Qiagen Gaithersburg Inc.

Bowen Cui

Bert Jungheim

Andrew Leonard

Bradley Scott Thomas

Carl Edens

Eric D Schneider

Brian A Self

Suganthi Ramachandran

Franklin Regan

Jason Troxell

Shubing Liu

Sharon Fluss

Peter Haviernik

Carl Theodore Edens

An automated sample tube decanting system having one or more decanting grippers, a decant waste receptacle, a transporter, and means for rotating the decanting gripper. Each decanting gripper has a respective holder configured to selectively mate with a respective interface on a tube strip. The one or more decanting grippers are rotatable between a first position in which the tube strip is upright and a second position in which the tube strip is inverted. The transporter is configured to move the one or more decanting grippers in a lateral direction from a starting location to a location above the decant waste receptacle.

Automated pelletized sample decanting apparatus and methods

An automated process for converting samples includes: receiving tube strips having a number of sample tubes and samples therein, transferring multiple tube strips to a tube strip holder, dispensing sample conversion buffer into each tube, shaking the tube strip holder a first time, centrifuging the tube strip holder, removing a liquid supernatant from each tube, simultaneously inspecting the contents of each tube, dispensing a specimen transport medium and a denaturation reagent into each tube, shaking the tube strip holder a second time, heating the tube strip holder for a first length of time, shaking the tube strip holder a third time, heating the tube strip holder for a second length of time, shaking the tube strip holder a fourth time, and transferring at least a portion of each sample to a respective well on an output plate.

Sample processing method using tube strips and tube strip holder

A cover for covering an array of sample tubes during an incubation process. The cover has an upper panel and protrusions extending downward from the upper panel. Each protrusion has an upper seal and a lower seal. The upper seal includes a first conical section that tapers from a first diameter that is larger than the inside diameter of a corresponding sample tube to a second diameter that is smaller than the inside diameter of the corresponding sample tube. The lower seal includes a cylindrical section extending downward from the bottom of the first conical section. The cylindrical section has a diameter selected to create a capillary seal, in the presence of a liquid, between the cylindrical section and an adjacent portion of an inner wall of the corresponding sample tube.

Condensation-reducing incubation cover

Growing community of inventors

Rockville, MD, United States of America

Bowen Cui