Hoffmann-la Roche Inc.

F. Hoffmann-la Roche Ag

Hamilton Bonaduz Ag

Fraunhofer-gesellschaft Zur Foerderung Der Angewandten Forschung E.v.

Weidmann Plastics Technology Ag

Thomas Zumstein

Tom Kissling

Dieter Voegelin

Christof Fattinger

Remo Anton Hochstrasser

Urs Schwitter

Manfred Kansy

Patrick Iaiza

Jens Grosch

Carsten Etzold

Tobias Seiler

Christoph Fattinger

Frédéric Ran

André Alker

Claudia Mcginnis

Andrea Traube

A cell separation apparatus a container for reception of a cell suspension and a conduit connected to the container for the conveyance of cell suspension out of the container. The conduit extends along a notional conduit path passing centrally through the conduit, the conduit path defining in the conduit an axial direction proceeding along the conduit path, a radial direction orthogonal to the conduit path, and a circumferential direction proceeding around the conduit path. A segment of the conduit constitutes a turbulent flow segment including a flow configuration. The flow configuration includes at least two axial configuration segments located axially behind one another to accelerate a cell suspension.

Cell separation device and use of a flow formation for the cell separation device

In a method of analyzing solid form properties of a substance, which including the step of solidifying the substance, the solidified substance is obtained in one of a plurality of wells of a multi-well plate. In the multi-well plate the at least one of the plurality of wells has a bottom made of a thermoplastic polyimide. The method further includes analyzing the solidified substance in the well of the multi-well plate by X-ray diffraction. Thereby, the analysis includes providing X-ray through the solidified substance and a bottom of the well and evaluating the X-ray which passed the solidified substance and the bottom of the well. Such method and multi-well plate provide a durable and cost efficient system allowing a high quality analysis of solid form properties of the substance and an efficient and safe processing of the substance.

Preparing and analyzing solid form properties of a substance

A fluid supply interface includes a line component having a first coupling formation for the temporary coupling of a first fluid channel, a second coupling formation for the temporary coupling of a second fluid channel, and a third coupling formation for the temporary or permanent coupling of a third fluid channel, each of said coupling formations being penetrated by a fluid line section, wherein in the line component, a fluid line assembly is formed, by means of which each fluid line section of the first, second and third coupling formations is or can be connected to each fluid line section of the other two coupling formations for the purpose of fluid transport.

Fluid supply interface, in particular for supplying cell culture containers, comprising fluid channels variably connectable to the fluid line

An apparatus () for the automatic testing of substances for carcinogenicity comprises: a plate support () on which at least one micro-well plate () can be placed; a movable pipetting unit () comprising a predetermined number of pipettes (); a number of containers () containing a liquid culture medium (), the number of containers () corresponding to the number of pipettes () of the pipetting unit (); a dish support () on which a corresponding number of dishes () can be placed, each having a bottom and an upstanding side wall (); a plurality of spinners () for spinning the dishes (); a plurality of suction cups () for placing a lid () on each of the dishes; and a plurality of laterally arranged belts () for transporting the closed dishes () to an intermediate storage ().

Process and apparatus for testing substances for potential carcinogenicity

Sample handling system for handling samples contained in tubes (), each tube () having a hollow body, a closed bottom and an open top for accessing the sample contained in the tube (). The system comprises a micro-plate () comprising at least one grid insert () having a plurality of compartments. Each compartment comprises one or more side walls laterally confining a through-hole for receiving a said tube (). The through-hole has a top opening and a bottom opening and extends between the top opening and the bottom opening. A frame () to which the at least one separate grid insert () is to be attached to form the micro-plate (). The frame () laterally confines a through-opening which is dimensioned to allow for accessing each compartment () of the attached at least one grid insert () from above and from below. This allows for moving such tube () into and out of each compartment () through each of the top opening () and the bottom opening () of the through-hole ().

Sample handling system

A hanging droplet plate () comprises a predetermined number of droplet compartments () each being capable of receiving a droplet of a liquid. The respective droplet compartment () comprises a circumferential microfluidic wetting barrier () which is arranged to surround a respective cavity () and which prevents a droplet from spreading beyond the microfluidic wetting barrier (). The respective compartment () comprises a closed bottom () and at least one additional circumferential microfluidic wetting barrier (), each additional circumferential microfluidic wetting barrier () which is arranged to surround a preceding circumferential microfluidic wetting barrier (). A wettable area () is arranged between two adjacently arranged microfluidic wetting barriers ().

Hanging droplet plate

A robotic microplate storage system includes a freezer room having freezing units and a first robot for moving and removing microplates into and out of the freezing unit. The first robot can also transfer microplates to a processing station, where the microplates are stored in a microplate recipient within the freezing unit. The storage system may also include at least one processing room which is thermally separated from the freezer room. Each processing room may include a processing station having a tube transfer module and a second robot for moving the microplates between the microplate recipients and the tube transfer module. The first robot may be designed such that it is only capable of removing a microplate recipient from and moving it into a freezing unit as well as transferring it from a freezing unit to a processing station or vice versa.

System and method for robotic storage of microplates

A stacker () for storing a plurality of microplates each having a top surface side and a bottom surface side opposed to the top surface side, comprises a housing and a removal gate () for removing a microplate of the plurality of microplates out of the housing. The stacker () is arranged to accommodate the plurality of microplates inside the housing such that the top surface side of one microplate of the plurality of microplates abuts on the bottom surface side of an adjacent microplate of the plurality of microplates and such that the housing adjoins to the plurality of microplates. Using such a stacker, the plurality of microplates can be arranged and stored in a compact manner wherein the single microplates of the plurality of microplates can still selectively and efficiently be accessed. Further, due to the controlled access to the plurality of microplates being arranged inside the housing of the described stackervia the removal gate, icing of the microplates can be minimized when the stacker is cooled for long term storage of samples arranged inside the microplates.

Growing community of inventors

Weil am Rhein, Germany

Thomas Zumstein