Devices, systems and methods for making and handling liquid samples are disclosed.

An aspiration tip is provided with: a syringe section including an inner tubular passage defining an aspiration path for aspirating an object; and a plunger movable in the tubular passage while coming in contact with an inner wall surface of the tubular passage. The syringe section includes an aspiration opening formed in a distal end of the tubular passage for aspirating the object, and the plunger includes a plunger leading end portion configured to protrude from the aspiration opening before the aspiration of the object and at the time of discharge of the object, and retract in the syringe section at the time of the aspiration of the object.

The present invention relates to a pipette dispensing block with an improved design for the piston chambers. In a multichannel pipetting block with a grid or array of pipetting piston of any order, the individual piston chambers are individually manufactured using the injection molding process. The individual piston chambers are assembled into a grid or single line array and held together by upper and lower plates in combination with either stabilizing posts or walls. The piston chambers are designed and assembled with a dual O-ring design at the tip and a tip sealing gasket at the bottom to provide the air-tight seal that is required for optimum pipetting performance. When combined with pistons and a motor-driven lifting plate for the pistons, the entire assembly forms a forms a multichannel pipetting block.

A new simple transfection method using an integrated electrowetting nano-injector (INENI) with controlled dosage delivery and high transfection efficiency is disclosed. The volume of delivery can be controlled via voltage application to an inner and outer electrode integrated into a nano-pipette. With higher voltages, more liquid enters the INENI and with lower voltages liquid is expelled. This method can be used to deliver plasmid DNA directly into the nuclei of cells. The INENI requires only the use of a single probe since both electrodes are integrated into the same nano-pipette. Hence, more space is available, and ergo the INENI offers a simplistic means for direct injection of metered amounts of exogenous material into the confines of a cell cytoplasm and/or nucleus while retaining full cell viability.

An injection device comprising: a first barrel for containing a first fluid, and having a first plunger; a second barrel for containing a second fluid, and having a second plunger, the second barrel being arranged to one side of the first barrel; a flow converging chamber in fluid communication with the second barrel, for receiving, in use, a flow of the second fluid from the second barrel when the second plunger is advanced within the second barrel; a first inlet to the flow converging chamber, in communication with the first barrel, for receiving, in use, a flow of the first fluid from the first barrel when the first plunger is advanced within the first barrel, simultaneously with the advancement of the second plunger, and arranged to introduce the flow of the first fluid in a concentric manner within the flow of the second fluid, at a meeting point within the flow converging chamber, to produce a concentric flow of the first fluid within the second fluid; and an outlet of the flow converging chamber, for outwardly delivering the concentric flow of the first fluid within the second fluid. The first fluid may contain biological materials such as cells, and may for example comprise a hydrogel. The second fluid may comprise an aqueous fluid such as phosphate-buffered saline. Also provided is a method of delivering a concentric flow of a first fluid within a second fluid, using such an injection device.

A single use capillary micropipette and a method of use for dispensing a defined volume of a liquid are disclosed. The capillary micropipette includes a housing, a piston disposed therein and a capillary tube connected to the housing. The housing has a holding chamber including chamber snap fit elements on the chamber wall, piston stop(s) and a bottom having a central opening with a tubular member extending therefrom. The piston includes a push cap having snap fit arms extending downward and a piston rod. In the assembled position, a venting space between the piston head and the central opening permits venting during aspiration of a liquid into capillary tube by capillary force. In response to an applied downward force, the snap fit arms of the push cap snap over chamber snap fit elements and piston rod slides in the tubular member, thereby dispensing a defined volume of the liquid.

Devices, kits, and methods related to embodiments of an improved liquid test sample injection device for use in diagnostic assays.

A cell transferring device includes a head and a controller. The head is to be attached with a tip including a leading end portion having a leading end opening for allowing a cell to enter and leave the tip, and includes a mechanism for sucking and discharging the cell into and from the tip through the opening. The controller executes a peeling-off control of causing the tip to peel off the cell adhered to a bottom surface of a well of a culture plate through the head. The controller controls, in the peeling-off control, the head in such a manner that the leading end portion of the tip performs a shifting containing a horizontal component at different positions along a vertical direction, the different positions including a position where the leading end portion comes into contact with the cell adhered to the bottom surface.

The present disclosure provides a device for collecting a bodily fluid sample of a subject for nucleic acid amplification, a method for collecting a bodily fluid sample of a subject for nucleic acid amplification, and a kit for nucleic acid amplification. The device may comprise a device body that is coupled to at least one collection channel including a collection member having an opening at an end thereof to permit flow of the bodily fluid sample from a source thereof to the collection channel. The collection channel may be substantially free of an anticoagulant. The device may further comprise a mechanical member coupled to the device body. The mechanical member may actuate the collection member to (i) extend away from the collection channel for collection of the bodily fluid sample from the source thereof, and (ii) retract into the collection channel upon collection of the sample.

The present disclosure provides a system for collecting and/or processing a bodily fluid sample of a subject, a method for collecting and/or processing a bodily fluid sample of a subject, and a kit for collecting and/or processing a bodily fluid sample of a subject.