Ventana Medical Systems, Inc.

Accelerate Diagnostics, Inc.

Accelerate Giagnostics, Inc.

William L Richards

Wayne A Showalter

Charles Daniel Lemme

Kurt Reinhardt

Andrew Ghusson

Austin Micheil Ashby

Devon C Campbell

Glen Ward

Kimberly Christensen

Darin McDaniel

Anthony Ford

Vince Rizzo

Thomas M Grogan

Miroslav Holubec

Keith G Copeland

Kendall B Hendrick

Phillip C Miller

Stephen Earl Mead

Parula Mehta

Bronwen Heilman

Charles Nathan Hassen

Brian J McGraw

Paul Richards

Vincent R Rizzo

Phillip Charles Halbert

Steven W Metzger

Kevin David Marshall

Matthew Ketterer

Solene Bourgeois

Matthew Mette

David Bryant

Ethel R Macrea

Brian Howard Kram

Anthony L Hartman

Ben Turng

Brandon Ambler

Rick Griebel

Chris Borchert

Matthew Freeman

William Ross Humphreys

Bobbi Druyor-Sanchez

Wayne Showalter

Josh Harrison

Jasmin Cote

Alena Shamsheyeva

Oleg Gusyatin

Landon Prisbrey

Ken Hance

Meghan Mensack

Carlos Michel

Elke Allers

Dulini Gamage

Chad Wilkinson

Rodney Kugizaki

Alain L Larson

Catherine Wolf

Roberta Druyor-Sanchez

Kenneth Robert Hance

Mirek Holubec

Charles E Lemme

Solène Bourgeois

Lisa Jensen-Long

Kevin Knapp

Philip C Miller

Samuel W Crouch

Devon Campbell

Vincent Rizzo

An automated system is provided for performing slide processing operations on slides bearing biological samples. In one embodiment, the disclosed system includes a slide tray holding a plurality of slides in a substantially horizontal position and a workstation that receives the slide tray. In a particular embodiment, a workstation delivers a reagent to slide surfaces without substantial transfer of reagent (and reagent borne contaminants such as dislodged cells) from one slide to another. A method for automated processing of slides also is provided.

Automated high volume slide processing system

A system for automated microorganism identification and antibiotic susceptibility testing comprising a reagent cartridge, a reagent stage, a cassette, a cassette, stage, a pipettor assembly, an optical detection system, and a controller is disclosed. The system is designed to dynamically adjust motor idle torque to control heat load and employs a fast focus process for determining the true focus position of an individual microorganism. The system also may quantify the relative abundance of viable microorganisms in a sample using dynamic dilution, and facilitate growth of microorganisms in customized media for rapid, accurate antimicrobial susceptibility testing.

Instrument and system for rapid microorganism identification and antimicrobial agent susceptibility testing

A system for automated microorganism identification and antibiotic susceptibility testing comprising a reagent cartridge, a reagent stage, a cassette, a cassette, stage, a pipettor assembly, an optical detection system, and a controller is disclosed. The system is designed to dynamically adjust motor idle torque to control heat load and employs a fast focus process for determining the true focus position of an individual microorganism. The system also may quantify the relative abundance of viable microorganisms in a sample using dynamic dilution, and facilitate growth of microorganisms in customized media for rapid, accurate antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Automated quality control test components and methods of their use are also disclosed.

Instrument and system for rapid microogranism identification and antimicrobial agent susceptibility testing

An apparatus and method are described that achieve independent and simultaneous processing of a plurality of substrate-supported biological samples. In one embodiment, substrate holders arranged in a minor arc are independently moveable between a processing position and an access position, and reagents are delivered to substrates held in the substrate holders through a nozzle plate that moves along the arc of substrate holders. The disclosed apparatus and method are particularly suited for implementation of lean processing of biological samples.

Apparatus and method for biological sample processing

A method and apparatus for an automated biological reaction system is provided. In the processing of a biological reaction system, there is a need for consistently placing an amount of liquid on a slide. In order to accomplish this, several methods are used including a consistency pulse and a volume adjust means. Moreover, in order to reliably operate an automated biological reaction system, the dispenser must be reliable, easy to assemble and accurate. Among other things, in order to accomplish this, the dispense chamber is substantially in line with the reservoir chamber, the reservoir chamber piston is removed, and the flow of liquid through the dispenser is simplified. Further, in order to operate the automated biological reaction system more reliably, the system is designed in modular pieces with higher functions performed by a host device and the execution of the staining operations performed by remote devices. Also, to reliably catalog data which is used by the automated biological reaction system, data is loaded to a memory device, which in turn is used by the operator to update the operator's databases. The generation of the sequence of steps for the automated biological reaction device based on data loaded by the operator, including checks to determine the ability to complete the run, is provided.

Memory management method and apparatus for automated biological reaction system

A fluid dispenser useful in automated biological reaction systems comprising a barrel having a reservoir chamber, the barrel having an upper portion and a lower portion, a cap located on top of the upper portion of the barrel and connected to the reservoir chamber, the cap having an external surface with at least one hole therethrough, a valve comprising a biasing member and a hole sealer, the valve being located in the hole in the cap at the point where a downward force is applied against the cap, a coupler having a dispense chamber, the coupler being coaxial with the barrel and wherein the barrel lower portion moves into the dispense chamber during dispensing of fluid, and a vent located between the cap and the reservoir chamber, the vent including a vent opening and a vent material composed of oliophobic material.

Method and apparatus for modifying pressure within a fluid dispenser

A reagent management system for an automated biological reaction apparatus including an automated biological reaction apparatus including at least one reagent dispenser for applying a reagent to a sample, a memory device containing data for a reagent device selected from the group consisting of a reagent dispenser or a reagent kit used in the automated biological reaction apparatus, a host device comprising a processor and a host device memory connected to the processor, the host memory device including a reagent table, and a scanner for transferring the memory device data to the host device memory.

An automated slide processing apparatus includes a plurality of work stations arranged in a stack, and a transport/elevator for transporting slides between the various work stations.

Automated high volume slide staining system

Growing community of inventors

Tucson, AZ, United States of America

William L Richards