An assembly for handling biological material, including a planar interface having at least one port, and a component retaining element, spaced apart from the planar interface, configured to retain a component for handling biological material, in which at least one component chosen from the planar interface and the component retaining element is moveable to bring the port and the component retaining element into registration with one another. The registration between the at least one port and the component retaining element adapted to form a fluid communication pathway may be provided between a component retained by the component retaining element and a container associated with the planar interface through the port.

There is provided a connector, for introducing or extracting a material to or from at least one receptacle, comprising a housing extending between a distal end and a proximal end, the housing comprising, at least at one end, a pierceable seal; a hollow needle mounted, at least partially, within the housing between the distal end and the proximal end of the housing, a first end of the hollow needle being connected or connectable to a first corresponding receptacle, and a second end of the hollow needle facing the pierceable seal at an end of the housing; and an actuating mechanism acting on the housing or the hollow needle to enable the hollow needle to pierce the pierceable seal thereby forming a communication through the pierceable seal, such that material is able to transfer through the connector.

A specimen collection, storage, transport, and testing device (1) can include an outer vessel (2) containing an internal cup (5) having an openable drain (23) having a brim (22) raised above the bottom floor (27) of the cup. Once opened the drain allows a portion of liquid specimen to flow from the cup into a lower chamber (55) of the vessel and onto a cartridge (3) containing a number of chromatographic assay strips. A lid (4) sealing the vessel can include a downwardly projecting guide tube (35) having first barrier (39) sealing a bottom aperture (38). An oblong initiator (6) can axially engage the guide tube, break the first barrier and open the drain to initiate the test while retaining a pool of liquid specimen in the cup for subsequent confirmatory testing.

A preparation system for preparing a cell suspension having a carrier on which a reactor housing and a magnet system are accommodated, wherein, in the reactor housing, a reaction channel is formed, which extends between an inlet opening arranged centrally on an upper side of the reactor housing and an outlet opening arranged on the outside of the reactor housing and which is bounded by a channel wall, the magnet system being received on the carrier so as to be relatively movable between a first functional position, to bear with a pole face against the channel wall of the reaction channel and a second functional position to assume with the pole face a predetermined distance relative to the channel wall, and having a reactor housing drive for initiating a rotational movement on the reactor housing.

The invention relates to a sterile connector for the sterile transfer of a liquid medium, in particular a biological medium, from a liquid container (2) into a fluid chamber (3, 3), wherein the sterile connector (1) has a first coupling device (5) and a second coupling device (6). It is proposed that the first coupling device (5) has a fluid inlet (7) and a fluid outlet (8) and also a first cannula (9), the latter having an end which is directed away from the fluid inlet (7) and forms the fluid outlet (8), that the second coupling device (6) has a fluid passage (10) which, in an initial state of the sterile connector (1), is covered axially by a first septum (11), that the fluid outlet (8), in the initial state of the sterile connector (1), is arranged in a hermetically sealed region of the first coupling device (5) and the surface (11a) of the first septum (11) facing axially away from the fluid passage (10) is arranged in a hermetically sealed region of the second coupling device (6), and that, in a fluidic connection process starting from the initial state of the sterile connector (1), a fluidic connection between the fluid inlet (7) and the fluid passage (10) can be produced by the fact that the end of the first cannula (9) forming the fluid outlet (8) pierces the first septum (11) of the second coupling device (6).

A beta container for an alpha-beta port system includes a sheath for receiving transport material and a flange part having a through opening for transferring the transport material from and/or into the sheath, a first interface for a reversible connection to an alpha connection of the port system, and a second interface for releasable attachment of a beta cover for closing the through opening. An edge of the sheath is connected with a first surface of a ring which encompasses a jacket surface of the flange part, the first surface and the jacket surface having different materials. An elastic bellows may be fastened to the flange part such that, in the relaxed state, it engages over the second interface and/or projects out of the through-opening on the side facing away from the sheath, and such that it can be compressed. At least one transponder for transmitting an identification may be arranged on the flange part.

An apparatus for a sterile transfer of a material incudes a second safety device which locks an actuation mechanism in a closed position and unlocks the actuation mechanism when a container flange is correctly connected to a port flange, a third safety device which locks the container flange connected to the port flange when the actuation mechanism leaves the closed position, and a fourth safety device which blocks a return of the actuation mechanism from the open position to the closed position when the port door is open. The second, third and/or fourth safety device comprises two magnetic elements with at least one closed wall being arranged between the two magnetic elements. The two magnetic elements are configured to mutually attract or to mutually repel through the at least one closed wall either in a lock position or in an unlock position of the second, third and/or fourth safety device.

Various devices are described for separating magnetic beads from a suspension in a tube. The devices allow a magnet to be placed near, or removed from, a cap associated with the tube. Magnetic beads can be attached to the cap by holding the tube such that the suspension flows onto an inner surface of the cap. The cap, with a magnet and magnetic beads attached to it, may be removed and replaced on a tube or moved to a different tube. Removing the device, or a magnet of the device, allows the magnetic beads to be released into a liquid in a tube. In a kit, a plurality of tubes may be pre-filled with reagents for an assay. In a process, the device can be used to move magnetic beads from one tube to another. Other devices and process are described for separating magnetic beads from liquid in a syringe or flowing into or out of a syringe.

A sampling port (10) has a generally cylindrical first portion (36), a generally cylindrical second portion (34) with a smaller diameter than the first portion (36) and a guide member (66) that rotates about a hinge (56) to extend into the second portion (34) to reduce the effective diameter of the second portion (34). The guide member (66) and/or the second and/or first portions (34, 36) are shaped so that the guide member can extend further into the sampling port (10) than a simple cylindrical guide member rotating into simple cylindrical first and second portions.

Embodiments in accordance with the present disclosure are directed to blood transfer apparatuses, sleeve-puncturing assemblies, and methods thereof. An example blood transfer apparatus includes a sleeve-puncturing assembly comprising a sleeve and a hollow conduit. The sleeve is configured and arranged with longitudinal portions to be placed over or engage a blood collection container. The sleeve has an open end that engages with a portion of the blood collection container and another end that provides containment of the blood collection container while the open end is engaged with the portion of the blood collection container. The sleeve further includes a lateral portion to provide support the hollow conduit. The hollow conduit and the longitudinal portions of the sleeve engage with the blood collection container and a blood collection container to provide sufficient pressure while engaged to pull a predetermined amount of plasma or serum from the blood collection container.