Provided herein are vial caps for use with assay vials, tubes, or plates. The vial caps can be compatible with various analytic devices, for example, thermocycler. The vial caps can be used with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay vials, tubes, or plates in any thermocycling reactions. The vial caps described herein can prevent evaporation during thermocycling reactions.

Disclosed herein are cellular cassettes for the storage, collection, and analysis of biological samples. The cellular cassette can enable easy sample collection and sealing of microwell arrays with semi-permeable membrane for stable storage and future processing of single cells. Also disclosed herein are systems and kits comprising one or more described cassettes. The described cassettes, systems, and kits can be used to create barcoded, single-cell sequencing libraries. Further described herein are methods of using the cassettes, systems, and kits.

Compositions, kits, and methods of using the kits and compositions to determine the hardness of and/or magnesium concentration in a solution are described. The kit can include a lyophilized composition that has an absorbance at a detectable wavelength in response to the hardness of the solution and or the concentration of magnesium in the solution.

A method is useful for automated detection of antibodies in a liquid biological sample with an antigen chip having antigen spots which are applied thereon and which have an identical, common dye. The antigen spots form respective antigen spot sets which form corresponding respective, regular antigen spot patterns. Furthermore, reference spots comprising the identical dye are applied, and form a reference spot set which forms a regular reference pattern. The reference pattern differs with respect to its regularity from the antigen spot patterns. Through a first image information item which represents a color of the reference spots and of the antigen spots due to the identical, first dye and through a second image information item which represents a potential color of the antigen spots due to a second dye after an incubation, binding of antibodies of the biological sample to respective antigen types is then determined by image processing.

A concentrating-enriching magnetic bead purifier includes a base, at least one first mixing sleeve socket, at least one second mixing sleeve socket, and a plurality of wells, and a controlling module. The first mixing sleeve socket includes a first magnetic rod, and a first magnetic rod sleeve. The second mixing sleeve socket includes a second magnetic rod and a second magnetic rod sleeve. A diameter of a cross section of the second magnetic rod sleeve is smaller than that of the first magnetic rod sleeve. The wells include at least one binding well, at least one washing well, and at least one elution well. The volume of the elution well is smaller than that of the binding well. The controlling module controls the first magnetic rod sleeve to only mix or adsorb in the binding well and the washing well and controls the second magnetic rod sleeve to mix or adsorb in the washing well and the elution well.

A sample holder for holding a liquid sample for laboratory processing, such as PCR thermal cycling. The sample holder includes at least one vessel having a bottom and sidewall defining an interior volume and a rim defining an opening to the interior volume. The vessel has a first portion that defines at least a part of the bottom and sidewall of the vessel and is made of a first material, and a second portion that defines the rim of the vessel and is made of a second material different from the first material.

Provided herein is generally tubular container, preferably including a plurality of reservoirs defined therein. The container can be adapted for acoustic ejection of a fluid disposed within at least one of the reservoirs of the plurality of reservoirs. Alternatively, the container can be adapted for extraction of a fluid disposed within at least one of the reservoirs of the plurality of reservoirs using a non-acoustic liquid handling method.

This invention relates to a cartridge assembly tray for conducting automated biochemical tests, such as immunoassay tests. The tray comprises a base member, a hinged frame and a locking mechanism. The base member includes a plurality of slots within the base member. Each of the plurality of slots is to receive a test cartridge. The hinged frame is coupled to the base member. The hinged frame is capable to rotate to an opened position or a closed position. The hinged frame includes a horizontal push bar configured to apply a downward force to test cartridges received in the plurality of slots when the hinged frame is in the closed position. The locking mechanism is to lock the hinged frame in the closed position when the hinged frame rotates to the closed position.

A combinable cavity tray for liquid handling is provided. The combinable cavity tray has at least one cavity for receiving a fluid and at least one passage for leading through a cavity of a second combinable cavity tray and/or for connecting to a pipetting apparatus. The at least one cavity of the combinable cavity tray is formed integrally. An assembly of combinable cavity trays having at least two combinable cavity trays, a method of manufacturing a combinable cavity tray and the use of a combinable cavity tray or of an assembly of combinable cavity trays for liquid handling are provided.

A controller detects an error based on a most recent height of a nozzle at detection of contact of a nozzle with a sample by a liquid surface sensor and a previous height of the nozzle at detection of contact of the nozzle with the sample by the liquid surface sensor, and upon detection of the error, provides an error notification in a manner different from that at detection of another error.