A laboratory module for storing and providing access to a plurality of samples, the laboratory module comprising a plurality of bays comprising a plurality of guiding rails and a plurality of rack tray bays for accommodating a plurality of rack trays, and a transport chamber for transporting at least one sample rack to a storage location and for delivering at least one sample rack at predetermined times to a processing system. The transport chamber is adapted to align with any one of the plurality of guiding rails, comprised in the bays and in the rack trays, for placing and moving on the guiding rails the at least one sample rack, and a sensor for sensing the presence and location of a sample rack on any one of the guiding rails, and a barcode scanner that identifies the sample rack and a storage device for storing data.

A cell and medicament dispensing device for drug screening is configured to dispense minute amount of cells and medicaments. The device has a base, a transfer plate serving mechanism, a transfer plate positioning mechanism, an injection mechanism, a cell culture plate positioning mechanism, and a dispensing mechanism. The transfer plate serving mechanism moves a transfer plate to the transfer plate positioning mechanism. The injection mechanism injects cells and medicaments into recesses in the transfer plate. A cell culture plate is fixed in the cell culture plate positioning mechanism. The dispensing mechanism moves back and forth between a position above the transfer plate and a position above the cell culture plate to dispense the cells or medicaments from the transfer plate to the cell culture plate. As a result, the process of drug screening is automated to reduce labor and improve quality significantly.

An automated library preparation system (1) includes a consumable item storage module (10) for storing a consumable item; a dispatching transfer module (30) capable of moving along a predetermined direction; a biochemical reaction module (20) including a plurality of biochemical reaction devices (21a, 21b) which are arranged in turn along the predetermined direction, each of the plurality of biochemical reaction devices being configured to perform one subprocess of sample preparation for gene sequencing, the dispatching transfer module (30) being configured to grab the consumable item (2) stored in the consumable item storage module, the dispatching transfer module being further configured to transfer the consumable item to the plurality of biochemical reaction devices when sliding along the predetermined direction; and a control module configured to control the consumable item storage module, the biochemical reaction module, and the dispatching transfer module to work collaboratively.

A cell and medicament dispensing device for drug screening is configured to dispense minute amount of cells and medicaments. The device has a base, a transfer plate serving mechanism, a transfer plate positioning mechanism, an injection mechanism, a cell culture plate positioning mechanism, and a dispensing mechanism. The transfer plate serving mechanism moves a transfer plate to the transfer plate positioning mechanism. The injection mechanism injects cells and medicaments into recesses in the transfer plate. A cell culture plate is fixed in the cell culture plate positioning mechanism. The dispensing mechanism moves back and forth between a position above the transfer plate and a position above the cell culture plate to dispense the cells or medicaments from the transfer plate to the cell culture plate. As a result, the process of drug screening is automated to reduce labor and improve quality significantly.

In some aspects, automated rapid antimicrobial susceptibility testing systems for performing a multi-assay testing sequence can include an automated incubation assembly having a nest assembly adapted to house at least one test panel having a plurality of wells for receiving a sample comprising microorganisms originating from a clinical sample, the incubation assembly facilitating incubation of one or more test panels in order to undergo the multi-assay testing sequence; a robotic handling assembly configured to accept one or more incoming test panels and move them to and from the incubation assembly for incubation between each assay of the multi-assay testing sequence; an automated liquid handling assembly configured to exchange one or more fluids in the plurality of wells of the test panels; and an optical assembly for interrogation and readout of each assay of the multi-assay testing sequence being performed in the plurality of wells.

A method to store sample tubes in a laboratory storage and retrieval system is presented. The laboratory storage and retrieval system comprises a storage section, a database comprising a sample tube inventory of the storage section, a control device, and at least one sample tube transport system. The storage section comprises at least two storage subsections. In a first step of the method, the control device identifies at least two sample tubes with at least one substantially identical sample tube attribute and distributed over the at least two storage subsections. In a second step of the method, the at least one sample tube transport system consolidates the at least two sample tubes in at least one storage subsection, wherein the control device further determines in which of the at least two storage subsections the identified sample tubes are consolidated.

Apparatuses, systems, method, reagents, and kits for conducting assays as well as process for their preparation ar described. They are particularly well suited for conducting automated analysis in a multi-well plate assay format. Also disclosed are systems, devices, and methods provided herein for using a CCD camera based system to generate measurements having reduced crosstalk between measurements of multiple spatially separated subjects. CCD camera based systems as provided herein use improved reference level clamping circuits configured to fully reset reference levels during CCD readout, thereby reducing a level of crosstalk between measurements.

A liquid handling system and method includes a liquid handling device with a plurality of pipetting heads and a tip box having a plurality of tips for removable attachment to the pipetting heads. A lever mechanism engages the liquid handling device and tip box during insertion of the pipetting heads into the tips to lesser the required insertion force.

An automated workstation configured for magnetic bead nucleotide purification may be provided with a bead mover device, a working nest and a plate hotel. In some embodiments, the bead mover device includes a housing, a magnetic head assembly having an array of downwardly extending elongated magnets and a leadscrew located within the housing and configured to move the magnetic head assembly along a vertical axis. The working nest may be located on the frontside of the bead mover housing below the magnetic head assembly, and the plate hotel may be located on the backside of the housing and configured to hold a plurality of fixtures when not in use on the working nest. Methods of use are also disclosed.