A portable incubator system integrated to a mobile phone providing a real-time tracking of samples and data flow is provided. The portable incubator system allowing cells to be cultured, reproduced and characterized in real-time without a need for a commercial incubator and a microscope-camera system installed within the portable incubator system.

A biochemical substance analysis system (5) is used to detect biological characteristics of a sample in a flow cell (38), and includes a detection system (51), a scheduling system (53), a biochemical reaction system (55). and a control system (57). The scheduling system (53) is used to schedule the flow cell (38) at different sites, including sites in the detection system (51) and sites in the biochemical reaction system (55). The biochemical reaction system (55) is used to allow the sample to react in the flow cell (38). The detection system (51) is used to detect a signal from the reacted sample to obtain a signal representing the biological characteristics of the sample. The control system (57) is used to control the detection system (51), the scheduling system (53), and the biochemical reaction system (55) to cooperate. The disclosure improves automation degree and flux of the biochemical substance analysis.

Apparatus and methods are described for determining a property of a bodily sample using a microscope and optical-density-measurement apparatus, the apparatus including a sample carrier that includes a plurality of microscopy sample chambers configured to receive a first portion of the sample and to facilitate imaging of the first portion of the sample by the microscope, each of the microscopy sample chambers having an upper and a lower surface, and having respective heights between the upper and lower surfaces that are different from each other. The sample carrier includes at least one optical-density-measurement chamber configured to receive a second portion of the sample, and to facilitate optical density measurements being performed optical-density-measurement apparatus upon the second portion of the sample. Other applications are also described.

A method of fabricating a waveguide structure to form a solid-core waveguide from a waveguiding layer may include etching a fluid channel into the waveguiding layer, etching a first air-gap and a second air gap into the waveguiding layer, wherein etching the first and the second air-gaps creates a solid-core waveguide in the waveguiding layer between the first air-gap and the second air-gap. A method for fabricating a waveguide structure to form a solid-core waveguide may include forming a first trench, a second trench, and a third trench in a substrate layer, and depositing a waveguiding layer on the machined substrate layer, wherein depositing the waveguiding layer creates a hollow core of a fluid channel in a location corresponding to the first trench, and a solid-core waveguide portion in the waveguiding layer in a location corresponding to an area between the second trench and the third trench.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for performing a nucleic acid amplification reaction and a fluorescence detection device for reaction analysis. The nucleic acid amplification apparatus of the present invention uses a plurality of blocks having different reaction temperatures by independent temperature control and the movement between the blocks is performed along sliding recesses formed in the blocks, enabling to greatly shorten the total amplification time (TAT). In the fluorescence detection device of the present invention, the positions of the light source and the photodetector are very unique for the reaction vessel in which an excitation light is provided and an emission light is generated.

A waveguiding structure (500) includes one or more fluid channels (518) intersected by a waveguide (514). An aperture layer (570) of the waveguide structure includes an array of apertures adjacent to the one or more fluid channels, such that the array of apertures may allow emission signals from analytes in the fluid channels to pass through the aperture layer for detection. The aperture layer may be etched using a first etching step, while an air-gap in a substrate of the waveguiding structure may be etched using a second etching step, wherein the first etching step has a higher level of precision than the second etching step. The array of apertures may comprise one or more one-dimensional signature patterns of apertures associated with specific fluid channels of the device, such that the signature patterns may be used to demultiplex signals and to correlate a signal with one of the plurality of channels.

Resolution of images used in processes such as sequencing by synthesis may be increased by structuring sites that would emit signals in the images to have different elevations. Differences in focus caused by these differences in elevation may be used to filter out background illumination, thereby providing an image in which in focus sites may be resolved even though the separation between any site and its nearest neighbor may be below the diffraction limit of the light that would be emitted.

An apparatus includes a flow cell body with an array of reaction sites positioned along a floor of a channel. An optical filter layer is positioned under the floor of the channel and includes at least a portion spanning uninterruptedly along a length corresponding to the length of the array of reaction sites. Imaging regions are positioned under the optical filter layer. Each imaging region is positioned directly under a corresponding reaction site. The optical filter layer is configured to permit one or more selected wavelengths of light to pass from each reaction site to the imaging region forming a sensing pair with the reaction site. The optical filter layer is configured to reduce transmission of excitation light directed toward the reaction sites; and to reduce transmission of light emitted from each reaction site to imaging regions not forming a sensing pair with the reaction site.

The present disclosure is drawn to microfluidic devices. The microfluidic device includes a microfluidic well, a layered composite stack, and an optical sensor. The layered composite stack includes an optical filter composited with an etch-stopping layer. The optical filter defines the microfluidic well. The optical sensor is associated with the microfluidic well and has the optical filter positioned therebetween.

A functional member includes a porous member with a cavity and a trapping agent that traps a chemical substance. The trapping agent is held in the cavity of the porous member.