A microfluidic device comprising one, two or more microchannel structures (101a-h), each of which comprises a reaction microcavity (104a-h) intended for retaining a solid phase material in the form of a wet porous bed. Each of said one, two or more microchannel structures comprises the solid phase material in a dry state together with a bed-preserving agent comprising one or more compounds having bed-preserving activity.

An analysis device includes a turntable holding a substrate, an optical pickup driven in a direction perpendicular to a rotation axis of the turntable and configured to emit laser light to reaction regions and to receive reflected light from the respective reaction regions, an optical pickup drive circuit, and a controller. The reaction regions are formed at positions different from the center of the substrate. The center of the substrate is located on the rotation axis of the turntable. The optical pickup detects a reception level of the reflected light to generate a light reception level signal. The controller controls a turntable drive circuit to rotate the substrate, controls the optical pickup drive circuit to drive the optical pickup, and specifies the respective reaction regions in accordance with a positional information signal and the light reception level signal.

A sample test method, microfluidic device, and test device efficiently and accurately compensates for interference of an interfering substance present in a sample using optical measurement without addition of a separate reagent for detecting the interfering substance. The sample test method includes: measuring an optical characteristic value of a target substance present in a sample; measuring an optical characteristic value of an interfering substance present in the sample; and determining a concentration of the target substance for which interference of the interfering substance is compensated for based on the optical characteristic value of the interfering substance.

An apparatus for actuating in rotation and reading a centrifugal microfluidic disk for biological and/or biochemical analyses, comprising: a container body, defining an internal chamber forming a closed curvilinear path, the path comprising a housing region configured to house the centrifugal microfluidic disk, and a curvilinear channel fluidically coupled to the housing region; a heater operatively arranged in a section of the curvilinear channel; and a fan operatively arranged in a respective section of the curvilinear channel.

Improved mechanisms for storing and introducing liquid volumes in a liquid handling device and, in particular, improved mechanisms for rupturing a liquid storage package to introduce liquid into the device, improvements to the stability of a liquid receiving chamber inside the device and improvements to liquid handling in the receiving chamber are achieved.

A drive system for aligning a detection zone of a cartridge with an image capture device is provided. The drive system can include a first motor configured for the purpose of spinning the cartridge to drive centrifugal flow of a liquid in the cartridge. The drive system can further include a second motor coupled to a cartridge-aligning member, configured for the purpose of aligning the detection zone with the image capture device. Advantageously, each motor can be adapted for its specific purpose.

A method and cartridge for determining an amount of at least two analytes in a biological sample and an automatic analyzer are disclosed. The cartridge may comprise a cartridge inlet, a sample holding chamber fluidically connected to the inlet, and two or more metering chambers. Each metering chamber may comprise a sample inlet, a sample outlet, and a metered outlet for dispensing a predetermined volume. At least one sample distribution channel is connected between the sample outlet of a metering chamber with a sample inlet of another metering chamber. For each metering chamber, a connecting tube fluidically connects the sample inlet with the sample holding chamber, a microfluidic structure for processing the sample into a processed sample connects to the sample outlet, and a measurement structure fluidically connects to the microfluidic structure and enables measurement of the processed sample to determine the amount of the analyte in the processed sample.

A drive system for aligning a detection zone of a cartridge with an image capture device is provided. The drive system can include a first motor configured for the purpose of spinning the cartridge to drive centrifugal flow of a liquid in the cartridge. The drive system can further include a second motor coupled to a cartridge-aligned member, configured for the purpose of aligning the detection zone with the image capture device. Advantageously, each motor can be adapted for its specific purpose.

A liquid handling device having an axis of rotation about which the device can be rotated to drive liquid flow in the device. The device includes an upstream chamber comprising an outlet, a downstream chamber including a proximal portion radially inwards of a distal portion and including a first port disposed in the distal portion and a first conduit which connects the outlet of the upstream chamber to the first port of the downstream chamber. The first conduit extends radially inwards to a crest and radially outwards from the crest to the first port of the downstream chamber. A distance between the axis of rotation and the crest is greater than or equal to a distance between the axis of rotation and the outlet of the upstream chamber.

An automatic analyzer cartridge, spinnable around a rotational axis, has aliquoting and metering chambers, a connecting duct there between, and a vent connected to the metering chamber and nearer to the rotational axis than the metering chamber. The metering chamber has side walls that taper away from a central region. Capillary action next to the side walls is greater than in the central region. A circular arc about the rotational axis passes through a duct entrance in the aliquoting chamber and a duct exit in the metering chamber. The cartridge has a downstream fluidic element which is part of a fluidic structure for processing a biological sample into the processed biological sample. A valve connects the metering chamber to the fluidic element, which is fluidically connected to the fluidic structure. The fluidic structure receives the biological sample and has a measurement structure for enabling measurement of the processed biological sample.