A method for counting blood cells in a sample of whole blood. The method comprises the steps of: (a) providing a sample of whole blood; (b) depositing the sample of whole blood onto a slide, e.g., a microscope slide; (c) employing a spreader to create a blood smear; (d) allowing the blood smear to dry on the slide; (e) measuring absorption or reflectance of light attributable to the hemoglobin in the red blood cells in the blood smear on the slide; (f) recording a magnified two-dimensional digital image of the area of analysis identified by the measurement in step (e) as being of suitable thickness for analysis; and (g) collecting, analyzing, and storing data from the magnified two-dimensional digital image.
Optionally, steps of fixing and staining of blood cells on the slide can be employed in the method.

The invention relates to a method for sample preparation on a spectrometric sample support, comprising the steps of: (i) providing the sample support with an arrangement of individual liquid droplets, for example of washing liquid or nutrient solution, each of which has microorganism sediments enclosed in it; (ii) locating a plate of an absorbent material containing cotton fibers, for example, above the sample support; (iii) lowering the plate vertically onto the sample support in such a way that microorganism sediments and plate come into contact, whereby the droplets of liquid are absorbed into the absorbent material; (iv) lifting the plate, which is locally enriched with droplet liquid, off the sample support, thereby exposing the microorganism sediments that are depleted of liquid; and (v) preparing the exposed microorganism sediments for spectrometric measurement, by means of infrared spectrometry or MALDI time-of-flight mass spectrometry, for example.

A method is provided for preparing a sample of a specimen to be analysed from a thin-layer plate in thin-layer chromatography. The sample is removed from a surface of the thin-layer plate by means of a blade disposed at a receiving opening of a cannula and fed through the cannula to a specimen chamber connected to the cannula. A reduced pressure can be generated in the specimen chamber to suck the sample removed from the thin-layer plate by means of the cannula through the receiving opening into and through the cannula and into the specimen chamber. After removal and feed of the sample, the specimen chamber can be filled with a solvent to dissolve the sample. The cannula with the blade can be deflected against a spring force or the blade can be deflected against a spring force relative to the receiving opening of the cannula at the receiving opening of the cannula to prevent the blade from penetrating into the thin-layer plate with an excessive contact pressure during the removal of the sample from the thin-layer plate.

A marking system (10) includes a tissue holder (14) which has a cover (16). An inner surface of the cover (16) is coated with a donor layer (18). A pulsed laser (20) emits a laser pulse sufficient to transfer material from the donor layer (18) onto tissue (12) held in the tissue holder (14) by means of a laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT) technique, and the material transferred to the tissue (12) creates a mark on the tissue (12).

Sample handling, processing and analysis methods and apparatus are described. According to one aspect, a sample processing method includes providing a sample, providing a reference frame which comprises a plurality of markers arranged in a predefined pattern, wherein individual ones of the markers are uniquely identifiable from others of the markers, and associating the reference frame comprising the markers with the sample. The markers are amenable to human or machine reading and for computational manipulation in some examples.

Systems and methods for automated laser microdissection are disclosed including automatic slide detection, position detection of cutting and capture lasers, focus optimization for cutting and capture lasers, energy and duration optimization for cutting and capture lasers, inspection and second phase capture and/or ablation in a quality control station and tracking information for linking substrate carrier or output microdissected regions with input sample or slide.

The present disclosure provides devices, systems, and methods, for performing biological and chemical assays.

A method for examining and processing a microscopic sample arranged on a slide includes producing reference markings on the slide by a laser beam of a laser microdissection system. A digital image of the sample and the reference markings on the slide is produced by a digital optical imaging device. An image region is defined and first position information data which indicate a position of the image region is generated. The reference markings are identified in the image and second position information data which indicate a position of the reference markings in the image is generated. The reference markings are identified, and third position information data which indicate the position of the reference markings in the laser microdissection system is generated. The first, second and third position information data are correlated and a sample region which corresponds to the image region is processed.

The present invention is related to correct the errors in instruments, operation, and others using intelligent monitoring structures and machine learning, and others.

A method for counting blood cells in a sample of whole blood. The method comprises the steps of: (a) providing a sample of whole blood; (b) depositing the sample of whole blood onto a slide, e.g., a microscope slide; (c) employing a spreader to create a blood smear; (d) allowing the blood smear to dry on the slide; (e) measuring absorption or reflectance of light attributable to the hemoglobin in the red blood cells in the blood smear on the slide; (f) recording a magnified two-dimensional digital image of the area of analysis identified by the measurement in step (e) as being of suitable thickness for analysis; and (g) collecting, analyzing, and storing data from the magnified two-dimensional digital image.
Optionally, steps of fixing and staining of blood cells on the slide can be employed in the method.