Patent ID: 7118711

Claim:
Microcolumn reactor for carrying out reactions on solid phases and/or biological cells comprising at least a first and a second substrate wafer being engaged to one another in a common plane, whereby at least one longitudinally extending channel is inserted into at least one of said substrate wafers, said channel, in a preselectable section of its length, being captured by two passage openings, which are passed through the an opposite substrate wafer, wherein the passage openings are separated from the channel by a partially permeable sieve-like membrane, the membrane having transmission areas so dimensioned that they preselectably prevent micro-beads and/or cells, which are introduced into the channel, from entering into the passage openings, and the channel is provided with at least two further openings outside of the section captured by said passage openings, said at least two further openings being adapted to enable a loading and/or a displacement of the micro-beads and/or cells, provided above the section captured by said preselectable channel section, by applying a fluidic pressure, and further comprising means for temporarily closing at least one of the passage openings and one of the further openings.