Patent ID: 8133451

Claim:
An apparatus to process an input fluid sample including one or more targeted analytes, the apparatus comprising: a. an actuation instrument comprising: i. a drive motor configured to provide discrete increments of actuation; and ii. a plurality of valve actuation mechanisms; b. a cartridge coupled to the actuation instrument, the cartridge comprising: i. a driving syringe coupled to the drive motor; ii. a plurality of reagent syringes, wherein a fluid input port of each reagent syringe is commonly coupled to the driving syringe, further wherein each reagent syringe is configured to displace a reagent fluid in response to an actuation of the driving syringe, each reagent fluid is used to process the one of more target analytes; iii. a plurality of processing vessels, each processing vessel configured to process the one or more target analytes; iv. microfluidic circuitry including a plurality of valves and fluid lines configured to couple the driving syringe, the plurality of reagent syringes, and the plurality of processing vessels, wherein each valve is coupled to one valve actuation mechanism and each valve is configured to actuate no more than once; and c. a control module coupled to the drive motor and the plurality of valve actuation mechanisms, wherein the control module is configured to provide electrical control signals to the drive motor and the plurality of valve actuation mechanisms to independently actuate the drive motor and each of the plurality of valve actuation mechanisms, further wherein the control module comprises program instructions configured to actuate the drive motor and selective ones of the plurality of valve actuation mechanism such that a position of the one or more target analytes within the cartridge is determined according to a cumulative amount of actuation increments of the drive motor.