Container for holding cells or viruses for disruption
Granted: December 12, 2002
Application Number:
20020187547
A container for holding cells or viruses for disruption comprises a chamber defined by two spaced apart, opposing major walls and side walls connecting the major walls to each other. At least one of the major walls has an external surface to which the transducer may be coupled and is sufficiently flexible to flex in response to vibratory motion of the transducer. The container also has at least one port for introducing the cells or viruses into the chamber. In some embodiments, the…
Device and method for the manipulation of a fluid sample
Granted: November 28, 2002
Application Number:
20020175079
The invention provides a device and method for the manipulation of materials (e.g., particles, cells, macromolecules, such as proteins, nucleic acids or other moieties) in a fluid sample. The device comprises a substrate having a plurality of microstructures and an insulator film on the structures. Application of a voltage to the structures induces separation of materials in the sample. The device and method are useful for a wide variety of applications such as dielectrophoresis (DEP) or…
Reaction vessel and temperature control system
Granted: November 14, 2002
Application Number:
20020168299
A reaction vessel has a reaction chamber, a loading reservoir connected to the reaction chamber via a first channel, and an aspiration port connected to the chamber via a second channel. To load the sample into the reaction chamber, the sample is dispensed into the loading reservoir and then drawn into the chamber by application of a vacuum to the aspiration port. A system for controlling the temperature of the sample in the reaction vessel includes one or more thermal elements for…
Multi-channel optical detection system
Granted: August 15, 2002
Application Number:
20020109844
An apparatus for thermally controlling and optically interrogating a reaction mixture includes a vessel [2] having a chamber [10] for holding the mixture. The apparatus also includes a heat-exchanging module [37] having a pair of opposing thermal plates [34A, 34B] for receiving the vessel [2] between them and for heating/and or cooling the mixture contained in the vessel. The module [37] also includes optical excitation and…
Apparatus for analysis of a nucleic acid amplification reaction
Granted: May 16, 2002
Application Number:
20020058282
An apparatus for determining a threshold value (e.g., a threshold cycle number or a time value) in a nucleic acid amplification reaction comprises a detection mechanism for measuring, at a plurality of different times during the amplification reaction, at least one signal whose intensity is related to the quantity of a nucleic acid sequence being amplified in the reaction. A controller in communication with the detection mechanism is programmed to store signal values defining a growth…
Device incorporating a microfluidic chip for separating analyte from a sample
Granted: May 9, 2002
Application Number:
20020055167
A device for separating an analyte from a fluid sample comprises a cartridge having a sample port and a first flow path extending from the sample port. A microfluidic chip is positioned in the first flow path. The microfluidic chip includes an extraction chamber having an array of microstructures for capturing the analyte from the sample as the sample flows through the extraction chamber and for subsequently releasing the captured analyte into an elution fluid as the elution fluid flows…
Device for lysing cells, spores, or microorganisms
Granted: April 18, 2002
Application Number:
20020045246
A device for use with an ultrasonic transducer to lyse components of a fluid sample comprises a cartridge having a lysing chamber, an inlet port in fluid communication with the lysing chamber, and an outlet port for exit of the sample from the lysing chamber. The inlet and outlet ports are positioned to permit flow of the sample through the lysing chamber, and the chamber contains at least one solid phase for capturing the sample components to be lysed as the sample flows through the…
Method for separating analyte from a sample
Granted: April 11, 2002
Application Number:
20020042125
An analyte is separated from a fluid sample by introducing the sample into a cartridge having a sample port and a first flow path extending from the sample port. The first flow path includes an extraction chamber containing a solid support for capturing the analyte from the sample. The cartridge has a second flow path for eluting the captured analyte from the extraction chamber, the second flow diverging from the first flow path after passing through the extraction chamber. The sample is…
Device and method for lysing cells, spores, or microorganisms
Granted: April 4, 2002
Application Number:
20020039783
A device for lysing components (e.g., cells, spores, or microorganisms) of a fluid sample comprises a cartridge having a lysing chamber for receiving the sample and having at least one solid phase in the lysing chamber for capturing the sample components to be lysed. An ultrasonic transducer is coupled to a wall of the lysing chamber to transfer ultrasonic energy to the captured sample components.
Apparatus for quantitative analysis of a nucleic acid amplification reaction
Granted: March 21, 2002
Application Number:
20020034745
An apparatus for determining a threshold value (e.g., a threshold cycle number or a time value) in a nucleic acid amplification reaction comprises a detection mechanism for measuring, at a plurality of different times during the amplification reaction, at least one signal whose intensity is related to the quantity of a nucleic acid sequence being amplified in the reaction. The apparatus also includes a controller in communication with the detection mechanism. The controller is programmed…
Computer program product for quantitative analysis of a nucleic acid amplification reaction
Granted: March 21, 2002
Application Number:
20020034746
A computer program product for determining a threshold value (e.g., a threshold cycle number or time value) in a nucleic acid amplification reaction tangibly embodies instructions readable by a machine to perform the steps of deriving a growth curve from measurements of a signal whose intensity is related to a quantity of nucleic acid sequence being amplified in the reaction, calculating a derivative of the growth curve, identifying a characteristic of the derivative, and determining a…
Method for quantitative analysis of a nucleic acid amplification reaction
Granted: March 14, 2002
Application Number:
20020031768
A method for determining an unknown starting quantity of a target nucleic acid sequence in a test sample comprises the steps of amplifying the unknown starting quantity of the target nucleic acid sequence in the test sample and known starting quantities of a calibration nucleic acid sequence in respective calibration samples; and determining a respective threshold value for each of the nucleic acid sequences using a derivative of a growth curve derived for the sequence. The starting…
Integrated sample analysis device
Granted: February 28, 2002
Application Number:
20020025576
An analysis device comprises a body having a reaction chamber for chemically reacting a sample, a separation region for separating components of the sample, and a transition region connecting the reaction chamber to the separation region. The transition region includes at least one valve for controlling the flow of fluid between the reaction chamber and the separation region. Further, the transition region thermally isolates the reaction chamber from the separation region. In a preferred…
Device for analyzing a fluid sample
Granted: February 14, 2002
Application Number:
20020019060
The present invention provides a cartridge for analyzing a fluid sample. The cartridge provides for the efficient separation of cells or viruses in the sample from the remaining sample fluid, lysis of the cells or viruses to release the analyte (e.g., nucleic acid) therefrom, and optionally chemical reaction and/or detection of the analyte. The cartridge is useful in a variety of diagnostic, life science research, environmental, or forensic applications for determining the presence or…
Radiation image information read-out method and system
Granted: September 6, 2001
Application Number:
20010019114
An image signal representing radiation image information on an object stored on a stimulable phosphor sheet is read out by scanning the stimulable phosphor sheet with a stimulating light beam and photoelectrically detecting light emitted from the stimulable phosphor sheet upon stimulation thereof by a photodetector having a photoelectric surface. A variable transmittance medium whose transmittance to the light emitted from the stimulable phosphor sheet upon stimulation thereof is…
Method for analyzing a fluid sample
Granted: August 9, 2001
Application Number:
20010012612
A method for separating a desired analyte from a fluid sample comprises the steps of introducing the sample into a cartridge having a sample flow path and a lysing chamber in the sample flow path. The lysing chamber contains at least one filter for separating cells or viruses from the sample. The sample is forced to flow through the sample flow path, thereby capturing the cells or viruses with the filter as the sample flows through the chamber. The ratio of the volume of sample forced to…
