Cradles for draining liquid from containers are described herein. An example apparatus includes a housing having a bottom wall, a side wall and an open top. The housing is to receive a container having liquid. The example apparatus includes a probe extending upward from the bottom wall toward the open top and is to drain the liquid from the container when the probe is inserted into the container. The example apparatus also includes a sliding lock slidably disposed within the housing that receives a cap or top of the container when the container is inserted into the housing. The sliding lock includes a key slot. The sliding lock is movable when a cap or top of the container has a matching key that engages the key slot, which enables the sliding lock to move downward to expose the probe and drain the liquid from the container.

This invention is in the field of medical devices. Specifically, the present invention provides portable medical devices that allow real-time detection of analytes from a biological fluid. The methods and devices are particularly useful for providing point-of-care testing for a variety of medical applications.

The disclosed method of manufacturing may include positioning a membrane on top of a channeled layer where the channeled layer includes a shim portion that is dimensioned to limit the amount of compression appliable to the membrane. The membrane may be positioned at a juncture in the channeled layer. The method may next include positioning a transmission housing layer membrane and the channeled layer. The method may also include fastening the channeled layer, the membrane, and the transmission housing layer together. The channeled layer, the membrane, and the transmission housing layer may be held together with at least one fastening member. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.

Disclosed herein are various bioreactor devices and systems for growing cellular material, and related methods of growing cellular material. In some cases, a system can include a bioreactor system having one or more wells with at least one fluidic passageway coupled to each well to feed fluids to biological material being developed inside the well. In some cases, a bioreactor system can include a main body comprising the perimeter of the well and the fluidic passageways, a cover that forms the top of the well and provides optical access into the well, and a base that forms the bottom surface of the well. The cover and base can be attached and detached from the main body to seal the well closed and to physically access the contents of the well.

A microfluidic device with a microfluidic circuit including an array of fluidly coupled microchambers. Each microchamber includes a reaction chamber and an associated vent chamber. The microfluidic circuit may be arranged so that a fluid sample introduced to microfluidic device flows into the reaction chamber and air or other gas present in the reaction chamber is vented from the microchamber through the vent chamber. The microchamber may be configured to allow only the flow of air into the vent chamber from the reaction chamber until the air has been displaced from the reaction chamber by the fluid sample and/or a predefined volume of the fluid sample has been received in the reaction chamber. The microchamber may be further configured to release the fluid sample to thereafter flow from the reaction chamber into the vent chamber.

A storage system having racks and an outer container that receives the racks, each rack receiving a plurality of sample boxes, each box having a wireless ID tag. In certain embodiments, the storage system has reader electronics external to and distinct from the racks and that directly read the wireless ID tag of each box in at least one rack without relying on any reader electronics of any rack. In other embodiments, each rack has a set of rack reader electronics that read the wireless ID tag of each box in at least one rack, and the storage system has at least one removable reader access device removably connectable to the set of rack reader electronics of a rack in order to transmit the ID number of the wireless ID tag of each box in the rack outside of the outer container.

A method to extract, amplify and separate nucleic acid in a microfluidic device having a plurality of chambers and channels can include a) introducing cells having nucleic acid to a first chamber of the microfluidic device and subjecting the cells in the first chamber to conditions that lyse the cells. The method can further include b) subjecting the first chamber to centrifugal force, thereby allowing the lysate or a portion thereof having nucleic acid to be distributed to a second chamber through a first channel in the microfluidic device. The method can also include c) combining the lysate or the portion thereof and reagents for amplification of the nucleic acid, thereby providing a second mixture. The method can also include d) subjecting the second chamber to centrifugal force, thereby allowing gas to be expelled from the second mixture.

According to the present invention there is provided a method of molecule recovery using an assembly which comprises a first flow cell (2) which comprises comprising first ligands (4) which can bind to molecules, and a conduit which can selectively fluidly connect the first flow cell to a collection reservoir (39); the method comprising the steps of (a) flowing a sample fluid along the conduit into the first flow cell (2); (b) flowing a buffer fluid through at least a portion of the conduit, without flowing any of the buffer fluid through the first flow cell (2) so that sample fluid is maintained in the first flow cell (2) but said at least a portion of the conduit is cleaned by the buffer fluid; (c) flowing a buffer fluid through the first flow cell (2) to flush the sample fluid out of the first flow cell (2); (d) lowing a fluid through the first flow cell (2), along the conduit, and into the collection reservoir, so that molecules of the sample fluid which were bound to first ligands (4) and which have become dissociated from the ligand (4) are collected into the fluid which flows through the first flow cell (2) and are brought to the collection reservoir. There is provided a corresponding method for recovering molecules which passively dissociate from first ligands (4), and, a corresponding method for recovering molecules which actively dissociate from first ligands (4). There is further provided corresponding assemblies which can be used to implement the above-mentioned methods.

Apparatus for making a fluid flow connection includes a pair of complementary components having respective first and second flow passages, and respective formations engageable to join the components by press-fitting them together so that the passages are in fluid flow communication and the junction between them is sealed against leakage up to a pre-determined pressure of the fluid flow. The respective formations comprise, on one hand, a spike (30) including at least a portion (32) of the first flow passage opening at a tip (31) of the spike and a first guide surface (29) about the spike, and, on the other hand, a body (41) with a passageway (42) that, when the components are press-fitted together, sealingly receives the spike, and a second guide surface (47) about the passageway that slidingly engages the first guide surface.

A device for separating a reagent from a reactor includes a collecting means, provided with a liquid receiving port and a solid receiving port, a holding component disposed above the collecting means and used for placing the reactor, and a rotating mechanism for driving the holding component to rotate. The liquid receiving port and the solid receiving port are arranged at different positions in the circumferential direction of rotation of the holding component, when the holding component passes over the liquid receiving port, reagent in the reactor falls into the liquid receiving port, when the rotating mechanism continues rotating in the original direction until the holding component passes over the solid receiving port, the reactor falls into the solid receiving port from the holding component.