Patent ID: 8357537
Filing Date: 2013-01-22
Classification: G01N,Y10T

Abstract:
1. An automated method for multiple analyte detection using a multiple analyte detection system having a chassis, comprising: loading a reaction vessel into an incubator carousel assembly; adding a sample comprising an analyte to said reaction vessel using a sample handler assembly comprising a specimen probe, sample robot, a sample liquid level sensor, a blockage detection sensor, and a clean station, wherein the sample handler assembly is configured to transfer the sample in the specimen probe from sample tube in a specimen rack handler to the reaction vessel; washing the inside and outside of the specimen probe in the clean station; transferring a reagent into the reaction vessel from a reagent storage assembly comprising a reagent carousel and a reagent cooler, incubating the sample and reagent mixture at a predetermined temperature range to form the analyte-bead complex; washing the magnetic beads in the reaction vessel, wherein at least one magnet associated with the incubator carousel assembly attracts the magnetic beads to a side of the reaction vessel during washing; contacting the washed magnetic beads with a fluorescent labeled reporter molecule configured to bind the analyte-bead complex; transferring the magnetic beads to a detector module for analysis, wherein the detector module comprises a dual-beam flow cytometer having a first laser and a second laser, and wherein the first laser is configured to excite the fluorescent classification dye and the second laser is configured to excite the fluorescent labeled reporter molecule; and analyzing the magnetic beads with the detector module to detect the fluorescence of the classification dye and the fluorescence of the fluorescent labeled reporter molecule; wherein incubator carousel assembly, sample handler assembly, the specimen rack handler, the reagent storage assembly and the detector module are attached to the chassis of the multiple analyte detection system.