Bioscale, Inc.

Peter Wight Falb

Brett P Masters

David Brancazio

Eric A France

Michael Francis Miller

Matthew Kavalauskas

Joshua R Ormsby

Walker Sloan

A system for processing analytes in samples includes an instrument and a cartridge. The cartridge includes fluid inputs, input and output valve assemblies, processing devices, fluid reservoirs, and channels for carrying samples from the fluid inputs to the fluid reservoirs. The valve assemblies include valves adapted to form a sealed fluid chamber in response to force applied by a movable head assembly of the instrument. Each fluid reservoir is adapted to mate and align with an air displacement pump interface member. A valve assembly includes a recess wall surrounding a recess and a valve assembly wall surrounding both the recess and the recess wall. The recess wall and the valve assembly walls are adapted to mate with and seal against a flexible sheet covering the recess, the recess wall, and the valve assembly wall. The cartridge and instrument include complementary features for finely and coarsely aligning instrument assemblies with portions of the cartridge.

Method and apparatus for analyte processing

An apparatus includes a housing having a support surface to support a cartridge, a socket attached to the housing, and an actuator associated with the socket. The socket surface includes one or more socket positioning members, a plurality of electrical contacts and a plurality of magnets. The socket is configured to move relative to the support surface of the housing, with the one or more socket positioning members located in a fixed relation to the plurality of electrical contacts so that when the socket is spaced proximate to the support surface of the housing, the one or more socket positioning members engage with the one or more cartridge positioning members to align the plurality of electrical contacts of the socket with the plurality of electrical contact pads of the cartridge. The actuator is configured to align each magnet with a respective fluid conduit of the processing device.

The invention relates to a fluidic system that includes a body structure having a chamber disposed therein. The fluidic system includes at least one fluid input at a first end of the chamber and at least one fluid output at a second end of the chamber. The fluidic system also includes a sensor device (e.g., an acoustic device) having a surface defining a portion of a surface of the chamber. The fluidic system also includes a first surface at the first end of the chamber oriented at an oblique or arcuate (e.g., curved) angle relative to the surface of the sensor device to direct fluid through the chamber.

Fluidic system with improved flow characteristics

The invention relates to a cartridge for processing a sample and methods for aligning a cartridge. The cartridge includes a processing device for processing a sample, a body having a surface and bounded by at least one edge, and a plurality of positioning members defined by the surface for aligning the processing device relative to a conduit defined by the body between a cartridge input and a cartridge output.

Growing community of inventors

Hingham, MA, United States of America

Peter Wight Falb