Sample processing apparatus and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9422604-B2
Application number	US-201113078720-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 1, 2011
Priority date	Oct 2, 2009
Publication date	Aug 23, 2016
Grant date	Aug 23, 2016

Abstract

The invention relates to a sample processing apparatus comprising a holder for a microtiter plate comprising a plurality of microwells, optical measurement unit for measuring optical responses of samples dosed to the microwells, and a computing unit configured to analyze the optical responses in order to detect dosing failures in said plurality of microwells, and if a dosing failure has been detected in one or more of the microwells, to communicate the existence of the dosing failure to a user of the apparatus through signaling means or to store data indicative of the dosing failure to data storage means for further use. In particular, the invention relates to detecting dosing failures in before, during and after a PCR process.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for detecting dosing failures in a chemical or biological assay comprising
providing a first reagent solution comprising at least one substance required for performing said assay, the first reagent solution further comprising first colorant providing the solution a first color,
providing a second reagent solution comprising at least one other substance required for performing said assay, the second reagent solution further comprising second colorant providing the solution a second color different from the first color,
mixing the first and second reagent solutions for providing a mixed solution, the mixed solution having, due to said first and second colorants, a third color different from the first and second colors,
measuring an optical response of the mixed solution, and
analysing the optical response for detecting potential dosing failures.

2. A method according to claim 1 , comprising
dosing the first reagent solution to a measurement space,
dosing the second reagent solution to a measurement space,
mixing the first and second reagent solutions in the measurement space for providing the mixed solution.

3. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising performing a PCR process for the mixed solution.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein one or both of said reagent solutions is/are selected from the group of
a sample solution comprising a biological sample to be amplified in said PCR process,
a reagent solution comprising one or more of the following: polymerase, primer, ions, dNTPs or fluorescent qPCR dye or probe,
a PCR master mix, in particular a qPCR master mix or a PCR or qPCR premix, a PCR sample elution buffer solution, and
a PCR sample dilution buffer solution.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising alerting a user of one or more instruments performing the method or storing data indicative of the dosing failure in a storage space of one or more instruments if a dosing failure is detected.

Assignees

• Tuunanen Jukka
• Kurkela Jaakko
• Eklin Katja
• Thermo Fisher Scientific Baltics Uab

Inventors

• Tuunanen Jukka
• Kurkela Jaakko
• Eklin Katja

Classifications

• G01N21/6428

  Measuring fluorescence of fluorescent products of reactions or of fluorochrome labelled reactive substances, e.g. measuring quenching effects, using measuring "optrodes" (in vivo A61B5/00; immunoassay G01N33/53) · CPC title

• C12Q1/6876 Primary

  Nucleic acid products used in the analysis of nucleic acids, e.g. primers or probes · CPC title

• G01N2021/6439

  with indicators, stains, dyes, tags, labels, marks · CPC title

• G01N21/251

  Colorimeters; Construction thereof · CPC title

• G01N21/29

  using visual detection (G01N21/31 takes precedence) · CPC title