An apparatus for decontaminating and storing lab instruments such as pipettes. A carousel feature of the apparatus provides convenient access and allows multiple items to be decontaminated at the same time. The ultraviolet lamp directs UV radiation to surface contaminations of the instruments and effectively eliminates various microorganisms.

A secure specimen sample bottle includes a base container for receiving a specimen. The base container has a plurality of locking protrusions formed along an inner surface of the base receptacle. A bottle includes a lock ring that has an upright spire structure that has a closed top end and the opposing open bottom end including a plurality of flexible fins that are configured to interlockingly mate with the locking protrusions so as to prevent removal of the lock ring relative to the base container upon engagement of the flexible fins to the locking protrusions. A removable cap is coupled to the lock ring.

A secure specimen sample bottle includes a base container for receiving a specimen. The base container has a plurality of locking protrusions formed along an inner surface of the base receptacle. A bottle includes a lock ring that has an upright spire structure that has a closed top end and the opposing open bottom end including a plurality of flexible fins that are configured to interlockingly mate with the locking protrusions so as to prevent removal of the lock ring relative to the base container upon engagement of the flexible fins to the locking protrusions. A removable cap is coupled to the lock ring.

The present disclosure describes an apparatus and method of improving temperature uniformity and suppressing well plate warping. In an embodiment, the apparatus includes a barrier configured to be positioned above at least one well configured to contain a liquid sample, where a vessel includes the at least one well, where the vessel is transparent and is configured to be placed within a measurement chamber, where a light measurement apparatus includes the measurement chamber, where the light measurement apparatus is configured to measure light scattered from the liquid sample, where the barrier is configured to seal the at least one well from the measurement chamber, and a weighted lid configured to press a bottom surface of the vessel against a well plate retainer of the measurement chamber, thereby spreading heat among the at least one well and preventing the vessel from warping.

The invention provides systems and methods for rapid automated identification of microbes and antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) directly from a patient specimen, without specimen preparation. Specimens are loaded into an analytical cartridge for processing. Analytical cartridges are preloaded with species-specific labels that are used to identify and enumerate microbes in the specimen. Instruments, such as analyzers can be used to interact with analytical cartridges to carry out methods of the invention all within the cartridge.

A cassette holder holds a cassette for medical use. It includes a cassette receiving portion that includes a bottom surface to which a lower surface of the cassette is brought into contact when the cassette is set, and a plate-shaped portion that is provided in the cassette receiving portion, has a substantially plate-like shape, and extends substantially parallel to the bottom surface, and a protrusion inside of which is hollow, the protrusion being provided to the bottom surface to protrude downward. The bottom surface and the protrusion are provided with a plurality of through holes.

A scheduling system includes a receiving system and a transfer system. The receiving system receives a carrier carrying a biological sample. The transfer system transfers the sample carrier between biochemical reaction platform and detection platform, so that a sample in the sample carrier performs a biochemical reaction on the biochemical reaction platform, and a signal from the reacted sample can be detected on the detection platform. The present disclosure further provides a scheduling method, a scheduling control system, a biochemical analysis system and device, and a computer-readable storage medium. The present disclosure improves a degree of automation of sample carrier scheduling, and realizes simultaneous analysis of multiple sample carriers to improve a testing throughput.

The present disclosure describes a microfluidic chip for culturing and in vitro testing of 3D organotypic cultures. The tests may be performed directly on the organotypic culture in the microfluidic chip. The microfluidic chip includes at least one microfluidic unit which includes two fluidic compartments, such as upper and lower, separated by a permeable supporting structure, one or more access opening for the fluidic compartments, and a set of lids interchangeable with a set of insets. The permeable support structure serves as a support for the organotypic culture. The upper and lower compartments may include inlets and outlets which allow fluids to be perfused into the lower compartment and fluids to be perfused into the upper compartment. The access opening may be closed with a lid or accommodate an inset.

A circuit with electrical interconnect for external electronic connection and sensor(s) on a die are combined with a laminated manifold to deliver a liquid reagent over an active surface of the sensor(s). The laminated manifold includes fluidic channel(s), an interface between the die and the fluidic channel(s) being sealed. Also disclosed is a method, the method including assembling a laminated manifold including fluidic channel(s), attaching sensor(s) on a die to a circuit, the circuit including an electrical interconnect, and attaching a planarization layer to the circuit, the planarization layer including a cut out for the die. The method further includes placing sealing adhesive at sides of the die, attaching the laminated manifold to the circuit, and sealing an interface between the die and fluidic channel(s).

A component extraction apparatus includes a rack placement part, a heater, an extraction medium supply part, a needle assembly, and a temperature sensor. When the container rack is mounted on the rack placement part, a heater is configured to heat the sample containers in direct or indirect contact with sample containers held by the container rack. The needle assembly holds a needle with a tip thereof pointing downward, and the needle being configured to connect a flow channel by inserting the tip thereof into a needle port provided on an upper surface of each of the sample containers. The temperature sensor is included in the needle assembly and is configured to detect a temperature of the upper surface of any one of the sample containers when the tip of the needle is inserted into the needle port of the one of the sample containers.