Patent ID: 9046455
Filing Date: 2015-06-02
Classification: B01L,C12M,C12P,C12Q,G01F,G01N,G05B,G16B,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A system for determining the presence of a nucleic acid in a sample, the system comprising: a first assay cartridge comprising a first plurality of reagent wells and a first reaction well; a second assay cartridge comprising a second plurality of reagent wells and a second reaction well; a first processing lane; a second processing lane; a third processing lane; a transfer shuttle operatively coupled to the first, second, and third processing lanes; and a controller operatively coupled to each of the first, second and third processing lanes and the transfer shuttle, the controller programmed to execute a first protocol and a second protocol, wherein the first protocol directs the transfer shuttle to move the first assay cartridge from the first processing lane to the second processing lane and the second protocol directs the transfer shuttle to move the second assay cartridge from the first processing lane to the third processing lane without moving the second assay cartridge to the second processing lane, and wherein the system further comprises a preparation location, wherein the first, second, and third processing lanes are in the preparation location; a reaction vessel for containing a processed sample; an analysis location for characterizing the processed sample contained in the reaction vessel; a transport device configured to transfer the reaction vessel between the preparation location and the analysis location; and a plurality of identical analytical units in the analysis location.