Chen & Chen, LLC

Roche Molecular Systems, Inc.

Iquum, Inc.

Other

Iqumm, Inc.

Shuqi Chen

Lingjun Chen

Bertrand Lemieux

Zihua Wang

Kevin R Kopczynski

Lingiun Chen

Truman B Bradley

A method of processing a sample may include introducing a sample into a vessel, the vessel having proximal and distal ends, the sample being introduced into the proximal end of the vessel; incubating the sample in the vessel with a substance capable of specific binding to a preselected component of the sample; propelling components of the incubated sample, other than the preselected component, toward the proximal end of the vessel by clamping the vessel distal to the incubated sample and compressing the vessel where the incubated sample is contained; propelling the preselected component toward a distal segment of the vessel by clamping the vessel proximal to the preselected component and compressing the vessel where the preselected component is contained; and mixing the preselected component with a reagent in the distal segment of the vessel.

Sample processing methods

A sample vessel may include a segmented tubule having an opening for receiving a sample material and at least one compressible section, the at least one compressible section having a wall constructed at least partially from a material having sufficient flexibility to permit compression of opposed sections of the wall into contact, and at least two segments of the tubule being fluidically isolated from one another by a bonding of opposed sections of the tubule wall to one another. The sample vessel may also include an interface in fluid communication with the opening in the tubule, the interface facilitating delivery of a sample material to the tubule through the opening.

Sample vessels

Provided herein is a sample processing apparatus including a sample-containing vessel and a thermal cycling apparatus, wherein the vessel has at least 3 fluidically isolated segments that are each thermally conductive, compressible, and expandable. The thermal cycling unit is capable of amplifying extracted nucleic acid and has at least a first processing station and a second processing station, each processing station defining a temperature zone, wherein thermal cycling is performed by alternatively transferring the contents of the sample vessel between the at least two processing stations.

Sample processing device for pretreatment and thermal cycling

A sample vessel may include a segmented tubule and an interface receiving the tubule. The segmented tubule may include an opening for receiving a sample material and at least one compressible section, the at least one compressible section having a wall constructed at least partially from a material having sufficient flexibility to permit compression of opposed sections of the wall into contact with one another, and at least two segments of the tubule being fluidically isolated from one another by a bonding of a fluid-tight seal between opposed sections of the tubule wall, wherein said fluid-tight seal irreversibly opens upon application of fluid pressure greater than a threshold value to permit selective fluid communication between the opposed sections. The interface may facilitate delivery of a sample material to the tubule through the opening.

A sample processing vessel may include a branch segment and at least two tracks. The at least two tracks may be fluidly isolated from one another by a permanent seal. The tracks may be segmented by breakable seals. The branch segment may be temporarily isolated from the tracks by breakable seal(s) and put in fluid communication with the tracks once those seal(s) are broken, such that fluid received by the branch segment is divided into portions that pass into both tracks.

Sample multiprocessing

A sample processing device may include an opening, a sample pretreatment unit, a thermal cycling reaction unit, and a detection unit.

A thermal cycling method may include adding a sample to a sample vessel, placing the sample vessel into a thermal cycler having a processing unit with three processing stations, compressing the sample vessel with the first compression member, transferring energy to the sample with the second energy transfer element, transferring energy to the sample with the third energy transfer element, compressing the sample vessel with the third compression member, and transferring energy to the sample with the first energy transfer element.

Thermal cycling methods

A sample testing system may include a vessel comprising at least two flexible compartments and a self-sealing injection channel. The injection channel may be capable of (a) being in fluid communication with at least one of the flexible compartments, and (b) being pierced by a needle in fluid communication with a reagent reservoir. The system may further include a housing, a cavity in the housing, so sized and shaped to receive the vessel, at least one contact member, and a sensor to sense a condition of a fluid sample in the vessel and to generate an output signal indicative of that condition. The contact member may be so positioned as to be engageable with one of the flexible compartments when the vessel is in the cavity and as to compress the engaged flexible compartment, thereby driving fluid flow from the engaged flexible compartment to the other of the at least two compartments of the vessel. The vessel may include a wall constructed of a flexible material permitting substantial compression of the vessel.

Fluid sample testing system

A device for processing a biological sample includes a processing unit having at least one opening to receive a sample vessel and a plurality of processing stations positioned along the opening. The processing stations each have a compression member adapted to compress the sample vessel within the opening and thereby move a substance within the sample vessel among the processing stations. An energy transfer element can be coupled to one or more of the processing stations for transferring thermal energy to the content at a processing station.

Thermal cycling

A sample processing cartridge may include a plurality of segments arranged in an array at least two rows long and two columns wide. Each segment may be defined by at least one wall of the sample cartridge, fluidly isolated from adjacent segments at least in part by at least one breakable seal or by at least one permanent seal, so expandable as to receive a volume of fluid expelled from another segment, and so compressible as to contain substantially no fluid when so compressed. At least two adjacent segments of at least one row of the array may be aligned along a longitudinal axis of the row and have substantially the same height along a latitudinal axis of the row. At least two adjacent segments in at least one row may be separated by a permanent seal to form at least two tracks. At least one segment, or at least two adjacent segments separated by a breakable seal, may be in fluid communication with the at least two tracks. At least one segment may contain at least one reagent.

A sample processing tubule may include a first segment, a second segment, and a third segment. Each segment may be defined by the tubule, may be fluidly isolated, at least in part by a breakable seal, may be so expandable as to receive a volume of fluid expelled from another segment, and may be so compressible as to contain substantially no fluid when so compressed. Each segment may contain at least one reagent.

Sample processing

A sample testing system may include a housing, a cavity in the housing to receive a chamber, two contact members, and a sensor. The contact members may be positioned to be engageable with respective portions of the chamber inserted in the cavity, and to compress those respective portions, thereby driving fluid flow. A sample testing system may include a housing, a cavity in the housing to receive a chamber, at least one contact member, and a sensor. The at least one contact member may be positioned to be engageable with a first segment of the chamber when the chamber is in the cavity, and to compress the first segment, thereby defining a gap of the first segment of the chamber and a reservoir in at least a second segment of the chamber.

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Framingham, MA, United States of America

Shuqi Chen