A screen exchange device for reducing the size of a biological tissue according to one embodiment comprises: a disk comprising a plurality of screens each having at least one through-hole configured to reduce the size of a biological tissue, the screens having different through-hole characteristics; a first cover which covers a first side of the disk and includes a first opening through which a biological tissue passes; a second cover which covers a second side of the disk and includes a second opening through which the biological tissue passes; a housing configured to receive the disk; and a manipulator which selects any one screen among the plurality of screens and manipulates the first cover or the second cover such that the selected screen communicates with the first opening and the second opening.

The present invention provides an Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) method for detecting and quantifying analytes. The present invention is advantageous over conventional methods, because the detection limit is not constrained by the sample volume or the length of time needed to perform quantitative ELISA.

A microfilter having a hydrophilic surface and suited for size-based capture and analysis of cells, such as circulating cancer cells, from whole blood and other human fluids is disclosed. The filter material is photo-definable, allowing the formation of precision pores by UV lithography. Exemplary embodiments provide a device that combines a microfilter with 3D nanotopography in culture scaffolds that mimic the 3D in vivo environment to better facilitate growth of captured cells.

A pipette tip extension having a proximal end, a distal end, and an exterior wall extending between the proximal end and the distal end is disclosed. The exterior wall has an outer side and an inner side and encloses an inner cavity which is delimited by the inner side of the exterior wall. The exterior wall forms at the proximal end a reception aperture. The pipette tip extension further has one or more distance elements arranged at the inner side of the exterior wall and protruding into the inner cavity.

Disclosed herein, for use with a sample collection vessel for collecting a sample fluid, is a funnel shaped sample receiver having an elongated rigid hollow body with an exterior and an interior, said sample receiver including a funnel shaped wide portion having a wide inlet opening configured for receiving the sample fluid, a narrow portion having a narrow inlet in fluid communication with said wide portion and a narrow outlet to direct the sample fluid into the sample collection vessel, a coupling portion to facilitate latching said wide portion to the sample collection vessel, and wherein said wide inlet opening has a circumference that is greater than a circumference of said narrow inlet, and said wide portion including one or more air release vents to facilitate release of air from the sample collection vessel when the sample fluid drips into the sample collection vessel.

The present invention relates to a beta-component of a transfer system for a sterile isolation region, a sterile isolation region, an aseptic filling system, and a method of operating such a filling system.

A container assembly is provided for handling a biological sample that includes a first receptacle (1) and a second receptacle (2), each one configured to receive and contain a fluid; a coupling member (6), adapted to operably couple the first receptacle and the second receptacle, so as to provide a sealed fluid passage between the first and second receptacle; at least one self-sealing dispensing valve (4), operably mounted within said fluid passage of the coupling member, adapted to allow bi-directional fluid flow at a predetermined fluid pressure, and at least one barrier member (9), operably mounted within the fluid passage of the coupling member at an output of the first receptacle, configured to prevent solids of a predetermined size to pass from the first receptacle into the second receptacle.

A multi-port disposable device that can both vent a sealed culture vessel and draw a sample therefrom into a collection vessel. The multi-port disposable device has a first port configured to receive the top portion of a culture vessel and attach thereto. The multi-port disposable device has a second port configured to receive a sample collection vessel. The multi-port disposable device has first and second needles. The first needle has a cannula configured to penetrate a septum or cap of the culture vessel. Optionally, the cannula terminates in a layer of foam that carries a microbial agent such that any vapor that is transmitted from the culture vessel through the cannula when venting the sealed culture vessel is absorbed by the foam. Optionally, the ports of the disposable device are configured as sleeves. The sleeve of the first port receives a portion of the culture vessel and the sleeve of the second port receives the collection vessel. The second needle has a cannula that penetrates both the septum or cap of the culture vessel and the septum or cap of the collection vessel, when the culture vessel and the collection vessel are brought into the device, thereby providing for fluid communication between the culture vessel and the collection vessel. The second cannula provides the flow pathway for delivering sample from the culture vessel to the collection vessel.

A microfluidic passive plasma separation device is disclosed that provides rapid and efficient separation of optically clear plasma from whole blood. In various embodiments, the device comprises an engineered filter pad; a microfluidic capillary channel; and a plasma collection reservoir in fluidic communication, wherein separated plasma flows by capillary forces from the filter to the reservoir until the plasma in the collection reservoir provides sufficient hydrostatic head pressure to overcome the capillary forces and stop the separation even in order to prevent contamination of the separated plasma with blood cells previously trapped in the filter.

An integrally formed hollow plastics spike (14, 16) adapted to be passed through the pierceable closure of a container, the hollow spike (14, 16) having a passageway (18) extending from a first end (28) to a second end (22, 24), the passageway (18) having a length L and a cross sectional area equivalent to a 5 circle of diameter D, wherein L divided by D is more than about 19. The integrally formed hollow plastics spike (14, 16) can be integrally formed with a cap (12) to form an integrally formed sampling cap or port (10).