Cepheid Patent Grants

Methods and apparatus for sequential amplification reactions

Granted: February 2, 2021
Patent Number: 10907202
The invention provides methods and apparatus for carrying out multiple amplification reactions in a single reaction chamber by successive cycles of loading reaction mixture, amplifying, and removing spent reaction mixture in a fluidly closed reaction system. In particular, the present invention allows amplification of a plurality of target polynucleotides from a single sample by carrying out under closed-loop control successive amplifications of different target polynucleotides from…

Fluid processing and control

Granted: February 2, 2021
Patent Number: 10906039
A fluid control and processing system for controlling fluid flow among a plurality of chambers comprises a body including a fluid processing region continuously coupled fluidicly with a fluid displacement region. The fluid displacement region is depressurizable to draw fluid into the fluid displacement region and pressurizable to expel fluid from the fluid displacement region. The body includes at least one external port. The fluid processing region is fluidicly coupled with the at least…

Waste receptacle with lid

Granted: January 19, 2021
Patent Number: D908301

Assay processing system

Granted: January 12, 2021
Patent Number: D907793

Sample processing module array handling system and methods

Granted: December 22, 2020
Patent Number: 10871498
A handling system for high throughput processing of a large volume of biological samples is provided herein. Such systems can include an array support assembly that supports multiple diagnostic assay modules in an array having at least two dimensions, a loader that loads multiple diagnostic assay cartridges within the multiple diagnostic assay modules. The array support assembly can be movable relative the loader to facilitate loading and unloading so as to provide more efficient…

Honeycomb tube

Granted: December 22, 2020
Patent Number: 10870884
A honeycomb tube with a planar frame defining a fluidic path between a first planar surface and a second planar surface. A fluidic interface is located at one end of the planar frame. The fluidic interface has a fluidic inlet and fluidic outlet. The fluidic path further includes a well chamber having an well-substrate with a plurality of wells. The well chamber is arranged in the planar frame between the first or second surface and the well-substrate. The well chamber is in fluidic…

Honeycomb tube

Granted: September 8, 2020
Patent Number: 10767226
A honeycomb tube with a planar frame defining a fluidic path between a first planar surface and a second planar surface. A fluidic interface is located at one end of the planar frame. The fluidic interface has a fluidic inlet and fluidic outlet. The fluidic path further includes a well chamber having an well-substrate with a plurality of wells. The well chamber is arranged in the planar frame between the first or second surface and the well-substrate.

Inhibition of nucleic acid polymerases by endonuclease V-cleavable oligonucleotide ligands

Granted: July 28, 2020
Patent Number: 10724083
Provided are methods and compositions for activating oligonucleotide aptamer-deactivated DNA polymerases, comprising cleaving the aptamer by endonuclease V enzymatic activity to reduce or eliminate binding of the oligonucleotide aptamer to the DNA polymerase, thereby activating DNA synthesis activity of the DNA polymerase in a reaction mixture. Mixtures for use in methods of the invention are also provided. In some aspects, the oligonucleotide aptamer comprises one or more deoxyinosine…

Inhibition of DNA polymerases by uracil-DNA glycosylase-cleavable oligonucleotide ligands

Granted: July 28, 2020
Patent Number: 10724017
Provided are methods and compositions for activating oligonucleotide aptamer-deactivated DNA polymerases, comprising modifying the aptamer by uracil-DNA glycosylase enzymatic activity to reduce or eliminate binding of the oligonucleotide aptamer to the DNA polymerase, thereby activating DNA synthesis activity of the DNA polymerase in a reaction mixture. Mixtures for use in methods of the invention are also provided. In some aspects, the oligonucleotide aptamers are circular and comprise…

Loading track

Granted: July 7, 2020
Patent Number: D889633

Inhibition of nucleic acid polymerases by endonuclease V-cleavable circular oligonucleotide ligands

