a configuration, the configuration of the contact mechanism, with the moving mechanism 12 as an example, can be simplified compared to the case where the heating block 31 and the cooling block 32 are moved separately.

In addition, since the heat insulating material 33 is provided between the heating block 31 and the cooling block 32, the transfer of heat between the heating block 31 and the cooling block 32 is suppressed, and the thermal efficiency of the heating block 31 and the cooling block 32 is reduced. can be improved. Therefore, power consumption of the heater 41 and the cooling element 43 can be reduced.

Further, since a heat insulating material is also provided around the heating block 31 and the cooling block 32, the thermal efficiency of the heating block 31 and the cooling block 32 can be improved. Therefore, power consumption of the heater 41 and the cooling element 43 can be reduced.

Furthermore, in the processing apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, the heat capacity of the accommodation block 20 is the same as that of the heating block 31 (specifically, the heat storage block 40 in the heating block 31) and the cooling block 32 (specifically, the heat storage block 40 in the cooling block 32). The heat capacity of the block 42) is smaller than that of the block 42). With such a configuration, when the heating block 31 or the cooling block 32 is brought into contact with the housing block 20, the temperature of the housing block 20 can be quickly changed to the temperature of each block.

Further, after a preset time has elapsed since the heating block 31 was brought into contact with the housing block 20, the cooling block 32 is brought into contact with the housing block 20 by controlling the moving mechanism 12, which is an example of a contact mechanism. By providing the control unit 11, preprocessing can be automated.

Further, by setting the temperature of the heating block 31 to 30° C. or higher and 80° C. or lower, heat treatment suitable for pretreatment for endotoxin measurement by turbidimetry can be performed. Note that the heat treatment can be performed more efficiently by setting the temperature of the heating block 31 to 60° C. or more and 80° C. or less.

Further, by setting the temperature of the cooling block 32 to 0° C. or higher and 10° C. or lower, cooling treatment suitable for pretreatment for measuring endotoxin by turbidimetry can be performed.

[Modified example]
The above embodiment is an example, and various modifications are possible as shown below.

For example, the processing apparatus 10 is not limited to a mode in which the storage block 20 is fixed and the temperature adjustment section 30 is moved, and the processing apparatus 10 is not limited to the mode in which the storage block 20 is fixed and the temperature adjustment section 30 is moved. Alternatively, the temperature adjustment section 30 may be fixed and the housing block 20 may be moved. In this case, as the contact mechanism, a moving mechanism (not shown) for moving the accommodation block 20 is provided instead of the above-mentioned moving mechanism 12.

Furthermore, the temperature adjustment section is not limited to a mode in which the heating block and the cooling block move integrally, but may also be a mode in which they move individually.

Further, the movement of the heating block and the cooling block is not limited to linear movement, and may be in any manner such as curved movement or bending the moving direction in the middle of linear movement.

Furthermore, the lysate reagent used for endotoxin measurement is not limited to the LAL reagent, but may also be a TAL (Tachypleus Amebocyte Lysate) reagent prepared from a blood cell extract of a horseshoe crab (Tachypleus tridentatus), which is a different species from the American horseshoe crab.

In addition, methods for endotoxin testing are not limited to the turbidimetric method described in the above embodiment, but also a gelation method that uses gel formation of a lysate reagent as an indicator due to the action of endotoxin, or color development due to hydrolysis of a synthetic substrate as an indicator. A colorimetric method may also be used.

Furthermore, measurement using a reagent containing a horseshoe crab blood cell extract is not limited to endotoxin, but may also be performed on β-glucan.

In addition, as an example of the processing device of the present disclosure, a processing device that performs preprocessing for measurement using a reagent containing a horseshoe crab blood cell extract has been described as an example, but it can also be applied to a processing device that performs preprocessing for measurement using other reagents. You may.

Further, the pretreatment for the sample solution is not limited to the process of heating for 10 minutes and then cooling for 3 minutes as described in the above embodiment, but may be changed as appropriate depending on the measurement to be performed on the sample solution.

