A method of analysis using mass spectrometry and/or ion mobility spectrometry is disclosed comprising: (a) using a first device to generate smoke, aerosol or vapour from a target in vitro or ex vivo cell population; (b) mass analysing and/or ion mobility analysing said smoke, aerosol or vapour, or ions derived therefrom, in order to obtain spectrometric data; and (c) analysing said spectrometric data in order to identify and/or characterise said target cell population or one or more cells and/or compounds present in said target cell population.

Methods and devices to monitor an analyte in body fluid are provided. Embodiments include continuous or discrete acquisition of analyte related data from a transcutaneously positioned in vivo analyte sensor automatically or upon request from a user. The in vivo analyte sensor is coupled to an electronics unit holding a memory with instruction to cause processing circuitry to initiate a predetermined time period that is longer than a predetermined life of the sensor, during the predetermined time period, convert signals from the sensor related to glucose to respective corresponding glucose levels, without relying on any post-manufacture independent analyte measurements from a reference device, and at the expiration of the predetermined time period, disable, deactivate, or cease use of one or more feature.

Devices that includes a first portion, the first portion including at least one fluid channel; a fluid actuator; an analysis sensor disposed within the fluid channel; a conductivity sensor disposed within the fluid channel; and an introducer; a second portion, the second portion comprising: at least one well, the well containing at least one material, wherein one of the first or second portion is moveable with respect to the other, wherein the introducer is configured to obtain at least a portion of the material from the at least one well and deliver it to the fluid channel, and wherein the fluid actuator is configured to move at least a portion of the material in the fluid channel.

Methods and apparatus for long read, label-free, optical nanopore long chain molecule sequencing. In general, the present disclosure describes a novel sequencing technology based on the integration of nanochannels to deliver single long-chain molecules with widely spaced (>wavelength), ˜1-nm aperture “tortuous” nanopores that slow translocation sufficiently to provide massively parallel, single base resolution using optical techniques. A novel, directed self-assembly nanofabrication scheme using simple colloidal nanoparticles is used to form the nanopore arrays atop nanochannels that unfold the long chain molecules. At the surface of the nanoparticle array, strongly localized electromagnetic fields in engineered plasmonic/polaritonic structures allow for single base resolution using optical techniques.

The invention relates to an optical method for detecting at least one target molecule (TM) contained in a sample at a determined concentration, which comprises: (a) bringing a sample containing the TM into contact, in a liquid medium, with a solution containing nanoparticles (NPs), the surface of the NPs having been coated or functionalised with at least one type of specific bioreceptor (BR) of the target molecule to be detected (NP-BR), such that the BRs specifically recognise the TM, thus forming conjugates of the NP-BRs with the TMs (NP-BR-TMs); (b) separating the nanoparticles conjugates (NP-BR-TMs and/or NP-BRs) formed in the previous step; (c) bringing the nanoparticles conjugates (NP-BR-TMs and/or NP-BRs) into contact with a sensor surface of an optical transducer that operates by means of reflection and/or transmission, the response of which is based on optical interference, the sensor surface being functionalised by immobilising thereon: (i) the target molecule (TM) or (ii) at least one specific bioreceptor of the target molecule, which may be of the same type (BR) or of another type (BR1); and (d) determining the optical reading on the sensor surface by means of change in the interference response of the optical transducer, caused by change in the real part of the refractive index as a result of the NP conjugates recognised on the sensor surface, and/or by means of change in intensity in the interference response, caused by variation in intensity as a result of dispersion or as a result of variation in the complex part of the refractive index of the NP conjugates, or by means of a combination of both effects amplification in the interference response by refractive index and scattering.

A device for storing and dispensing strips, including at least one cartridge which includes a recess including a first portion with a base shaped to receive at least one strip, the storage device further including at least one dispensing member including a projection with a contact surface shaped to cover at least a first end of each strip, wherein the dispensing member is at least partially housed in a second portion of the cartridge recess, the first portion of the recess and the second portion of the recess are connected by an angled intermediate portion and the dispensing member is configured to be rotatable between a rest position in which the projection extends away from the angled intermediate portion and an operating position in which the projection converges with the angled intermediate portion so as to at least press the first end of each strip against the angled intermediate portion.

A method of operating a pore field-effect transistor (FET) sensor for detecting particles, wherein the pore FET sensor comprises a FET wherein a gate is controlled by a pore filled by a fluid, comprises: controlling a first voltage (V.sub.cis) to set the FET in a subthreshold region; controlling a second voltage (V.sub.trans) to set a voltage difference between the first and second voltages (V.sub.trans) such that an effective difference in gate voltage experienced between a minimum and a maximum effective gate voltage during movement of a particle in the fluid is at least kT/q; and detecting a drain-source current in the FET, wherein the particle passing through the pore modulates the drain-source current for detecting presence of the particle.

An apparatus and method for performing analysis and identification of molecules have been presented. In one embodiment, a portable molecule analyzer includes a sample input/output connection to receive a sample, a nanopore-based sequencing chip to perform analysis on the sample substantially in real-time, and an output interface to output result of the analysis.

The present patent of invention relates to a reader device for biological samples used in the field of remote laboratory tests (TLR), for clinical diagnostic purposes, based on an optimized design constituted by a cowling (C) with inlet port (OE) and with switch (I); by a holding support (SS) containing a mirror (ES), two batteries (BT), two reading illumination arrays (BIL), operational status illumination arrays (BIS) and an elevator support (SE); by an elevator (EL); by an electronics board (PE) with energy loading circuit (PE-1), with supply circuit (PE-2), with processor (PE-3), with Bluetooth® device (PE-4) and with position sensor (PE-5); and by a base (BA) with software that reads various types of biological samples, the present invention providing the advantages of: ease of use, optimized operating flows, ease of training, modularity, compactness, reduced size, portability, lightness of weight, ergonomic design, used-friendliness, enhanced practically and low cost.

The present patent of invention relates to a reader device for biological samples used in the field of remote laboratory tests (TLR), for clinical diagnostic purposes, based on an optimized design constituted by a cowling (C) with inlet port (OE) and with switch (I); by a holding support (SS) containing a mirror (ES), two batteries (BT), two reading illumination arrays (BIL), operational status illumination arrays (BIS) and an elevator support (SE); by an elevator (EL); by an electronics board (PE) with energy loading circuit (PE-1), with supply circuit (PE-2), with processor (PE-3), with Bluetooth® device (PE-4) and with position sensor (PE-5); and by a base (BA) with software that reads various types of biological samples, the present invention providing the advantages of: ease of use, optimized operating flows, ease of training, modularity, compactness, reduced size, portability, lightness of weight, ergonomic design, used-friendliness, enhanced practically and low cost.