| abstract |
A method of storing a substance selected from among beads, nucleic acids, proteins, viruses, cells, and membrane lipid complexes in a plurality of receptacles provided on a substrate and separated from each other by a side wall, wherein a region including the receptacles The substrate is open to the outside, forming an open well and wherein the side wall has a hydrophobic upper surface, said method comprising the steps of: (i) introducing through the region of the open well on the substrate a hydrophilic solvent containing the substance; and (ii) introducing through the region of the open well on the hydrophilic solvent, a hydrophobic solvent having a specific weight greater than that of the hydrophilic solvent so that the hydrophobic solvent is layered on the hydrophilic solvent, carrying out the step (ii) after step (i), wherein after step (ii), the hydrophobic solvent displaces the hydrophilic solvent downward and the hydrophilic solvent is layered on the hydrophobic solvent, and wherein at least one of the solvent hydrophilic and the hydrophilic solvent contains a surfactant. |