A biological sample collection system includes: a sample collection vessel having a sample collection chamber for receiving a biological sample; a sealing cap including a reagent chamber for storing a sample preservation reagent and being configured to associate with the sample collection vessel; and a selectively movable valve at least partially disposed within the sealing cap. The selectively movable valve includes a post with an interior chamber and fluid vent and a valve head associated with a distal portion of the post that initially occludes the fluid vent when the valve is in the closed configuration. Associating the sealing cap with the sample collection vessel causes a physical rearrangement of the post and the valve head in order for the fluid vent to become unoccluded by the valve head, thereby placing the valve in an open configuration and allowing fluid communication between the reagent chamber and the sample collection vessel.

The present invention relates to a liquid handling and processing tool for analyzing a biological sample. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a fluid processing and detection module for processing a liquid sample and for detecting analyte in the sample.

A system includes a cartridge and an instrument. The cartridge includes a cartridge body defining an input port aligned with a central axis of the cartridge body, a plurality of channels in fluidic communication with the input port and extending radially to a plurality of reaction chamber connectors, a plurality of reaction chambers disposed at a radial distance from the central axis of the cartridge body and distributed at angles relative to the others of the plurality of reaction chambers. The system further includes an instrument including an incubation block configured to receive the plurality of reaction chambers; a motor and socket to connect with the cartridge; an illumination source having an illumination pathway; and a camera disposed in a signal pathway intersecting the illumination pathway.

An integrated nucleic acid processing apparatus includes a first operation area, a second operation area and a separation wall. The first operation area includes multiple carrying boards for placing objects and reagents for processing nucleic acids in samples, and multiple operation modules for performing operations of nucleic acid processing. The second operation area includes two extraction regions for respectively performing nucleic acid extractions. The separation wall separates the first operation area from the second operation area and includes two openable door sheets spatially corresponding to the two extraction regions. Nucleic acid extraction plates can be moved from the first operation area to the second operation area by means of the carrying boards as the two openable door sheets are opened, and be isolated in the second operation area for performing nucleic acid extractions as the two openable door sheets are closed.

Measuring pipettes including integral or encapsulated filters, as well as methods and apparatuses for forming the same, are provided. A filter material (e.g., a discrete element in solid form) or a filter material precursor (e.g., a foamable thermoplastic composition and a blowing agent) to be introduced into a hollow interior of a softened thermoplastic material present within a mold during pipette fabrication. A pipette includes a filter element comprising foamed polymeric material within a mouthpiece region, wherein an outer portion of the filter element is bound to or encapsulated in an inner wall of the mouthpiece region. A filter material precursor may be supplied coaxially with a tubular flow of thermoplastic material into the mold, may be supplied laterally through a mold wall, or may be injected into a molten thermoplastic pipette forming material upstream of an extruder outlet.

A photometric dispensing nozzle unit, a photometric dispensing apparatus, and a photometric dispensing method are for preventing an increase in apparatus scale and have a simple structure to be easily handled. A nozzle performs suction/discharge of gas through a distal end opening and can have a dispensing tip attached thereto. A light guide end portion is provided in the nozzle and can receive or irradiate light at a distal end of the nozzle. A dispensing cylinder has a cylinder having a cavity therein, a plunger that is slidable in the cavity, and a suction/discharge port that performs suction/discharge of gas. A suction/discharge flow path passes through the nozzle and communicates with the suction/discharge port and the distal end opening of the nozzle. A light guide path is optically connected to the light guide end portion through the nozzle but not through the dispensing cylinder.

Disclosed here are kits comprising pre-packed stabilizing solutions for stabilizing combinations of biomarkers demonstrating sufficient accuracy and specificity for identifying kidney injuries. Such kits can be better adapted for sample collection at a subject's dwelling, thus easing the burdensome requirement of continuous monitoring for kidney injury.

Described herein are various inventions and embodiments thereof, directed to systems, devices, and methods for separating a sample. Embodiments of sample collection devices disclosed herein may maintain separation of different volumes of sample during collecting, handling, and accessing of the sample. A sample collection device, in some embodiments, may comprise an enclosure defining a first chamber, a second chamber, and a partition therebetween configured to separate the first chamber and the second chamber. An assembly coupled to the partition may be configured to transition between an open configuration and a closed configuration based on fluid and gas flow through the assembly.

The present invention relates to compositions and methods for preserving and extracting nucleic acids from saliva. The compositions include a chelating agent, a denaturing agent, buffers to maintain the pH of the composition within ranges desirable for DNA and/or RNA. The compositions may also include a reducing agent and/or antimicrobial agent. The invention extends to methods of using the compositions of the invention to preserve and isolate nucleic acids from saliva as well as to containers for the compositions of the invention.

The present invention relates to devices and methods for collecting liquid samples such as for removing a target liquid sample fraction from a larger liquid sample, e.g., from a biological sample. These devices and methods are particularly useful for rapidly and cost-effectively removing the buffy coat layer from an anticoagulated blood sample. These devices and methods have the advantage that the removal can be made on blood sample processed by ordinary centrifugation and do not require more complicated or costly processing techniques such as density gradient centrifugation.