Methods, systems, and apparatus are provided for automated isolation of selected analytes, to which magnetically-responsive solid supports are bound, from other components of a sample. An apparatus for performing an automated magnetic separation procedure includes a mechanism for effecting linear movement of a magnet between operative and non-operative positions with respect to a receptacle device. A receptacle holding station within which a receptacle device may be temporarily stored prior to moving the receptacle to the apparatus for performing magnetic separation includes magnets for applying a magnetic field to the receptacle device held therein, thereby drawing at least a portion of the magnetically-responsive solid supports out of suspension before the receptacle device is moved to the magnetic separation station. An automated receptacle transport mechanism moves the receptacle devices between the apparatus for performing magnetic separation and the receptacle holding station.

A liquid filling aid that is placed on a plate-shaped member and defines a reaction chamber to be filled with a liquid, the aid includes a main body, a storage section that is formed in the main body and stores the liquid, a reaction section that is a recess formed at a bottom of the main body, a communication aperture for fluid communication between the storage section and the reaction section, and an air vent for communication between the reaction section and outside air, wherein the reaction section and an upper surface of the plate-shaped member define the reaction chamber and a liquid filling method including a step of placing the liquid filling aid on the plate-shaped member, and a step of discharging the liquid in an amount equal to or larger than the volume of the reaction chamber for supply to the storage section.

During droplet operations in a droplet actuator, bubbles often form in the filler fluid in the droplet operations gap and interrupt droplet operations. The present invention provides methods and systems for performing droplet operations on a droplet in a droplet actuator comprising maintaining substantially consistent contact between the droplet and an electrical ground while conducting multiple droplet operations on the droplet in the droplet operations gap and/or reducing the accumulation of electrical charges in the droplet operations gap during multiple droplet operations. The methods and systems reduce or eliminate bubble formation in the filler fluid of the droplet operations gap, thereby permitting completion of multiple droplet operations without interruption by bubble formation in the filler fluid in the droplet operations gap.

The method involves drying down dye-conjugated reagents in separate locations in a reaction vessel so that the dyes don't non-specifically interact with each other during drying. This invention thus improves multiplex binding assays by eliminating erroneous results caused by dyes' being non-specifically attached to each other when dried down together.

In accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure, a loading tool for a multi-well chromatography filter plate is disclosed. The loading tool may include a top plate and a bottom plate slidably coupled to the top plate. The top plate may include a plurality of wells for holding a material, a rail located along a side of the top plate, and a notch formed in the rail. The bottom plate may include a plurality of funnels extending from the bottom plate, each of the plurality of funnels corresponding to one of the plurality of wells, a track located along a side of the bottom plate to receive the rail located on the top plate, and a pathway formed in the track to receive the notch such that the notch and the pathway limit movement of the top plate relative to the bottom plate.

In one embodiment, a method is provided comprising analyte testing on one or more types of samples.

Provided herein, inter alia, are nucleic acid sequencing devices and flow cells containing different flow paths to control the flow of fluidic solutions.

Provided is a reagent cartridge configured to be set in a genetic testing device and the reagent cartridge includes a plurality of reagent containers in which a reagent is filled, and a holder formed with a plurality of opening parts in which the reagent containers are loaded and configured to hold the reagent containers loaded in the opening parts, in which the holder holds the reagent containers with an allowance in a vertical direction in a state in which the reagent cartridge is set in the genetic testing device.

Customization of a universal reagent cartridge with a lyophilized target-specific PCR component reagent is disclosed. The universal reagent cartridge includes multiple chambers populated with predetermined non-target-specific reagents therein. A custom reagent storage device that stores a lyophilized, target-specific reagent is provided and is configured to be end user insertable into the universal reagent cartridge to customize the universal reagent cartridge with the target-specific reagent.

An analysis unit formed by an analysis body housing an analysis chamber and having a sample inlet and a supply channel configured to fluidically connect the sample inlet to the analysis chamber. Dried assay reagents are arranged in the analysis chamber and are contained in an alveolar mass. For instance, the alveolar mass is a lyophilized mass formed by excipients and by assay-specific reagents.