The present invention generally relates to systems and methods for receiving blood (or other bodily fluids) from a subject, e.g., from or beneath the skin of a subject. In some cases, the blood (or other bodily fluids) may be deposited on a membrane or other substrate. For example, blood may be absorbed in a substrate, and dried in some cases to produce a dried blood spot. In one aspect, the present invention is generally directed to devices and methods for receiving blood from a subject, e.g., from the skin, using devices including a substance transfer component (which may contain, for example, one or more microneedles), and directing the blood on a substrate, e.g., for absorbing blood. The substrate, in some embodiments, may comprise filter paper or cotton-based paper. After absorption of some blood onto the substrate, the substrate may be removed from the device and shipped or analyzed. In some cases, the device itself may be shipped or analyzed. For example, in some embodiments, a portion of the device may be sealed such that the substrate is contained within an airtight portion of the device, optionally containing desiccant. Other aspects are generally directed at other devices for receiving blood (or other bodily fluids), kits involving such devices, methods of making such devices, methods of using such devices, and the like.

A mobile, self contained molecular diagnostics system is provided with a microfluidic chip, detection apparatus and an integrated or wireless control interface and imager. The system provides automated sample preparation and rapid optical detection of multianalyte nucleic acids and proteins. On chip PCR may be performed to improve the optical fluorescence signal for nucleic acid detections. Plasmonic protein detection is performed using a dark field smartphone microscope. Dark field illumination is based on an evanescent field generated by LED total internal reflection. The smartphone element may also be used as an interface to control the detection apparatus, acquire images, process data and for wireless communications with remote computers. The handheld automated system has low power requirements and is particularly suited for point of care and on demand diagnostics in resource limited settings.

An evacuated container assembly suitable for use in connection with blood collection including: (a) a container member formed of a first polymeric material and having a sidewall and one or more openings; (b) a nanocomposite barrier coating disposed on the container member having a thickness of up to about 30 microns and being derived from an aqueous dispersion including (i) a dispersed barrier matrix polymer; and (ii) a substantially exfoliated silicate filler having an aspect ratio of more than 50; and (c) one or more sealing members disposed in the opening(s) operative to hermetically seal the cavity; wherein the cavity is evacuated and maintains a pressure below atmospheric pressure and exhibits a draw volume loss lower than that of a like assembly without a nanocomposite barrier film by a factor of at least 1.5.

Described here are meters and methods for sampling, transporting, and/or analyzing a fluid sample. The meters may include a meter housing and a cartridge. In some instances, the meter may include a tower which may engage one or more portions of a cartridge. The meter housing may include an imaging system, which may or may not be included in the tower. The cartridge may include one or more sampling arrangements, which may be configured to collect a fluid sample from a sampling site. A sampling arrangement may include a skin-penetration member, a hub, and a quantification member.

A business method for use in classifying patient samples. The method includes steps of collecting case samples representing a clinical phenotypic state and control samples representing patients without said clinical phenotypic state. Preferably the system uses a mass spectrometry platform system to identify patterns of polypeptides in said case samples and in the control samples without regard to the specific identity of at least some of said polypeptides. Based on identified representative patterns of the state, the business method provides for the marketing of diagnostic products using representative patterns. The present invention relates to systems and methods for identifying new markers, diagnosing patients with a biological state of interest, and marketing/commercializing such diagnostics. The present invention relates to systems and methods of greater sensitivity, specificity, and/or cost effectiveness.

A sample handling device includes a reservoir for holding a fluid medium. A channel system used in connection with the reservoir includes a dilution portion for a sample to be analyzed with a measurement device. The sample is arranged to be transferred from the dilution portion to the measurement device by the fluid medium. A set of capillary channels in the dilution portion is arranged to be filled by capillary action to collect an established quantity of the sample to be diluted by the fluid medium. A pump transfers the fluid medium from the reservoir to the channel system. The pump includes at least one plunger, a seal separating the reservoir and the channel system and a delivery system of potential energy including a compressible element configured to provide repeatable transfer of the fluid medium from the reservoir to the channel system.

A separator for separating a first from a second phase of a liquid in a tubular container includes a float made of elastic material having a circumferential sealing edge and at least one ballast fastened to the underside of the float. The density of the ballast is greater than the density of the float and the density of the entire separator lies in a value range between the density of the first phase and the density of the second phase of the liquid. In order to ensure an unrestricted light inflow of the liquid into volume regions of the container lying below the separator in the initial position, the float is designed disk-shaped; and that the ballast is designed in the form of a plurality of fingers extending away from the underside of the disk-shaped float, distributed at its edge.

A separator for separating a first from a second phase of a liquid in a tubular container has an elastic float with a circular sealing edge for sealing engagement with the inside of the tubular container in a sealing position. At the underside of the float, a ballast is attached. The density of the ballast is greater than the density of the float and the density of the entire separator is in a range between the density of the first phase and the density of the second phase of the liquid. The float has a local constriction and, in the area of the constriction, a membrane.

A method for inversion counting or phlebotomist monitoring can include identifying, by processing circuitry, whether a blood collection tube is present in image data from a camera situated to capture images of a phlebotomist collecting a sample, in response to identifying the blood collection tube is present in the field of view of the camera based on the image data, identifying whether the blood collection tube includes blood therein, after identifying the blood is present in the blood collection tube, counting, based on the image data, a number of inversions performed on the blood collection tube, and in response to determining the number of inversions performed is less than a required number of inversions, issuing an alert indicating that insufficient inversions were performed.

Articles and methods for collecting and/or facilitating transfer of fluids are generally provided. In some embodiments, an article comprises a fluid collection region for introducing a fluid, such as a sample (e.g., blood sample) or a reagent, into a fluidic system. The articles and methods described herein may be useful for facilitating the filling of relatively small channels with a fluid, such as channels of a microfluidic device. The articles and methods may, for example, interface with a patient sample (e.g., a droplet of blood), or with a macroscopic fluid source such as a pipette or syringe. In certain embodiments, articles and methods described herein may increase the ease of collecting a fluidic sample from a patient, prevent or reduce spillage of the fluidic sample, reduce contamination of a fluidic sample, and/or prevent or reduce air from entering a fluidic sample or device compared to certain existing fluid collection devices.