Qiagen Gaithersburg Inc.

Mesoscale Technologies, Llc.

Becton Dickinson and Company Limited

Carl Edens

Brian A Self

Jonathan Matthew Miller

Eli N Glezer

Bandele J Jeffrey-Coker

Sandor L Kovacs

Bradley Scott Thomas

Bert Jungheim

Christopher Frye

Andrew Leonard

Jiulin Xia

Bowen Cui

Nadia P Allen

Richard L Mantefuel

Suganthi Ramachandran

Jason Troxell

Fei Yin

Edward Medri

Peter Haviernik

The present invention relates to a system for performing assays on a solid phase to measure the level of analyte in a sample. Such a system may perform immunoassays using electrochemiluminescence (ECL) including a counterbalanced orbital shaking apparatus for assay consumables.

High throughput system for performing assays using electrochemiluminescence including a consumable shaking apparatus

The present invention relates to a system for performing assays on a solid phase to measure the level of analyte in a sample. Such a system may perform immunoassays using electrochemiluminescence (ECL) including a counterbalanced orbital shaking apparatus for assay consumables. The counterbalanced orbital shaking apparatus also incubates the assay consumables, and has a cooling system to maintain a preset temperature within the shaking apparatus.

An automated sample processing system having a sample input adapted to simultaneously receive a number of sample containers, a reagent input adapted to receive one or more new reagent supplies, a consumable input adapted to receive one or more new consumable supplies, a solid waste output adapted to receive used consumable supplies, a liquid waste output adapted to receive one or more used reagent supplies, and a processing center. The processing center includes a decapper adapted to remove a lid from at least one sample container, an aspirator adapted to remove a specimen from the at least one sample container and transfer the specimen to an output vessel, and a capper adapted to replace the lid on the at least one sample container. The system also includes a sample output adapted to receive the output vessel, and a user interface adapted to receive an input from the user to indicate the identity of the at least one sample container, and control at least one operation based on a physical property of the at least one sample container.

Open platform automated sample processing system

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 method for removing supernatant from a sample tube. The method includes providing a sample tube having a pellet at a bottom of the sample tube and a supernatant liquid above the pellet, visually inspecting the sample tube to determine one or more geometric properties of the pellet, and determining an expected height of a top surface of the pellet based on the one or more geometric properties determined in the visual inspection step. The method also includes inserting an aspirator into the supernatant liquid, moving the aspirator downwards towards the expected height of the top surface of the pellet, and aspirating the supernatant liquid through the aspirator.

Vision-guided aspiration apparatus and methods

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

An automated method for assuring sample adequacy. The method includes providing a sample in a testing container, activating an illumination source to pass an illumination beam through the testing container and into the sample, and detecting an intensity of an emitted beam. The emitted beam includes at least a portion of the illumination beam that has been scattered by the sample. The method also includes generating a sample turbidity measurement based on the intensity of the emitted beam, and determining, based on the sample turbidity measurement, an adequacy of the sample to provide accurate results in a primary test.

Ensuring sample adequacy using turbidity light scattering techniques

Open platform hybrid manual-automated sample processing system

An automated assay processing method including transferring a first number of samples from respective sample containers to a first intermediary vessel, determining the testing adequacy of a second number of samples in a second intermediary vessel, preparing a third number of samples in a third intermediary vessel for downstream testing; and transferring a fourth number of samples from a fourth intermediary vessel to an output sample tray. These steps are all performed essentially simultaneously within the duration of a single clock cycle and are repeated during one or more subsequent clock cycles. The clock cycle may be relative to each intermediary vessel. The clock cycle also may be universal to the first, second, third and fourth intermediary vessels.

Automated assay and system

A sample adequacy measurement system having sample tubes and a housing having a receptacle to receive the sample tubes. The housing has sample adequacy measurement stations that each have a light source and a sample detector. The light source generates an illumination beam directed into one of the sample tubes. The sample detector is positioned along the tube, and receives at least a portion of the illumination beam scattered by turbidity in the sample tube. The detector is positioned at the end of an emitted beam path that extends in a plane that is perpendicular to the vertical direction and is oriented at a non-perpendicular angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the sample tube unit. This reduce the likelihood that the emitted beam will pass through a damaged portion of the respective one of the sample tubes by passing the light through a protected portion of the tube.

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Highland, MD, United States of America

Carl Edens