Fuji Photo Film Company, Limited

Fujifilm Corporation

Photo Film Co., Ltd.

Akihiro Komatsu

Fumio Sugaya

Yoichi Endo

Tomoyuki Takiue

Nobuaki Tokiwa

Yoshihiro Seto

Toshihiro Mori

Toshihito Kimura

Hideyuki Karaki

Yoshio Saito

Kenji Arai

Shunichi Seto

Tadahiro Matsuno

Nobuhiko Fujiwara

Kouta Katou

Fumio Sagaya

An assay chip includes fluidic-channel member composed of a light-transmissive lower member and an upper member, forming a fluidic-channel therebetween, and a cover member fitted with the fluidic-channel member from the upper-member-side thereof. An inlet for injecting a sample solution into the fluidic-channel and a suction opening for sucking, from the downstream side, the injected sample solution, both communicating with the fluidic-channel, are formed on the upper surface of the upper member. A pot for carrying out predetermined pre-processing on the sample solution, a pot for first-reaction processing to bind a photoresponsive labeling substance to an analyte in the sample solution, an inlet insertion-hole for inserting the inlet, and a suction-opening insertion-hole for inserting the suction opening are linearly arranged on the upper surface of the cover member.

Assay chip

An incubator includes a rotating incubator rotor. The incubator rotor is provided with a plurality of element chambers which are arranged along the outer periphery of the incubator rotor and each of which accommodates a dry analysis element spotted with a sample and incubates the dry analysis element. A light measuring system has a light measuring head which measures the optical density of the dry analysis element. The light measuring system is provided with a correction system which compensates for fluctuation in the value of the optical density of the dry analysis element in each of the element chambers as measured by the light measuring head generated due to fluctuation in the distance between the light measuring head and the element chamber on the basis of a correction value which has been stored in the correction system element chamber by element chamber.

Incubator

A chemical analysis system includes a spotting mechanism for spotting a sample liquid onto a first chemical analysis element for measuring the concentration of a specific component contained in the sample liquid, and for spotting a sample liquid and a reference liquid onto a second chemical analysis element for measuring the activity of a specific ion contained in the sample liquid. The first chemical analysis element spotted with the sample liquid and the second chemical analysis element spotted with the sample liquid and the reference liquid are placed in an incubator and is incubated at a constant temperature. A concentration measuring system is provided to measure the concentration of the specific component contained in the sample liquid by measuring the optical density of the color formed by the coloring reaction of the sample liquid and a reagent on the first chemical analysis element after incubation in the incubator, and an ionic activity measuring system is provided to measure the ionic activity of the specific ion contained in the sample liquid after incubation in the incubator. A temperature controller holds the first and second chemical analysis element at a predetermined temperature.

Chemical analysis system

A slide pack container housing a plurality of piled slide packs has a cut-off portion. The cut-off portion has a width slightly larger than the width of a slide contained in each slide pack. As a sucker of a package take-out apparatus draws one of the slide packs from the slide pack container through the cut-off portion, a sealed portion of the slide pack interfering with the edge of the cut-off portion is folded inward so that the slide pack is successfully taken out. The sucker transfers the slide pack to a separated unwrapping apparatus. The sucker releases the slide pack when the front edge of the slide pack is caught between paired rollers of the unwrapping apparatus. After a cutter makes a slit on the slide pack, the paired rollers transfer only a wrapping sheet to separate the wrapping sheet from the slide wrapped therewith.

Package take-out apparatus, package container thereof and unwrapping apparatus

A dry chemical analysis element cartridge includes a box-like cartridge casing in which a plurality of chemical analysis elements are stacked and are taken out through an element take-out port formed at one end of the cartridge casing. The inner dimension of the cartridge casing in the direction of the stack of the chemical analysis elements is smaller than the longitudinal and transverse dimensions of each of the chemical analysis elements.

