| Title: |
Steam Heated, Oscillating Staining Cell |
| Category: |
Industry |
| Intellectual Property: |
Student team assigns intellectual property control to company |
| Year: |
2009 |
| Semester: |
Fall |
| Sponsor Name: |
Ventana Medical Systems, Inc. |
| Sponsoring advisors: |
|
| Sponsor URL: |
http://www.Ventanamed.com |
| Sponsor Information: |
Ventana Medical Systems (VMSI) is the world’s leading supplier of automated diagnostic systems to the anatomical pathology market. Our instrument and reagent systems are used in clinical histology, cytology, and drug discovery laboratories around the globe. Through automation and systems integration, Ventana is standardizing and optimizing the slide staining process, thereby helping pathologists recommend treatment solutions that deliver superior patient care and helping people live better and longer lives. |
| ITAR Restriction: |
No |
| Scope of work: |
Scope of Project: In this project, you will be working on the cutting edge of automated medical technology. The purpose of this system is to optimize and accelerate staining on glass slides for IHC & ISH protocols used in the laboratory and to reduce waste volumes generated. This project is to explore the possibilities for improving on the cutting edge of automated cytology by designing and building a single staining cell that is thermally isolated and could be duplicated for a multi-cell, commercial instrument. This project is an extension of a project started by a student team from last year.
The needs are:
1. To be able to control the temperature on the slide to a fixed value during incubations using heated water vapor. The average temperature on the slide must be within some limit, say ±1°C & the variation of temperature on the slide must not be more than some value, say ±0.5°C. Heat transfer from warm water vapor to the slide must be optimized
2. To be able to change the temperature rapidly. For ISH, the temperature must change more than forty Celsius degrees, multiple times during the process.
3. To be able to control evaporation by heating with controlled puffs of steam.
4. To be able to spread the small volumes used on the slides and to keep them mixed by sequentially tilting the slide.
5. To be able to remove the reagents on the slides thouroughy and replace them with new reagents by tilting and vacuum aspiration.
6. Minimize the total volume of fluids used in order to reduce the cost of reagents used and to reduce the waste volume.
You will optimize the heat transfer method of steam heating which has the advantage of rapid heat transfer without drying the tissue. You will design a mechanism to spread a small reagent aliquot by sequentially tilting the slide.
This project will have you working on the cutting edge of medical technology using skills in heat transfer, thermodynamics, fluids, material science, mechanics and systems control. |
| Project summary: |
|
| Disciplines: |
Mechanical Engineering (1)
Computer Engineering (1)
Electrical Engineering (1)
Systems Engineering (1)
Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering (1) |
| Skills: |
Heat transfer of condensing vapor
Fluids, surface tension dominated flow
Control of stepper motor motion and valves
Computer, software for overall system control
Systems, Integration of all systems
Mechanical design of linear slides
Precision temperature measurement |
| Additional resources: |
The system developed by last year's team is available as is their report. Ventana will supply any material or test instruments necessary. |
| Key Contact Name: |
Chuck Lemme |
| Key Contact Email: |
chuck.lemme@ventana.roche.com |
| Key Contact Phone: |
229-3847 |
| Project URL: |
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| Mentor Name: |
Bill Richards |
| Mentor Email: |
bill.richards@ventana.roche.com |
| Mentor Phone: |
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