APPARATUS FOR INSTALLING A SYSTEM SUCH AS A LAB-ON-A-CHIP FOR IDENTIFYING ANTIBIOTIC SUSCEPTIBILITY AT THE POINT OF CARE OF THE PATIENTS

Abstract

A lab-on-chip type system, capable of identifying antibiotic sensitivity at the point of care of patients, especially in rural areas, clinics, hospitals that do not have care 24/7, hospitals with low level of equipment, among others, from the extraction of a sample, comprising a micro device or medical base device and a dispenser, wherein said micro device comprises a plurality of microwells, arranged in a circular fashion on one of the faces of the micro device, and wherein the micro-dispenser comprises a central plunger for taking and supplying the sample, a chamber for storage and distribution of the sample and a plurality of microdispensers arranged in a circular manner through which the sample is introduced into the microwells of the micro device.

Claims

1. A lab-on-chip type system, capable of identifying antibiotic sensitivity at the point of care of patients, especially in rural areas, clinics, hospitals that do not have care 24/7, hospitals with low level of equipment, among others, wherein that system comprises a micro device or base medical device and a dispenser comprising a plurality of microwells, arranged in a circular form on one of the faces of the micro device, and wherein the dispenser comprises a central plunger for taking and delivering the sample, a chamber for storing and dispensing the sample and a plurality of microdispensers arranged in a circular shape through which the sample is introduced into the microwells of the micro-device.

2. The system according to any one of claim 1 where in the system it is preferably manufactured from medical grade polymer, cyclic olefin or the like

3. The system according to any one of claim 1 where in the microwells are circular.

4. The system according to any one of claim 1 where in the microwells are at least nine.

5. The system according to any one of claim 1 where in the quantity of micro dispensers coincides with the quantity of microwells.

6. The system according to any one of claim 4 where in the micro dispensers are at least nine.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] FIG. 1 is a view of a lab-on-chip type system according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.

[0017] FIG. 2 is a view of a base of the system of FIG. 1, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.

[0018] FIG. 3 is a view of a dispenser of FIG. 1, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.

[0019] FIG. 4 is a view of the upper portion of the dispenser with a plunger according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.

[0020] FIG. 5 is a view of the lower portion of the dispenser with a storage chamber and a plurality of microdispensers according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0021] The invention describes a lab-on-chip type system (1) comprising a micro device or base medical device (10), capable of identifying antibiotic sensitivity at the point of care of patients, especially in rural areas, clinics, hospitals which do not have 24/7 care, hospitals with low level of equipment, transatlantic, among others. The system (1) further comprises a dispenser (20), which is adapted to dispense a sample into the micro device.

[0022] The base micro-devices (10) are preferably used in patients with urinary tract infections and the sample preferably to be used is urine.

[0023] The base device (10) preferably has some circular portion. Said device (10) is preferably manufactured from a medical grade polymer, cyclic olefin or other material.

[0024] The base micro-base (10) comprises a plurality of microwells (11), of preferably circular, in which the process of identifying the antibiotic sensitivity is developed. The microwells (11) are disposed circularly on one of the faces of the micro-device (10).

[0025] Each of the microwells (11) of each base device (10) contains an antibiotic, a culture medium and a chromophore or fluorophore substance.

[0026] In the case of urinary infections, the antibiotics to be used would be those routinely used in medical practice, in which Ampicillin, Amoxicillin with clavulanic acid, Fosfomycin, Cotrimoxazole, Ciprofloxaxine, Pipedimic acid, Cefalotoxin, Gentamicin, Nitrofurantoin , Colistin and Vancomycin, which does not exclude the use of other antibiotics.

[0027] According to the preferred embodiment of the invention, each microwell (11) is independent of the others to avoid cross-contamination.

[0028] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the quantity of microwells (11) of the base micro-device (10) is at least nine.

[0029] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the dispenser (20) of the system (1) comprises a central plunger (21), a chamber for storage and dispensing of the urine sample (22) preferably with a circular geometry and a plurality of micro-dispensers (23) arranged circularly below the storage chamber (22) through which the sample is introduced into the microwells (11) of the micro device (10). The quantity of micro dispensers (23) coincides with the quantity of microwells (11). According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the amount of microdispensers (23) of the dispenser (10) are at least nine.

[0030] Depending on the incorporation of a chromogenic substance or a fluorophore in the mixture of substances involved in the microbiological process, the time for the detection of antibiotic sensitivity varies from 18 to 20 hours when the indicator is a chromophore, and from 4 to 8 hours when the indicator is a fluorophore.

[0031] A number of manufacturing processes can be used to manufacture said micro device (10) and dispenser (11). In these processes, the use of 2D½ and 3D designs, as well as manufacturing technologies by UV photolithography and chemical etching, by laser stereolithography and by casting in silicone molds, stands out because, depending on the level of detail required, the required productivity or of the materials of interest, one can resort to the use of one or the other.

[0032] For dispensing the sample, the dispenser (20) is first taken over the sample taken to the patient and the plunger (21) is raised so that the sample enters the microdispensers (23). When the sample is in the microdispensers (23), the dispenser (20) is placed on the base micro-device (10), each micro-dispenser (23) matching its respective micro-well (11). Once this coincidence is achieved, the plunger (21) is lowered to dispense the samples from each micro dispenser (23) to the respective micro-well (11).