Dry chemical analysis element cartridge

An analysis method using a dry chemical analysis element accurately measures change in optical density indicating the composition of a liquid sample without requiring accurate control of the amount and position of the liquid sample dripped on the dry chemical analysis element. A one-dimensional or two-dimensional optical reading apparatus measures one-dimensional or two-dimensional distribution of degree of color reaction for a reacted portion of the dry chemical analysis element. Concurrently, the one-dimensional or two-dimensional optical reading apparatus measures a length or a spread area of the reacted portion. Physical density or activity of a target component contained in the liquid sample is determined based on an integrated value of the degree of the color reaction and the measured length or the spread area of the reacted portion.

Analysis method using dry chemical analysis element

An unwrapping apparatus unwraps a slide pack wrapped with a wrapping sheet to obtain a slide contained therein. As paired rollers forward the slide pack, a squeezing member squeezes the slide backward within an unsealed space in the slide pack to form a wide cut allowance at the front edge of the slide pack. After the slide reaches the rear end of the unsealed space, nip pressure applied to the slide pack by the paired rollers is reduced to further forward the slide pack to a predetermined position. At the predetermined position, a cutter partially cuts the cut allowance to form a slit thereon. Then, the slide pack is transferred back by the paired rollers under a raised nip pressure which is sufficient to squeeze the slide out from the slit. Accordingly, the slide will be gradually separated from the wrapping sheet.

Unwrapping apparatus

A chemical analysis system for analyzing a sample liquid spotted on a chemical analysis element includes a blood filtering unit, a spotting mechanism which spots the filtrate of the blood filtering unit onto the chemical analysis element as the sample liquid, and an analyzer which analyzes the filtrate on the chemical analysis element. The blood filtering unit includes a filter which filters whole blood to obtain filtrate, a holder which holds the filter and has a blood inlet and a filtrate outlet, a suction system which is removably connected to the filtrate outlet side of the holder and applies a negative pressure to the holder from the filtrate outlet side, and a filtrate receiving container disposed on the filtrate outlet side of the holder to receive the filtrate.

Chemical analysis system and blood filtering unit

A method of continuously spotting a liquid onto a predetermined number of members to be spotted with the liquid includes the steps of mounting a disposable spotting tip on a suction nozzle, sucking the liquid in the spotting tip in a predetermined amount larger than the predetermined number times the amount for one spotting and discharging the liquid onto the members in sequence by the amount for one spotting by introducing a predetermined discharge pressure into the spotting tip. A signal related to the vapor pressure in atmosphere is obtained and the discharge pressure is corrected according to the change in the vapor pressure inside the spotting tip after the liquid is sucked in the spotting tip so that the same amount of the liquid is discharged onto all the members.

Liquid spotting method and liquid spotting device

Liquid spotting method

A biochemical analysis system includes a depositing mechanism which deposits a sample liquid on a chemical analysis slide having a reagent layer, an incubator which incubates the chemical analysis slide with the sample liquid at a predetermined temperature for a predetermined time, a transfer mechanism which loads the slide in the incubator and removes it therefrom, and an optical density measuring system which measures the optical density of the chemical analysis slide after incubation and determines the concentration of a specific biochemical component in the sample liquid through the optical density of the chemical analysis slide. The incubator has a rotary body in which a slide discarding hole is formed at the center thereof and a plurality of slide holding portions are formed to extend from the outer peripheral surface of the rotary body toward the center of the rotary body and communicate with the slide discarding hole. The transfer mechanism inserts the chemical analysis slides into the respective slide holding portions by moving each slide toward the center of the rotary body and drops the slides into the discarding hole after measurement by moving the slides further toward the center of the rotary body.

Biochemical analysis system

A predetermined amount of a liquid sample is accommodated in a sample spotting tip, which is fitted to a bottom end of a suction nozzle for sucking the liquid sample. Thereafter, the sample spotting tip is moved down, and the bottom end of the sample spotting tip is thereby brought into contact with a dry-type frameless chemical analysis film piece. The sample spotting tip is then moved up. The pressure inside the sample spotting tip is increased, while the sample spotting tip is thus being moved up. The liquid sample is thereby discharged from the sample spotting tip onto the dry-type frameless chemical analysis film piece.

Growing community of inventors

Kanagawa-ken, Japan

Akihiro Komatsu