Various embodiments of the teachings relate to a system or method for sample preparation or analysis in biochemical or molecular biology procedures. The sample preparation can involve small volume processed in discrete portions or segments or slugs, herein referred to as discrete volumes. A molecular biology procedure can be nucleic acid analysis. Nucleic acid analysis can be an integrated DNA amplification/DNA sequencing procedure.

A sample port system/device associated with a fluid collection device is provided and is configured to receive fluid-containing devices of varying diameters. A method of improving the work flow and safety involved in acquiring and/or testing fluid samples using such sample port system/device is also provided.

A microfluidic device includes a platform with a microstructure. The microstructure include a primary channel and a plurality of chambers that open to the primary channel to enable a sample fluid that is loaded into the device via the primary channel to flow into the chambers. Each chamber has a volume that is less than tens of nanoliters and is connected by a vent to a secondary channel of the microstructure. A width of the vent is configured to enable a gas to escape from the chamber to the secondary channel while inhibiting flow of the sample fluid from the chamber into the secondary channel.

An automatic analyzer is capable of controlling the gap between the tip of the sample nozzle and the bottom surface of the reaction container and restricting the sample attached to the tip of the sample nozzle. A movement distance of an arm is calculated and stored while the tip of the sample nozzle contacts a coordinate measurement stand until a stop position detector detects a stop position detection plate. The sample nozzle is moved toward the bottom surface of the reaction container and is stopped at the time when the stop position detector detects the stop position detection plate. The arm is moved upwardly for the movement distance stored in memory from this position. The sample nozzle can be stopped such that the tip of the sample nozzle is contacted to the bottom surface of the reaction container and the bend (warp) of the sample nozzle is restricted.

The invention provides a small-sized automatic analyzer being compact, enabling a large number of analysis items to be carried out, and having a high processing speed. The automatic analyzer is particularly suitably applied to a medical analyzer used for qualitative/quantitative analysis of living body samples, such as urine and blood. A plurality of sample dispensing mechanism s capable of being operated independently of each other are provided to suck a sample from any one of a plurality of sample suction positions and to discharge the sucked sample to any one of a plurality of positions on a reaction disk. The automatic analyzer having a high processing capability can be thus realized without increasing the system size.

A clinical diagnostic sample analyzer for analyzing a sample of a patient is disclosed. The analyzer includes a telescoping closed-tube sampling assembly with a sample probe concentrically housed within a piercing probe and a venting mechanism. The closed-tube sampling assembly is used for aspirating a sample from a sample tube for analysis by a clinical diagnostic sample analyzer.

An electrically passive device and method for in-situ acoustic emission, and/or releasing, sampling and/or measuring of a fluid or various material(s) is provided. The device may provide a robust timing mechanism to release, sample and/or perform measurements on a predefined schedule, and, in various embodiments, emits an acoustic signal sequence(s) that may be used for triangulation of the device position within, for example, a hydrocarbon reservoir or a living body.

The present invention provides systems, devices, apparatuses and methods for automated bioprocessing. Examples of protocols and bioprocessing procedures suitable for the present invention include but are not limited to immunoprecipitation, chromatin immunoprecipitation, recombinant protein isolation, nucleic acid separation and isolation, protein labeling, separation and isolation, cell separation and isolation, food safety analysis and automatic bead based separation. In some embodiments, the invention provides automated systems, automated devices, automated cartridges and automated methods of western blot processing. Other embodiments include automated systems, automated devices, automated cartridges and automated methods for separation, preparation and purification of nucleic acids, such as DNA or RNA or fragments thereof, including plasmid DNA, genomic DNA, bacterial DNA, viral DNA and any other DNA, and for automated systems, automated devices, automated cartridges and automated methods for processing, separation and purification of proteins, peptides and the like.

A method and system for automatic in-vitro diagnostic analysis are described. The method includes adding a first reagent type and a second reagent type to a first test liquid during a first and second cycle times respectively. The addition of the first reagent type to the first test liquid includes parallel addition of a second reagent type to a second test liquid during the first cycle time. The addition of the second reagent type to the first test liquid includes parallel addition of a first reagent type to a third test liquid during the second cycle time, respectively.

An automated system is provided for performing slide processing operations on slides bearing biological samples. In one embodiment, the disclosed system includes a slide tray holding a plurality of slides in a substantially horizontal position and a workstation that receives the slide tray. In a particular embodiment, a workstation delivers a reagent to slide surfaces without substantial transfer of reagent (and reagent borne contaminants such as dislodged cells) from one slide to another. A method for automated processing of slides also is provided.