A method for performing a nucleic acid amplification assay employs a thermally-conductive receptacle holder with one or more receptacle wells, each conforming to an outer surface of a lower portion of a vial. A through-hole extends from an inner surface of each well to an outer surface of the holder. A thermal element is positioned proximal to the holder for altering a temperature of the holder. A signal detection module is configured to generate an excitation signal directed through the through-hole of the well and detect an optical emission from a fluid contained in the vial supported by the well. At least one well supports a capped vial containing a reagent for a nucleic acid amplification assay and including an opaque cap sealing an open end of the vial. The lower portion of the vial is contained within a well, and the cap is situated above a top surface of the holder.

A point-of-care device for detecting nucleic acid is disclosed. The point-of-care device for detecting nucleic acid according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a rotating body in which a plurality of test tubes containing a sample mixed with heat-generating particles that generate heat when irradiated with light beams are radially coupled around a rotation shaft; a first actuator for rotating the rotating body such that the test tube rotates about the rotation shaft; and an irradiation module for irradiating the light beams to an irradiated area which is set on a rotation path of the test tube, wherein the rotation path includes a non-irradiated area to which the light beams are not irradiated, and wherein the test tube proceeds through the irradiated area and the non-irradiated area on the rotation path according to the rotation of the rotating body.

A receptacle distribution system includes a rotary distributor and a receptacle handoff device. The rotary distributor includes a motorized turntable with an upright wall, a distributor head for holding a receptacle, a hook configured to engage a receptacle for moving the receptacle into or out of the distributor head, and an a system for powered elevation of the distributor head. The receptacle handoff device is configured to transfer a receptacle from a first receptacle distributor to the rotary distributor and includes a receptacle yoke configured to hold a receptacle placed in the receptacle yoke with the first receptacle distributor, the receptacle yoke being rotatable between a first position to receive the receptacle and a second position to present the receptacle to the rotary distributor to enable the hook of the rotary distributor to pull the receptacle from the receptacle yoke and into the distributor head.

The valve is formed in a valve body housing a first path portion, a second path portion, and an coupling zone between the first and second path portions. A shutter is arranged in the coupling zone and has a shutting portion of ferromagnetic material that is deformable under the action of an external magnetic field between an undeformed position, wherein the shutter closes the coupling zone, and a deformed position, wherein the shutter at least partially frees the coupling zone. The shutting portion of the shutter is formed by a rubber membrane incorporating particles, for example of ferrite particles.

An infectious disease screening system (1) for screening for infectious diseases, such as COVID-19 disease. The system comprises an ultrasonic transducer (49) for generating ultrasonic waves to lyse cells in a biological sample. The system (1) comprises a controller which controls the ultrasonic transducer (49) to oscillate at an optimum frequency for cell lysis, a PCR apparatus (16) which receives and amplifies the DNA from the sample; and a detection apparatus (70) which detects the presence of an infectious disease in the amplified DNA and provides an output which is indicative of whether or not the detection arrangement (70) detects the presence of an infectious disease in the amplified DNA.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for nucleic acid amplification and, more particularly, to an apparatus for nucleic acid amplification capable of rapid nucleic acid amplification by rapidly heating and cooling a reactant in a reaction vessel for a chemical/biochemical reaction requiring a temperature change, and a method for temperature control in nucleic acid amplification.

Disclosed is a system with (a) a microplate comprising a metallic material for heating one or more samples during thermocycling. The microplate comprises one or more barcodes on a side of the microplate. The system may comprise a barcode reader for reading the one or more barcode. The system may also comprise a first temperature block configured to receive the microplate and/ or provide a denaturing temperature to the one or more samples contained in the microplate, during the thermocycling. The system may also comprise a second temperature block configured to receive the microplate and/or provide an extension temperature to the one or more samples contained in the microplate, during the thermocycling. The system may also comprise a conveyor configured to move the microplate between a sensing device, the first temperature block, and the second temperature block, during the thermocycling.

One aspect of the present invention provides a nucleic acid amplification device. The device may include a plurality of heating blocks disposed to be spaced apart; a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) chip including an inlet portion into which a solution sample is injected, a reaction chamber in which PCR of the solution sample is performed, and an outlet portion through the solution sample is discharged, the PCR chip coming into sequential contact with the plurality of heating blocks, in which the PCR of the solution sample is performed; a chip holder on which the PCR chip is mounted and which moves the PCR chip to allow the PCR chip to come into sequential contact with the plurality of heating blocks; and a driving portion configured to move the chip holder and to guide a movement direction of the chip holder.

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.

A receptacle cap includes a probe recess configured to receive a probe inserted therein to thereby frictionally secure the receptacle cap to the probe, and a closed lower end of the receptacle is insertable into an open end of a reaction receptacle to close the reaction receptacle. The receptacle cap and the reaction receptacle include interlocking features for securing the receptacle cap to the reaction receptacle.