Furthermore, the temperature adjustment process performed on the sample solution by the processing device is not limited to pretreatment performed prior to measurement, and may be used for any purpose.

Further, in the above embodiment, the hardware structure of the processing unit (Processing Unit) that executes various processes, such as the control unit 11 and the measurement control unit 63, includes the following various processors. Can be used. Various processors include CPUs (Central Processing Units), which are general-purpose processors that execute software and function as various processing units, as well as FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Arrays), whose circuit configurations can be changed after manufacturing. A programmable logic device (PLD), which is a processor, and/or a dedicated electric circuit, which is a processor with a circuit configuration specifically designed to execute a specific process, such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). etc. are included.

One processing unit may be composed of one of these various processors, or a combination of two or more processors of the same type or different types (for example, a combination of multiple FPGAs and/or a CPU and (in combination with FPGA). In this way, various processing units are configured using one or more of the various processors described above as a hardware structure.

Furthermore, as the hardware structure of these various processors, more specifically, an electric circuit (circuitry) that is a combination of circuit elements such as semiconductor elements can be used.

Note that the descriptions and illustrations described above are detailed explanations of portions related to the technology of the present disclosure, and are merely examples of the technology of the present disclosure. For example, the above description regarding the configuration, function, operation, and effect is an example of the configuration, function, operation, and effect of the part related to the technology of the present disclosure. Therefore, unnecessary parts may be deleted, new elements may be added, or replacements may be made to the written and illustrated contents shown above without departing from the gist of the technology of the present disclosure. Needless to say. In addition, in order to avoid confusion and facilitate understanding of the parts related to the technology of the present disclosure, the descriptions and illustrations shown above do not include parts that require particular explanation in order to enable implementation of the technology of the present disclosure. Explanations regarding technical common sense, etc. that should not be used are omitted.

The disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. 2020-008730 filed on January 22, 2020 is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. All documents, patent applications, and technical standards mentioned herein are incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual document, patent application, and technical standard was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference. Incorporated herein by reference.

Claims (12)

a storage block that accommodates a sample container;
a heating block that heats the sample solution in the sample container to a first temperature by contacting the storage block;
a cooling block that cools the sample solution in the sample container to a second temperature lower than the first temperature by contacting the storage block;
Selecting the heating block or the cooling block for the housing block by switching between a first state in which the heating block contacts the housing block and a second state in which the cooling block contacts the housing block. and a contact mechanism that makes contact with the
The heating block and the cooling block are arranged at opposing positions with the accommodation block in between,
The contact mechanism moves the heating block and the cooling block integrally with respect to the accommodation block.
Processing equipment. The processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the heating block and the cooling block selectively contact the accommodation block by moving linearly relative to the accommodation block. Claim 1 or 2, further comprising a heat insulating material disposed between the heating block and the cooling block and in contact with an outer area located on the outer edge of the storage block among opposing surfaces where the heating block and the cooling block face each other. The processing device described in . The processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the heating block and the cooling block are surrounded by a heat insulating material. The processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the storage block has a smaller heat capacity than the heating block and the cooling block. From claim 1, further comprising a control unit that causes the cooling block to come into contact with the accommodation block by controlling the contact mechanism after a preset time has elapsed since the heating block was brought into contact with the accommodation block. 5. The processing device according to any one of 5 . The processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein the temperature of the heating block is 30°C or more and 80°C or less. The processing apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the temperature of the heating block is 60°C or more and 80°C or less. The processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8 , wherein the temperature of the cooling block is 0°C or more and 10°C or less. The processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 9 , wherein the accommodation block is configured to accommodate a plurality of the sample containers. The sample solution is a measurement target for measurement using a reagent containing a horseshoe crab blood cell extract,
The processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 10 , wherein the process of changing the temperature of the sample solution by the contact mechanism is preprocessing performed before performing the measurement. A processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 11 ;
A measurement system comprising: a measurement device that performs measurement on the sample solution.