Patent application number | Description | Published |
20120223027 | TUBE AND FLOAT SYSTEMS - Tube and float systems described herein facilitate removal of certain non-target materials in order to further isolation and extraction of a target material. The tube includes a re-sealable plug located in the base of the tube opposite the tube opening. The float is selected with a specific gravity to substantially match the specific gravity of the target material. When the tube, float and suspension are centrifuged for a period of time, the various materials separate into different layers along the axis of the tube according to specific gravity of each material. The plug located in the base of the tube enables non-target material layers located beneath the float to be extracted, which facilitates isolation and extraction of the target material located between the float and inner wall of the tube. The plug also allows other liquids to be injected into the tube from below the float. | 09-06-2012 |
20140051060 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR SEPARATING COMPONENT MATERIALS OF A SUSPENSION USING IMMUNOMAGNETIC SEPARATION - This disclosure is directed to systems and methods for immunomagnetic separation of a target analyte of a suspension from the other component materials of the suspension. The system may be composed of a tube, a float, and a magnet. The magnet introduces a magnetic field or a magnetic gradient to the system. The system may also include a solution containing a particle to conjugate the target analyte to form a target analyte-particle complex. The particle is capable of being attracted by the magnetic field or magnetic gradient introduced by the magnet. The target analyte-particle complex may be attracted to the sidewall of the tube after the suspension undergoes density-based separation, such as by centrifugation. | 02-20-2014 |
20140309553 | KITS AND METHODS FOR SEPARATING A TARGET ANALYTE FROM A SUSPENSION - This disclosure is directed to kits and methods for extracting a target analyte from a biological fluid in real time. The biological fluid, therefore, does not need to be stored or shipped/delivered. Isolating the target analyte in real-time allows for on-the-spot processing with minimal, if any, down time between collection and testing. Furthermore, isolating in real time may also allow for the biological fluid to be extracted, processed, and returned—similar to that of dialysis—to permit for more volume to be processed and tested. In one aspect, an inner surface of a conduit may include a coating having a high affinity for the target analyte. The conduit may also include features which create turbulent flow to permit all portions of the biological fluid to come into contact with the coating. In another aspect, a capture chip is used to isolate the target analyte from the biological fluid. | 10-16-2014 |
20140329300 | DEVICE FOR ANALYZING A SAMPLE AND METHOD OF USING THE SAME - This disclosure is directed to a device and method of using the device to analyze a sample. The sample may be a suspension, a portion of the suspension, a particular component of the suspension, or the like. For example, the suspension may be blood, the portion may be buffy coat, and the component may be circulating tumor cells. The device may be used to hold the sample for imaging or further processing. The device comprises a cavity that may be sealed on one side by a porous membrane and on an opposite side by a non-porous cover. The porous membrane allows for reagents to be introduced to the sample without diluting the sample. The non-porous cover allows for imaging of the sample. The device further comprises a nozzle for introducing the sample into a space within the cavity. | 11-06-2014 |
20140349828 | APPARATUS, SYSTEM, AND METHOD FOR COLLECTING A TARGET MATERIAL - This disclosure is directed to an apparatus, system and method for retrieving a target material from a sample. A fraction-density-altering solution may be added to a vessel that contains the sample to change the density of a first fraction of the sample without changing the density of the target material or the density of any other sample fraction. A collector may be inserted into the vessel to funnel the target material from the sample into the collector or into a processing receptacle included in the collector. In one implementation, the collector may include a cannula which extends into a chamber at a first end of the collector and a funnel at a second end that that is in fluid communication with the cannula. The chamber is sized and shaped to hold the processing receptacle. In another implementation, the processing receptacle may be inserted into a bore within the collector. | 11-27-2014 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20130116103 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR SEPARATING TARGET MATERIALS IN A SUSPENSION - Systems and methods that can be used to detect target materials in a suspension are disclosed. A suspension suspected of containing a target material is added to a tube, and a programmable float is added to the same tube. In one aspect, the mass of the float may be programmed by selectively adding one or more objects to the float interior so that when the tube, float and suspension are centrifuged together to separate the various materials of the suspension into layers along the axial length of the tube, the float is positioned at approximately the same level as a layer that contains the target material. The float expands the axial length of the layer between the float outer surface and the inner surface of the tube. | 05-09-2013 |
20130121896 | SYSTEMS TO CONTROL FLUID FLOW IN DENSITY-BASED FLUID SEPARATION - Systems and methods that can be used to detect materials of interest in a suspension are disclosed. A suspension suspected of containing a material of interest and a float are added to a tube. When the tube, float and suspension are centrifuged together, the float expands the axial length of a layer that contains the material of interest between the outer surface of the main body of the float and the inner wall of the tube. The float includes features located on the main body of the float that enhance mixing of various agents to be added to the suspension. The features may also increase the flow of the suspension fluid and materials around the float during centrifugation. | 05-16-2013 |
20140161688 | APPARATUS, SYSTEM, AND METHOD FOR COLLECTING A TARGET MATERIAL - This disclosure is directed to an apparatus, system and method for retrieving a target material from a suspension. A system includes a processing vessel, such as an Eppendorf tube, a syringe or a test tube, and a collector. The collector is sized and shaped to fit into a primary vessel, such as a test tube. The collector funnels the target material from the suspension through a cannula and into the processing vessel. The collector includes a funnel at a second end in fluid communication with the cannula. The cannula extends into a chamber at a first end of the collector that holds the processing vessel. In one implementation, the processing vessel is empty. In another implementation, the processing vessel includes at least one displacement fluid. In yet another implementation, the processing vessel may include at least one displacement fluid and at least one processing solution. The collector may also expel at least one displacement fluid from the processing vessel, such that the at least one displacement fluid pushes the target material into the collector. | 06-12-2014 |