A system, methods, and apparatus are described to collect and prepare single cells, nuclei, subcellular components, and biomolecules from specimens including tissues. The system can perform enzymatic and/or physical disruption of the tissue to dissociate it into single-cells or nuclei in suspension or subcellular components including nucleic acids. In some embodiments, the titer of dissociated cells is monitored at intervals and the viability determined. In some embodiments, the processing is adjusted according to the measurements of the titer and viability. In some embodiments, the single-cells or nuclei in suspension are washed and resuspended in the buffer or media of choice. In some embodiments, the conditions are chosen to produce nuclei. In other embodiments, the single-cells or nuclei are purified by affinity paramagnetic bead processing. In some embodiments, matched bulk nucleic acid to the single-cells is produced. In other embodiments, single-cell libraries, or nuclei libraries, or matched bulk libraries, or bulk libraries are produced. The single cells or nuclei can then be further processed by FACS, DNA sequencing, mass spectrometry, fluorescence, or other methods. In other embodiments, the tissue processing is integrated with an analytical system to produce a sample-to-answer system such as a tissue-to-genomics system.

Provided is a biochemical reaction substrate which can achieve higher test sensitivity and shorter testing time in an allergy test, which can also reduce a required amount of blood or the like needed as a specimen and decrease the number of test steps, thereby facilitating performance of the test, and which is to be used in an allergy test in which infection risk of the test staff is reduced. A biochemical reaction substrate, including: a reaction plate; an absorber; a reaction plate storing portion for storing the reaction plate; an absorber storing portion for storing the absorber; a storage container having a heated portion; and a cover assembled to the storage container so as to cover at least a part of the reaction plate and the absorber stored in the storage container, wherein the reaction plate includes a reaction area in which a specific binding substance that specifically reacts with a substance to be tested in a specimen is immobilized, and a flow passage that connects the absorber and the reaction area, and wherein the cover includes an injection hole for injecting a specimen or the like into the reaction plate.

The invention provides multi-function instruments for automatically and simultaneously carrying out a variety of tests including identification of targets in specimens and antimicrobial susceptibility testing thereof. Application-specific cartridges are pre-loaded with all required reagents and allow for tests to be performed in a single testing device with no specimen preparation to, for example, rapidly detect infections, identify infectious pathogens, and analyze their susceptibility to various antimicrobial agents. Instruments include various stations for carrying out test steps that can be randomly accessed in any order dictated by the computer-controlled instrument. A carousel stores and incubates cartridges and, with a mechanical conveyor arm, transfers the cartridges between the required stations to carry out the tests. A plurality of different tests may be performed on a plurality of targets within an instrument, and the plurality of targets may be disposed in a single cartridge.

A receptacle cap includes a probe recess configured to receive a probe inserted therein to thereby frictionally secure the receptacle cap to the probe, and a closed lower end of the receptacle is insertable into an open end of a reaction receptacle to close the reaction receptacle. The receptacle cap and the reaction receptacle include interlocking features for securing the receptacle cap to the reaction receptacle.

A system includes a reagent pack input carousel, a carousel frame supporting the carousel, and a track on which the carousel frame is supported for movement of the carousel into and out of an instrument in drawer-like fashion. The carousel is rotatable about an axis of rotation and includes a plurality of reagent pack input stations arranged about the perimeter of the carousel. Each input station is adapted to carry a reagent pack, and the input stations are oriented at an angle with respect to a radial orientation relative to the axis of rotation. Each input station includes an alignment block located at a radially inner end of the station, and the block is received within a recess formed in an end of the reagent pack placed in the station to align and position of the reagent pack within the station.

A cap and a processing vial configured for interlocking engagement. The processing vial includes a locking collar surrounding an open upper end of the processing vial with lateral through holes formed through the locking collar. The vial also includes a latch hook located above each through hole. The cap includes a latch collar extending about a lower portion of the cap, where the latch collar is configured to snap in beneath the latch hooks of the processing vial when the lower portion of the cap is inserted into the open upper end of the processing vial to lock the cap to the processing vial.

This invention relates generally to devices, systems, and methods for performing biological assays by using indicators that modify one or more optical properties of the assayed biological samples. The subject methods include generating a reaction product by carrying out a biochemical reaction on the biological sample introduced into a device and reacting the reaction product with an indicator capable of generating a detectable change in an optical property of the biological sample to indicate the presence, absence, or amount of analyte suspected to be present in the sample.

A nucleic acid diagnostic system includes a unit-dose reagent compartment storing at least one unit-dose pack, one or more unit-dose pack loading stations for holding a unit-dose pack at a location that permits a substance transfer device to dispense a reconstitution reagent into each well of the pack, a unit-dose pack distributor configured to transfer a unit-dose pack from the unit-dose reagent compartment to one of the unit-dose pack loading stations, and an electrostatic generator disposed within the housing of the unit-dose reagent compartment and/or adjacent the one or more unit-dose pack loading stations. The electrostatic generator imparts an electrostatic charge to each of the wells of the unit-dose pack and/or to a lyophilized reagent pellet within each well so that the electrostatic charge positions and holds each lyophilized reagent pellet at a bottom of each respective well of the unit-dose pack.

An assembly includes a bracket, a magnetic elution slot, and a reagent pack loading station. The elution slot receives a multiple receptacle device having multiple receptacles interconnected by a connecting rib defining shoulders along either side of the receptacle device. The elution slot includes opposed walls attached to the bracket below a top surface of the bracket with the opposed walls disposed on either side of a slot formed in the bracket. The downwardly facing shoulders of the receptacle device are supported on the top surface of the bracket on opposed sides of the slot, and one or more magnets are attached to or embedded in one or both walls. The reagent pack loading station holds a multi-well reagent pack such that the wells of the reagent pack are accessible by a pipettor, and the reagent pack holding station includes spaced apart hold down features extending above the top surface of the bracket.