Patent ID: 8658099

Claim:
An apparatus for conducting and monitoring chemical reactions, comprising: a base, a thermal cycler mounted on said base, said thermal cycler comprising at least one heater; a plurality of heat-conducting receptacles mounted on said thermal cycler and in heat-communication therewith, each one of said receptacles comprising an opaque body defining a bore having an open end at an end of said body, a first window on a first side of said body, and a second window on a second side of said body; a cartridge removably mounted on said receptacles, said cartridge comprising a plurality of light-transmitting reaction vessels, and comprising conduits connected to said reaction vessels for processing and transferring a fluid, said reaction vessels respectively received in the bores of said receptacles through the open ends of said bores; a light emitter mounted on said base for illuminating said reaction vessels through the first windows of said receptacles; a light detector mounted on said base for selectively receiving and detecting light emitted from said reaction vessels through the second windows of said receptacles; and a controller electrically connected to said thermal cycler, said light emitter and said light detector, wherein the first sides of said receptacles face said light emitter and said light emitter is configured and positioned to transmit light to said plurality of reaction vessels through the first windows on the first sides of said receptacles, wherein the second sides of said receptacles face the light detector and said light detector is configured and positioned to receive and detect light emitted simultaneously from said plurality of reaction vessels, wherein said controller is configured to control said thermal cycler to selectively heat or cool said reaction vessels to control temperatures therein, to control activation of said light emitter, and to receive and analyze a light signal from said light detector and correlate the light signal with a corresponding one of said reaction vessels.