Methods and apparatus for manufacturing a microfluidic arrangement are disclosed. In one arrangement, a continuous body of a first liquid is provided in direct contact with a first substrate. A second liquid covers the first liquid. A separation fluid, immiscible with the first liquid, is propelled through at least the first liquid and into contact with the first substrate along all of a selected path on the surface of the first substrate. First liquid that was initially in contact with all of the selected path is displaced away from the selected path. The first liquid is divided to form sub-bodies of first liquid that are separated from each other. For each of one or more of the sub-bodies, a sub-body footprint represents an area of contact between the sub-body and the first substrate, and all of a boundary of the sub-body footprint is in contact with a closed loop of the selected path surrounding the sub-body footprint.

A nucleic acid separating apparatus includes: a stirring mechanism that stirs and resolving-processes a specimen and a reagent injected into a process tube; a pressurized gas supply mechanism that supplies a pressurized gas to a filter cartridge having a specimen liquid including nucleic acid, the specimen liquid being injected in the filter cartridge after the resolving-process, to separate and collect nucleic acid from the specimen liquid; a dispensing mechanism that injects the specimen, a reagent, or the specimen liquid after the resolving-process into the process tube and the filter cartridge; and a move mechanism that moves the pressurized gas supply mechanism and the dispensing mechanism, wherein the dispensing mechanism includes: a suction and discharge mechanism that is capable of attaching a dispensing chip to the suction and discharge mechanism and detaching the dispensing chip from the suction and discharge mechanism, the suction and discharge mechanism being capable of suctioning and discharging a liquid through the dispensing chip; and a liquid supply mechanism that discharges a liquid from a nozzle.

A microreactor array platform and method for sealing a reagent in microreactors of an array of microreactors are provided. The microreactor array platform includes an array of microreactors, and a sealing film having a first surface and an opposite second surface, the sealing film configured to movably seal the array of microreactors. The microreactor array platform also includes an injector for delivering a reagent into the array of microreactors via a fluid path between the array and the second surface of the sealing film, and an applicator for directing a sealing liquid against the first surface of the sealing film. The microreactor array platform further includes a system for creating a pressure differential between the reagent in the injector and a space between the array of microreactors and the second surface of the sealing film.

Embodiments of the present disclosure present systems, methods and devices related to the tracking of drugs injected by injection devices. For example, in some embodiments, a drug dispensing-tracking device for use in combination with a drug-injection device is provided, where the device comprises a sleeve configured to connect with at least one mechanical feature provided on the injection device, a battery, at least one sensor, an electrical circuit for analog or digital short range communication, and a transmission element. In some embodiments, for each injection, the sensor is configured to automatically detect at least one of an auditory signal, movement, and optical signal, and an auditory signal is generated by at least one of the setting of the injection device for dispensing a drug, the dispensing action of the injection device, and the flow of the drug out of the injection device.

The present disclosure is notably directed to a microfluidic probe head (202), or MFP head, comprising a processing surface (204) having liquid injection and liquid aspiration apertures, as well as projections (205) extending from the processing surface (204). The arrangement of injection and aspiration apertures provides for a hydrodynamic flow confinement within a processing region that is formed between the processing surface (204) and a substrate (104) or sample surface (for example, the bottom of a microtiter plate sample well (102)), typically located beneath the processing surface (204). The disclosure is further directed to related microfluidic probe devices, and methods of operation of such an MFP head, notably to deposit cells on a surface.

The present disclosure is notably directed to a microfluidic probe head, or MFP head, comprising a processing surface having a liquid injection aperture and a liquid aspiration aperture thereon. The aspiration aperture is generally shaped so as to partly extend around the injection aperture on the processing surface, although such injection apertures are not completely surrounded by the slit on the processing surface. Further, fluidic and solid barriers to aspiration are considered. The disclosure is further directed to related microfluidic probe devices, and methods of operation of such an MFP head, notably to deposit cells on a surface.

A sample measuring apparatus, A reagent container, and a method of measuring a sample are provided. The sample measuring apparatus includes: a container holding unit that holds a reagent container comprising an openable/closable lid portion that covers an opening of the reagent container; a reagent dispensing unit that aspirates a reagent in the reagent container with the lid portion being in an opened state and dispenses the aspirated reagent into a reaction container; a pressing unit that seals the opening, by pressing toward the opening the lid portion laid over the opening; and a measuring unit that measures components contained in a measurement specimen prepared from a sample and the reagent dispensed in the reaction container.

An initial positioning system and method for liquid measuring and taking. The system comprises a measuring passage, a variable pressure chamber, and a piston, an initial end of the measuring passage being in communication with the upper part of the variable pressure chamber; the piston reciprocates in the variable pressure chamber to cause a change between positive pressure and negative pressure in the variable pressure chamber; the initial positioning system further comprises a pressure relief port located on the wall of the variable pressure chamber and capable of communicating with the outside of the variable pressure chamber; when the piston is located at the pressure relief port, and the inside and outside of the variable pressure chamber are in communication, the maximum volume of the liquid that can be accommodated in the variable pressure chamber is not smaller than one third of the total volume of the variable pressure chamber.

A method includes, under control of control circuitry implementing a mixing protocol, aspirating reagents from multiple different reagent reservoirs into a cache channel. Designated amounts of the reagents are automatically aspirated from the corresponding reagent reservoirs by corresponding sippers based on the mixing protocol implemented by the control circuitry. The method also includes discharging the reagents from the cache channel into a mixing reservoir, and mixing the reagents within the mixing reservoir to form a reagent mixture.

A fully-automated biological slide specimen processing device and a method. The device mainly includes a testing assembly, a base platform, a Z-arm, an X-arm, a Y-arm, a dispensing nozzle and scanning devices for identifying a reagent and a specimen. The device in the present invention can automatically realize regular and quantitative dispensing according to testing process requirements and testing steps, automatically control the heating, automatically control liquid filling and liquid discharging, and realize full automation of the testing process. When the slide specimen needs a heat treatment, an insertion slot may be directly filled with liquid and be heated.