A specimen mixing and transfer device adapted to receive a sample is disclosed. The specimen mixing and transfer device includes a housing, a material including pores that is disposed within the housing, and a dry anticoagulant powder within the pores of the material. In one embodiment, the material is a sponge material. In other embodiments, the material is an open cell foam. In one embodiment, the material is treated with an anticoagulant to form a dry anticoagulant powder finely distributed throughout the pores of the material. A blood sample may be received within the specimen mixing and transfer device. The blood sample is exposed to and mixes with the anticoagulant powder while passing through the material.

A manually actuated chromatography device comprising a chamber for receiving a liquid sample, a pump with a metering valve, and a chromatography element, wherein the pump moves a predetermined volume of liquid from the sample chamber to the chromatography element.

Assay cartridges are described that have a plurality of chambers and a fluidic network that includes fluidic conduits and a multi-port valve designed to selectively connect the valve inlet and one valve outlet through a fluidic connector in the valve as the remaining valve outlets are sealed.

A specimen mixing and transfer device adapted to receive a sample is disclosed. The specimen mixing and transfer device includes a housing, a material including pores that is disposed within the housing, and a dry anticoagulant powder within the pores of the material. In one embodiment, the material is a sponge material. In other embodiments, the material is an open cell foam. In one embodiment, the material is treated with an anticoagulant to form a dry anticoagulant powder finely distributed throughout the pores of the material. A blood sample may be received within the specimen mixing and transfer device. The blood sample is exposed to and mixes with the anticoagulant powder while passing through the material.

A method for metering and storing liquids by means of a permanently open container (1), wherein: the container (1) comprises a liquid reservoir (11) in which at least one liquid (2) is contained for storage; the container (1) has at least one opening (15) for the metered discharging of the liquid from the liquid reservoir (11); the opening (15) is permanently open; influencing factors affect at least one change in pressure (4) in the container (1); influencing factors render the system formed of the container (1) and liquid (2) unstable; the pressure (4) is detected in at least one location in the container (1); and, subject to at least one detected change in pressure (4), at least one reaction (9) is initiated that is suitable for maintaining the system of the container (1) and liquid (2) in a stable state or for re-establishing this stable state.

Sample preparation systems and methods are described having pump control, valve configurations, and control logic that facilitate automatic, inline preparation dilutions of a sample according to at least two dilution operating modes. A system embodiment includes, but is not limited to a first pump configured to drive a carrier fluid; a second pump configured to drive a diluent; and a plurality of selection valves fluidically coupled with the first pump and the second pump, the plurality of selection valves being configured to direct fluid flows from the first pump and the second pump according to at least two modes of operation to provide a single-stage sample dilution according to a first operating mode and to provide a dual-stage sample dilution according to a second operating mode.

Systems and methods for light based heating of light absorbing sources for modification of nucleic acids through fast thermal cycling of polymerase chain reaction are described.

A method of fluorescent in-situ hybridization imaging includes exposing a sample to a first plurality of first readout probes and a second plurality of second readout probes, obtaining a first image of the sample with first readout probes and the second readout probes bound to a first analyte and a second analyte, respectively, so as to emit light at a first wavelength range, treating the sample so as to modify the second readout probes, and obtaining a second image of the sample with the first readout probes bound to the first analyte so as to emit light at the first wavelength range and the second analyte substantially not emitting light at the first wavelength range.

A readout probe for use in fluorescent in-situ hybridization imaging has a targeting portion to bind to a first hybridization sequence in an encoding probe that targets an analyte in a sample, a first fluorophore to emit light at a wavelength range, and a first cleaving region between the first fluorophore and the targeting portion.

A computer program product includes instructions to cause one or more computers to obtain first and second images in the same color channel in the same hybridization step from a fluorescent in-situ hybridization imaging system, and to register the first image and the second image. One or more pixels having a first intensity exceeding a first threshold in the first image and having a second intensity exceeding a second threshold in the second image are identified and classified as activated in a first readout call, and one or more pixels having the first intensity exceeding the first threshold in the first image and the second intensity below the second threshold in the second image are identified and classified as activated in a second readout call.