Disclosed is a reaction vessel handling apparatus adapted for use in a biological fluid testing apparatus. The reaction vessel handling apparatus includes an incubation member and wash member that are overlapping. A transfer device transfers reaction vessels between the incubation member and wash member at the overlapping portions. Incubation and wash members may be rings. Testing apparatus (e.g., immunoassay apparatus or clinical analyzer apparatus) including the reaction vessel handling apparatus and methods of operating the apparatus are provided, as are other aspects.

Disclosed are a water quality analyzer and a method for analyzing water quality. The water quality analyzer includes a first disc system, a second disc system, a colorimetric system, a cleaning system, a mechanical sampling system, an analysis system and a central control display. The first disc system and the second disc system are axially rotatable. A plurality of sample locating positions and a chemical locating positions are provided on the first disc system along a circumference of the first disc system. A plurality of colorimetric cuvette locating positions are provided on the second disc system, and the colorimetric system is arranged at a circumference edge of the second disc system. The cleaning system and the mechanical sampling system are provided between the first disc system and the second disc system. The method includes water sampling, water sample injection, cleaning, reagent extraction, reagent injection, cleaning and colorimetric analysis.

There is provided an automatic analysis device with a structure in which a measurement unit is less susceptible to disturbance as compared to a device in the related art, and a method of designing the automatic analysis device. A first rotation axis 301 of a reaction disk 1, a second rotation axis 302 of a reagent disk 9, and a measurement unit are arranged on the same straight line 311 when an automatic analysis device 100 is viewed from an upper surface side, the first rotation axis 301 of the reaction disk 1 is arranged between the second rotation axis 302 of the reagent disk 9 and the measurement unit, and the measurement unit is arranged on a front side to be accessed by a user of the automatic analysis device 100.

When an automatic analysis apparatus has a mechanism that performs an operation of an arcuate trajectory to access a plurality of positions arranged on a straight line, an arc and a straight line cannot coincide with each other. Thus position adjustment is required to minimize the deviation between the arc and the straight line. An automatic analysis apparatus according to the invention includes a reagent disk which accommodates a plurality of reagent bottles in each of which a plurality of suction ports are arranged along a center line, and which rotates around a central axis to transport a reagent bottle to a desired position; and a reagent dispensing mechanism which rotates around a rotation axis to suck a reagent from the reagent bottle at a predetermined suction position on the reagent disk, in which the reagent disk is provided with, at least one mounting position of the reagent bottle on the reagent disk, first and second marks sandwiching the mounting position of the reagent bottle.

An automated biologic sample extracting system from a set of biological samples with a small footprint with minimal movement of the set of consumables, thereby reducing potential contamination during the extraction process. The extracting system comprising a set of reaction tubes, a storage unit to store a set of consumables; a sample preparation unit; a sample extraction unit; a waste unit; a plurality of robots to move tubes, samples, and boxes, and a programmable control system programmed to process samples in a serial pattern in which a series of samples follow one another to be processed in a time sequence and in succession so that it keeps a fixed processing turnaround time of each sample no matter when a sample would start the process.

A sample installation part in which a sample container accommodating a sample to be subjected to biochemical analysis is installed, and consumables installation parts in which consumables to be used for the biochemical analysis are installed are accommodated in an apparatus body of a biochemical analysis apparatus. The apparatus body is provided with an opening part that leads to a sample tray. An instruction receiving unit receives a movement instruction for moving the sample tray from a normal position where the sample installation part is disposed on the opening part side to a consumables replenishment position where the consumables installation parts are disposed on the opening part side. A driving control unit moves the sample tray from the normal position to the consumables replenishment position in a case where the movement instruction is received by the instruction receiving unit.

A novel method for determining the amount of an analyte in a sample comprising an initial purification step, occurring in a first container, comprising the following steps of mixing the sample, a delipidation agent and magnetic particles coated with first analyte binding partners in the first container, incubating the mix, removing the unbound reagents from the mix, and eluting the bound analyte in an elution solution; a transferring step consisting transferring in a volume of the elution solution comprising the analyte from the first container to a second container; and a quantification step, occurring in the second container, consisting of quantifying the analyte in said elution solution.

A sample preparation cartridge for use with a sample preparation device, the cartridge includes a housing defining plural separate segments, at least one of said segments comprising a fixed section of a pipette component; and a moveable head comprising a pipette tip, the head being configured, in use, to be moved between a position in which the pipette tip is in sealed engagement with the fixed section of pipette component and a position in which pipette tip is positioned adjacent to another of said plural segments. With the present invention a disposable sample preparation cartridge and corresponding analytical reader can be provided in a very cost effective and simple manner whilst still ensuring high quality sample preparation for analysis.

A system for automated microorganism identification and antibiotic susceptibility testing comprising a reagent cartridge, a reagent stage, a cassette, a cassette, stage, a pipettor assembly, an optical detection system, and a controller is disclosed. The system is designed to dynamically adjust motor idle torque to control heat load and employs a fast focus process for determining the true focus position of an individual microorganism. The system also may quantify the relative abundance of viable microorganisms in a sample using dynamic dilution, and facilitate growth of microorganisms in customized media for rapid, accurate antimicrobial susceptibility testing.

A positioning system for a sample analysis device is disclosed. The positioning system comprises (1) a carousel comprising a platform and a sample loading tray mounted on the platform, and (2) a stage comprising a positioning system for positioning the carousel under the optical path of an imaging system. The sample loading tray is configured for holding a cartridge comprising one or more lateral flow cells (LFCs).