Hitachi-high-technologies Corporation

Hitachi High-tech Corporation

Kohshi Maeda

Daisuke Morishima

Masato Ishizawa

Minoru Sano

Wataru Sato

Terumi Tamura

Yasunori Shoji

Manami Nammoku

Shuhei Yamamoto

Ryoji Inaba

Motohiro Yamazaki

Muneo Maeshima

Hironori Kaji

Hiroyuki Higashino

Toshinari Sakurai

Makiko Takahashi

Yoshiyuki Shoji

Nobuyuki Isoshima

Takuya Matsui

Yuichiro Ota

Nobuyoshi Shimane

Chie Sugiyama

Takehiko Hosoiri

Kunihiko Soma

Provided is a highly reliable temperature adjustment apparatus which uses a temperature adjustment element and quantitatively evaluates the temperature adjustment performance of the temperature adjustment element. The temperature adjustment apparatus is provided with: a temperature adjustment element; one or more temperature detection elements provided near the temperature adjustment element; a calculation unit for calculating the output of the temperature detection element; and a display unit for displaying at least one of a time calculated by the calculation unit as a time at which the temperature adjustment performance of the temperature adjustment is predicted to be below a desired level, the number of operations and the time of current conduction or a warning based on the result of calculation.

Temperature adjustment apparatus

The purpose of the invention is to provide a nucleic acid analyzer that sets and executes temperature regulation, said temperature regulation matching the characteristics of analyzing items and the configuration of the analyzer, by a simple operation while preventing deterioration in analytical performance caused by partial overheating of a liquid reaction mixture to thereby improve temperature change speed and shorten analysis time. To achieve the above purpose, provided is a method wherein, in the case of performing overshooting: as a first processing, the temperature is continuously elevated until reaching a target overshoot temperature; as a second processing, after reaching the aforesaid temperature, the overshoot target temperature is maintained for a preset period of time; and, as a third processing, the temperature is continuously lowered until reaching a target temperature of the liquid reaction mixture. By executing the first to third processings, regulation is conducted so that temperature measurement values are in a trapezoidal form.

Nucleic acid analyzer

An automatic analyzer including a function for operating control materials and its operation method are provided. The analyzer is configured to start sampling by giving priority to an entirety of control materials corresponding to all assay items required for measurement. The analyzer is also configured to automatically start sampling of a patient specimen based on a preliminarily set sampling timing after completion of sampling of the entirety of control materials. The analyzer is also configured to stop, when an abnormality is present in a measurement result of at least any one of control materials in the group of control materials, sampling of a patient specimen corresponding to a control material in which the abnormality is found, and notify a tester of the abnormality.

Operation method for control materials and automated analyzer

Provided is an automatic analysis device capable of reducing a reagent cost. In the present invention, in each mixed reagent preparation cycle, an amount of mixed reagent for N analyses is mixed and prepared, and an amount of mixed reagent for one analysis is dispensed from the amount of mixed reagent for N analyses and used to analyze one sample. Minimum (Nmin) and maximum (Nmax) values for N are determined for a control unit beforehand, and if the analysis of J samples is requested, the control unit sets the value of N at the time of a mixed reagent preparation cycle within a range from Nmin to Nmax so as to minimize the remaining mixed reagent.

Automatic analysis device

A nucleic acid analysis device is provided that is capable of quickly detecting device abnormalities, and the like. This device is provided with a temperature control block () for holding a tube () that includes a sample, a photometer (), and a device diagnosis unit. The photometer () is provided with an LED () for irradiating light toward the temperature control block () in a state in which the tube () is held and a fluorescence detector () for receiving light emitted by the sample in response to the irradiation of light from the LED (). The device diagnosis unit causes the LED () to irradiate light toward the temperature control block () in a state in which the tube () is not held, causes the fluorescence detector () to detect the resulting scattered light, and diagnoses the photometer () on the basis of the intensity of the scattered light.

Nucleic acid analysis device and diagnosis method

A nucleic acid extractor reducing the possibility of cross contamination and a gene analysis apparatus having a nucleic acid amplification function and a detection function are provided. The nucleic acid extractor has a kit for nucleic acid extraction using silica-coated magnetic beads under the presence of a chaotropic agent, and includes a magnet coveraccommodating a magnetin the inside and separating the magnetand a reaction container, a wall partcovering the outside of the reaction containerin a state of accommodating at least a portion of the magnet coverin the reaction container, and a upper portioncovering a space above the reaction containerin a state of accommodating at least a portion of the magnet coverin the reaction container. Scattering of liquid and aerosol can be prevented and the possibility of cross contamination can be reduced.

Kit for nucleic acid extraction and a nucleic acid extractor

A nucleic acid analysis apparatus capable of selecting an optimal analysis method for every user and improving throughput is provided. In a genetic analyzer for measuring and analyzing amplification reaction of a nucleic acid in real time, an amplification curve is analyzed and a user can select conditions for terminating the amplification reaction upon detection of amplification. Further, a user can select conditions for selecting next processing after termination of the amplification reaction. A user can select, in situ, conditions for terminating the amplification reaction and conditions for selecting next processing upon detection of amplification and after the termination of amplification reaction. Alternatively, conditions for terminating the amplification reaction and conditions for selecting the next processing are registered previously and processing is performed automatically upon detection of amplification and after termination of the amplification reaction.

Genetic analyzer

According to a conventional technique, when a calibrated temperature measuring probe is used for correcting the temperature absolute values of individually temperature-controllable thermal control blocks, a temperature difference of a maximum of 0.5&#xb0; C. remains between the thermal control blocks. According to the present invention, the melting temperature of a temperature calibration sample housed in a reaction vessel corresponding to each of the temperature control blocks is measured as a measured melting temperature. The measured melting temperature corresponding to each of the thermal control blocks and the reference melting temperature of the temperature calibration sample are compared, and the temperature absolute value of each of the thermal control blocks is corrected based on respective difference values.

Nucleic acid amplification apparatus and nucleic acid analysis apparatus

A chilled reagent container comprises a reagent vessel containing part for containing therein a plurality of reagent vessels, a container lid including a container lid hole through which the reagent vessels contained by the reagent vessel containing part are accessible, and a cooling block for cooling the reagent vessels contained by the reagent vessel containing part, wherein the container lid slides to be changeable between an opened situation wherein the reagent is accessible from an outside and a closed situation wherein the reagent is prevented from being accessed from the outside, wherein the chilled reagent container further comprises a reagent container packing including another hole through which the reagent vessels are accessible and arranged between the container lid and the reagent vessel containing part to be pressed against the container lid.

Chilled reagent container and nucleic acid analyzer

This invention relates to a nucleic acid analyzer comprising: reaction containers capable of containing nucleic-acid-containing samples and reagents; an incubation mechanism capable of controlling temperatures of reaction containers set at different levels; an analysis mechanism for analyzing the samples contained in the reaction containers; and a transport mechanism for transporting a reaction container. In accordance with the assay technique to be performed on a nucleic-acid-containing sample, the transport mechanism transports a reaction container to a given incubation mechanism in a given order. The reaction container subjected to the process of sample preparation is transported to the analysis mechanism at a given time and the sample is analyzed.

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Kohshi Maeda