The present invention provides a pipette tip, which can be used in in-vitro diagnostics, in particular in the diagnostic testing of body fluids, such as in coagulation testing. The Pipette tip contains two constituents in a spatially separated manner. The present invention furthermore provides a method of performing such diagnostics, e.g. coagulation analysis, and to the use of the pipette tip in such diagnostic testing.

An automatic analysis device improves the uniformity of a mixed liquid by noise agitation by a dispensing mechanism. The dispensing mechanism agitates a mixed liquid by suctioning the mixed liquid into a reaction vessel by a nozzle and then re-discharging the suctioned mixed liquid into the reaction vessel. When the mixed liquid is re-discharged into the reaction vessel, the nozzle is moved upward at a speed higher than a speed at which the liquid surface of the mixed liquid rises due to the re-discharging of the mixed liquid from the nozzle during a first period and lowers the speed of moving the nozzle upward than the speed during the first period while maintaining or reducing the speed at which the liquid surface of the mixed liquid rises due to re-discharging of the mixed liquid from the nozzle during a second period following the first period.

Devices and methods for performing pre-analysis sample processing of biological and chemical samples using robotic liquid handlers are disclosed. Methods for solid phase extraction, protein precipitation and filtration of biological and chemical samples using automation and the devices in a rapid and convenient way are described.

The present invention provides a pipette tip, which can be used in in-vitro diagnostics, in particular in the diagnostic testing of body fluids, such as in coagulation testing. The Pipette tip contains two constituents in a spatially separated manner. The present invention furthermore provides a method of performing such diagnostics, e.g. coagulation analysis, and to the use of the pipette tip in such diagnostic testing.

A method that enables handling whole blood for assays where the whole blood is directly taken from a patient without any prior treatment and being put in a collection tube or other container ready to use for further analysis. The method can enable simple processing of the whole blood while avoiding any clots or aggregates and without damaging white cells in a reproducible and automatable way. The method can furthermore enable an automatic and reproducible pipetting of whole blood cells inside several wells to be tested.

A method of testing an antibiotic susceptibility includes dispensing and cultivating sample solution into culture wells including one or more comparative wells and a plurality of antibiotic wells receiving two or more kinds of antibiotics, respectively, receiving the sample solution into a plurality of preprocessing wells each including magnetic particles and fluorescent particles that bond to one or more kinds of bacteria such that the bacteria and the magnetic particles and fluorescent particles bond to each other, receiving the sample solution into a plurality of image wells having magnetic members thereunder such that the magnetic particles bonding to the bacteria are arranged on the bottoms of the image wells, removing the sample solution from the image wells that have undergone the planarizing step, taking fluorescent images of the image wells washed in the washing step, and determining an antibiotic tolerance/susceptibility of the sample solution by analyzing the fluorescent images.

A method of testing an antibiotic susceptibility includes dispensing and cultivating sample solution into culture wells including one or more comparative wells and a plurality of antibiotic wells receiving two or more kinds of antibiotics, respectively, receiving the sample solution into a plurality of preprocessing wells each including magnetic particles and fluorescent particles that bond to one or more kinds of bacteria such that the bacteria and the magnetic particles and fluorescent particles bond to each other, receiving the sample solution into a plurality of image wells having magnetic members thereunder such that the magnetic particles bonding to the bacteria are arranged on the bottoms of the image wells, removing the sample solution from the image wells that have undergone the planarizing step, taking fluorescent images of the image wells washed in the washing step, and determining an antibiotic tolerance/susceptibility of the sample solution by analyzing the fluorescent images.

An automatic analyzer for making measurements for different analysis processes by a compact mechanism. The apparatus performs inspection for plural different analysis processes and includes: an incubator for holding plural reaction vessels on circumferential positions, first and second dispensing mechanisms each having a dispensing nozzle capable of arc-shaped movement around a rotational axis and vertical movement, in which a first locus of an arc-shaped movement of the dispensing nozzle of the first dispensing mechanism and a second locus of the arc-shaped movement of the dispensing nozzle of the second dispensing mechanism intersect the circumference of the incubator where the reaction vessels are arranged, while the first locus and the second locus do not intersect, the first dispensing mechanism is used in a first inspection having a first reaction period, and the second dispensing mechanism is used in a second inspection having a second reaction period longer than the first reaction period.

A detection device for detecting a substance to be detected contained in a specimen has a pipette that has a detachable pipette tip and that suctions or discharges a specimen in a container, a pipette-moving unit for moving the pipette, and a control unit for controlling the pipette and pipette-moving unit. The control unit controls the pipette and the pipette-moving unit so that the pipette suctions a portion of specimen in the container with the pipette-moving unit having moved the distal end of the pipette tip to a position (a) in the lower side of the container, and thereafter discharges in the container the specimen suctioned by the pipette to stir the specimen with the pipette-moving unit having moved the distal end of the pipette tip to a position (b) above the position (a).

In a sample pretreatment device, a container storage section (2) holds multiple containers, including a first well plate having wells in an N×M matrix form and a second well plate having N elongated wells whose length corresponds to M wells in one row of the first well plate or M elongated wells whose length corresponds to N wells in one column of the first well plate. A dispensing section (3) includes: a platform (30) on winch containers can be placed; a pipette unit (311, 312) including an M-channel tip corresponding to M wells in one row of the first well plate or an N-channel tip corresponding to N wells in one column of the first well plate; and a pump unit (313) for suctioning/ejecting a liquid from/into a container on the platform through the pipette unit. A transfer section (4) transfers containers between the container storage section and the platform. A controller (5) controls operations of the dispensing section and the transfer section.