Expanding cam lock for sealing slab gels in an electrophoresis apparatus

{
  "publication_number": "US10352897B2",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B2",
  "title": "Expanding cam lock for sealing slab gels in an electrophoresis apparatus",
  "abstract": "An expanding cam lock for use with an electrophoresis system is disclosed herein. The cam lock allows the simultaneous use of multiple slab gel cassettes in first and second buffer core assemblies in an electrophoresis system while maintaining the necessary compressive force to create a liquid-tight seal between the anode and cathode buffer solutions. In one example embodiment, the expanding cam lock includes a base plate with a first surface adapted to engage the first buffer core assembly and a follower plate having second surface adapted to engage the second buffer core assembly, buffer dam or buffer displacement dam. The base plate and the follower plate are slidably coupled together and are designed for insertion between the first buffer core assembly and the second buffer core assembly, buffer dam or buffer displacement dam in the electrophoresis container. A cam is positioned between and moveably coupled with the base plate and the follower plate. The cam is movable from a first position to a second position to urge the first and second surfaces to secure the gel cassette to the first and second buffer core assemblies. Also provided herein is a buffer displacement dam. Also provided herein are kits and assemblies which incorporate the expanding cam and buffer displacement dam described herein.",
  "claims": [
    "1. An apparatus for electrophoresis or electrophoretic transfer of biomolecules that comprises a buffer displacement dam in at least one buffer reservoir of the apparatus, wherein the buffer displacement dam conforms to the size of the interior of the buffer reservoir in at least one dimension, and wherein the buffer displacement dam replaces buffer that would otherwise be contained within the buffer reservoir during electrophoretic separation or transfer of biomolecules, wherein the buffer displacement dam comprises a bottom and at least four sides, wherein the at least four sides of the buffer displacement dam define an interior space and wherein the buffer displacement dam comprises one or more interior support structures.",
    "2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the buffer displacement dam comprises one or more polymers or copolymers.",
    "3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the buffer displacement dam replaces a volume of buffer equal to at least 10% of the total volume of the at least one buffer reservoir, replaces a volume of buffer equal to at least 20% of the total volume of the at least one buffer reservoir, replaces a volume of buffer equal to at least 30% of the total volume of the at least one buffer reservoir, or replaces a volume of buffer equal to at least 40% of the total volume of the at least one buffer reservoir.",
    "4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is an electrophoretic gel blotting apparatus.",
    "5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the electrophoretic gel blotting apparatus comprises at least one gel cassette.",
    "6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the at least one gel cassette is smaller than the maximum size of gel cassette that the electrophoretic gel blotting apparatus can accommodate.",
    "7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the gel blotting apparatus is designed to accommodate multiple gel cassettes.",
    "8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the electrophoretic gel blotting apparatus comprises fewer than the maximum number of gel cassettes it is designed to accommodate.",
    "9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is a gel electrophoresis apparatus.",
    "10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the apparatus comprises fewer than the maximum number of gels it is designed to accommodate.",
    "11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the buffer displacement dam replaces cathode buffer or wherein the buffer displacement dam replaces anode buffer.",
    "12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the apparatus comprises a container designed to accommodate multiple buffer cores.",
    "13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the apparatus comprises fewer than the maximum number of buffer cores the container is designed to accommodate.",
    "14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the buffer displacement dam occupies space designed to hold a buffer core and space in the container designed to hold lower reservoir buffer.",
    "15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the one of the at least four sides of the buffer displacement dam can be engaged by a cam lock device for sealing at least one gel cassette to a buffer core in the container, wherein the cam lock device is an expanding cam lock device.",
    "16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the gel electrophoresis apparatus is a midi gel apparatus and the buffer displacement dam displace a volume of from about 100 milliliters to about 1,500 milliliters, a volume of from about 400 milliliters to about 1,000 milliliters or a volume of from about 500 milliliters to about 750 milliliters.",
    "17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the buffer displacement dam is from about 3 to about 10 inches in height."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "The present invention relates generally to an apparatus for performing electrophoresis. More particularly, the present invention relates to an expanding cam lock for clamping and sealing slab gel cassettes in a gel electrophoresis system during electrophoresis. The present invention also relates to a displacement dam for use in a gel electrophoresis apparatus or an electrophoretic transfer apparatus that occupies space in a buffer chamber of the apparatus such that less volume of buffer is required than would otherwise be used. A displacement dam is particularly useful when performing electrophoresis using fewer than the maximum number of gel cassettes than can be accommodated by the electrophoresis apparatus or electrophoretic transfer (“electroblotting”) apparatus.\n\nGel electrophoresis is commonly used to separate, by molecular size, biological molecules, such as deoxyribonucleic acid (“DNA”), ribonucleic acid (“RNA”) and proteins. To perform gel electrophoresis, a polymeric gel, such as polyacrylamide, is formed in a glass tube, or between spaced glass or plastic plates. The tube or plates are then placed in a container along with anode and cathode elements at the top and bottom of the gel. Sample wells formed in the top of the gel are first filled with buffer solutions. Molecule samples prepared in a sample buffer that may contain a tracking dye are then placed in the wells. Electrophoretic buffer solutions containing conductive ions are added to the container to make electrical contact between the gel, the samples in the wells and the anode and cathode elements.",
  "cpc": [
    "G01N 27/44739",
    "B01L 2200/025",
    "B01L 2200/026",
    "B01L 2200/04",
    "B01L 2200/0689",
    "B01L 2300/041",
    "B01L 2300/06",
    "B01L 2300/0848",
    "B01L 2300/0851",
    "B01L 2400/0421",
    "B01L 3/502",
    "B01L 3/563",
    "B01L 3/565",
    "B01L 9/52",
    "B33Y 80/00",
    "C07H 1/06",
    "C07K 1/26",
    "F16B 2/18",
    "G01N 27/44704",
    "Y10T 29/49117",
    "Y10T 403/7009"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "B01L 3/00",
    "B01L 9/00",
    "B33Y 80/00",
    "C07H 1/06",
    "C07K 1/26",
    "F16B 2/18",
    "G01N 27/00",
    "G01N 27/447"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "Life Technologies Corp"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "Thomas Jackson"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2017-05-26",
  "publication_date": "2019-07-16",
  "grant_date": "2019-07-16",
  "priority_date": "2005-04-15",
  "application_number": "US-201715607403-A",
  "family_id": "36778718",
  "cited_by_count": 0,
  "citations": [
    "US4772373A",
    "US5632877A",
    "US6129828A",
    "US5888369A",
    "US6001233A",
    "US6193868B1",
    "WO2002092200A1",
    "US20040195103A1",
    "US20050103628A1"
  ]
}