Granted: June 23, 2020
Patent Number: 10689629
Provided are methods and compositions for activating oligonucleotide aptamer-deactivated DNA polymerases, comprising cleaving the aptamer by endonuclease V enzymatic activity to reduce or eliminate binding of the oligonucleotide aptamer to the DNA polymerase, thereby activating DNA synthesis activity of the DNA polymerase in a reaction mixture. Mixtures for use in methods of the invention are also provided. The oligonucleotide aptamers of the present invention are circular and comprise…

Molecular diagnostic assay system

Granted: February 18, 2020
Patent Number: 10562030
Improved sub-assemblies and methods of control for use in a diagnostic assay system adapted to receive an assay cartridge are provided herein. Such sub-assemblies include: a brushless DC motor, a door opening/closing mechanism and cartridge loading mechanism, a syringe and valve drive mechanism assembly, a sonication horn, a thermal control device and optical detection/excitation device. Such systems can further include a communications unit configured to wirelessly communicate with a…

Thermal control device and methods of use

Granted: January 28, 2020
Patent Number: 10544966
Thermal control devices adapted to provide improved control and efficiency in temperature cycling are provided herein. Such thermal control device can include a thermoelectric cooler controlled in coordination with another thermal manipulation device to control an opposing face of the thermoelectric cooler and/or a microenvironment. Some such thermal control devices include a first and second thermoelectric cooler separated by a thermal capacitor. The thermal control devices can be…

Fluid processing and control

Granted: January 7, 2020
Patent Number: 10525468
A fluid control and processing system for controlling fluid flow among a plurality of chambers comprises a body including a fluid processing region continuously coupled fluidicly with a fluid displacement region. The fluid displacement region is depressurizable to draw fluid into the fluid displacement region and pressurizable to expel fluid from the fluid displacement region. The body includes at least one external port. The fluid processing region is fluidicly coupled with the at least…

Methods of detecting influenza

Granted: November 19, 2019
Patent Number: 10480036
Compositions and methods for detecting influenza are provided.

Compositions and methods for DNA and RNA extraction from tissue samples

Granted: November 5, 2019
Patent Number: 10465182
Methods and reagents are provided for the rapid extraction of nucleic acids from a cell or tissue sample. In certain embodiments the sample comprises a formalin fixed paraffin embedded sample (e.g., a FFPET sample), or a fine needle aspirate and/or a cell/tissue smear. In some embodiments, the methods comprise incubating one or more sections of said tissue sample in a lysis solution comprising a buffer sufficient to maintain the pH of said solution at a pH ranging from about pH 4 to…

Encoderless motor with improved granularity and methods of use

Granted: July 9, 2019
Patent Number: 10348225
A DC electric motor having a stator mounted to a substrate, the stator having a coil assembly having a magnetic core, a rotor mounted to the stator with permanent magnets distributed radially about the rotor, the permanent magnets extending beyond the magnetic core, and sensors mounted to the substrate adjacent the permanent magnets. During operation of the motor passage of the permanent magnets over the sensors produces a substantially sinusoidal signal of varying voltage substantially…

Methods of detecting chlamydia and gonorrhea and of screening for infection/inflammation based on genomic copy number

Granted: June 25, 2019
Patent Number: 10329629
Compositions and methods for detecting Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) are provided. The present invention also provides methods and compositions for screening for infection/inflammation based on genomic copy number. Described herein is a method that entails assaying a sample obtained from the urogenital tract of the mammal for an indicator of genomic copy number, wherein a genomic copy number level that is higher than a control genomic copy number level is…

Methods of detecting bladder cancer

Granted: June 25, 2019
Patent Number: 10329622
Compositions and methods for detecting bladder cancer are provided. In some embodiments, methods of detecting low grade bladder cancer are provided. In some embodiments, methods of monitoring recurrence of bladder cancer are provided. In some embodiments, the methods comprise detecting androgen receptor (AR) and/or uroplakin 1B (UPK1B).

Exponential base-greater-than-2 nucleic acid amplification

Granted: April 30, 2019
Patent Number: 10273534
Described herein are methods and compositions that provide highly efficient nucleic acid amplification. In some embodiments, this allows a greater than 2-fold increase of amplification product for each amplification cycle and therefore increased sensitivity and speed over conventional PCR.