Sample Processing Methods
First Claim
1. A sample processing tubule, comprising:
- at least three segments, each of which is;
defined by the tubule;
fluidly isolated, at least in part by a breakable seal;
so expandable as to receive a volume of fluid expelled from another segment; and
so compressible as to contain substantially no fluid when so compressed;
wherein at least three segments each contains at least one reagent.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method of processing a sample may include introducing a sample into a vessel, the vessel having proximal and distal ends, the sample being introduced into the proximal end of the vessel; incubating the sample in the vessel with a substance capable of specific binding to a preselected component of the sample; propelling components of the incubated sample, other than the preselected component, toward the proximal end of the vessel by clamping the vessel distal to the incubated sample and compressing the vessel where the incubated sample is contained; propelling the preselected component toward a distal segment of the vessel by clamping the vessel proximal to the preselected component and compressing the vessel where the preselected component is contained; and mixing the preselected component with a reagent in the distal segment of the vessel.
10 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A sample processing tubule, comprising:
at least three segments, each of which is;
defined by the tubule;
fluidly isolated, at least in part by a breakable seal;
so expandable as to receive a volume of fluid expelled from another segment; and
so compressible as to contain substantially no fluid when so compressed;
wherein at least three segments each contains at least one reagent.- View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A method of processing a sample, comprising:
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introducing a sample into a tubule discretized by breakable seals into a plurality of fluidly isolated segments, wherein the tubule has a proximal end for receiving waste and a distal end for conducting an assay; incubating the sample in a segment of the tubule with a substance capable of specific binding to a preselected component of the sample; removing waste from the preselected component by clamping the tubule distally of the segment containing the preselected component and compressing that segment; and releasing a reagent to mix with the preselected component from a fluidly isolated adjacent distal segment by compressing at least one of the segment containing the preselected component and a segment containing a reagent distal of that segment, thereby opening a breakable seal and either propelling the reagent into the segment containing the preselected component or propelling the preselected component into the segment containing the reagent.
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Specification