A method and an apparatus for thermal processing of nucleic acid in a thermal profile. The method employs at least a first bath and a second bath, the method further employing a reactor holder for holding reactor(s) accommodating reaction material containing the nucleic acid. The method includes maintaining bath mediums in the baths at two different temperatures; and alternately allowing the reactor(s) to be in the two baths in a plurality of thermal cycles to alternately attain a predetermined high target temperature T.sub.HT, and a predetermined low target temperature T.sub.LT, wherein the bath medium in at least one of the baths is a high thermal conductivity powder.

A microfluidic centrifuge is provided that includes a microfluidic disc having a pair of through holes that include a first through hole and a second through hole, where the pair of through holes are disposed symmetric and proximal to a central axis of the microfluidics disc, where the microfluidics disc includes a sealable input port and a sealable output port, where the sealable input port and the sealable output port are connected by a microfluidics channel, and a pair of tethers disposed through the pair of through holes that are disposed to twist about each other for unwinding where the tether unwinding is disposed to interact with the through holes, where the microfluidics disc rotates about the central axis.

A small scale reactor includes a seal gate for closing an interior of a test cell in the reactor. The seal gate protects elastomeric seals in an injection port from the effluent from the test cell. A stirrer of the small scale reactor has a clip on magnet that allows for easy replacement. A drive system of the small scale reactor does not have to be disconnected when the test cells are opened to permit access for placing or retrieving the vials in the reactor.

A tip device (1) includes a tubular tip (6) and a base (8) that is continuous with a rear end (6a) of the tip (6) and includes a first connector. The first connector detachably connects to a second connector provided in a container (2) to house the tip (6).

Provided herein are systems, devices and methods for retaining chromatographic minicolumns in a holding fixture. A retaining apparatus may be provided with a pair of laterally spaced apart upright supports and a horizontal beam spanning between the upright supports to hold them in the laterally spaced apart relationship. The apparatus may be configured to contact a holder plate only along peripheral edges of the holder plate. The apparatus may be configured to slide along the holder plate after the minicolumns have been inserted therein, thereby retaining the minicolumns in the holder plate but allowing access to the minicolumns through vertical holes in the horizontal beam.

Vials for reducing the volume of sample that must be contained within the vial when interfacing with a variety of analytical instruments are provided herein, and particularly, for use in analytical instruments that interact with a sample via a polar or asymmetric probe, including in capillary electrophoresis, liquid chromatography, and gas chromatography, by way of non-limiting example. In accordance with various aspects of the present teachings, the vials can reduce the waste of expensive and/or scarce samples common in the round vials and vial inserts conventionally used in the art.

Embodiments of the disclosure relate to methods of storing and using biosamples with a cartridge that includes slots for storing biosample capillary tubes. The methods include providing access to a holder inside an enclosure of the cartridge, the enclosure having a same form factor as a data tape cartridge used in an automated tape library. The holder is configured to receive a plurality of capillary tubes in the holder, the capillary tubes including one or more biosamples. Exemplary methods may also include receiving capillary tubes in the cartridge, withdrawing capillary tubes from the cartridge, scanning and/or analyzing the capillary tubes and/or biosamples. Exemplary methods may additionally or alternatively include retrieving the cartridge from a storage slot of the automated tape library, loading the cartridge onto a drive of the automated tape library, and/or receiving and/or exporting a cartridge to/from the automated tape library via a mail slot.

A thermal cycling method and associated device is described. The method is for carrying out a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) process to amplify deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), and the method includes: pre-heating a series of blocks to respective temperatures that correspond to different respective heating stages in a PCR process, in which each block of the series of blocks defines a respective heat transfer surface, in which the series of blocks define a sequence of positions along a path, with each position defined by a respective heat transfer surface of a respective block; and moving a PCR reaction vessel, which contains deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and PCR reagents, along the path into and out of each respective position in the sequence of positions according to a schedule, in which, at each respective position the PCR reaction vessel is in thermal contact with the respective heat transfer surface to equilibrate a temperature of the PCR reaction vessel to a target temperature that corresponds to a respective heating stage in the PCR process.

The present invention provides for a novel system and method for amplification and detection of nucleic acids within a miniaturized device wherein sample administration occurs via capillary forces through a channel created by drying a hydrogel containing all components needed for a cell-free, enzymatic, nucleic-acid amplification system other than the template nucleic acid or precursor thereto, and wherein an aqueous sample is provided to the desiccated hydrogel, and the hydrogel is rehydrated, through capillary forces.

Flow cell devices, cartridges, and systems are described that provide reduced manufacturing complexity, lowered consumable costs, and flexible system throughput for nucleic acid sequencing and other chemical or biological analysis applications. The flow cell device can include a capillary flow cell device or a microfluidic flow cell device.