Systems for bioagent identification

Abstract

The present invention provides systems and methods for analysis of samples, particularly biological and environmental sample to detect biomolecules of interest contained therein. A variety of system components are described herein, including, but not limited to, components for sample handling, mixing of materials, sample processing, transfer of materials, and analysis of materials. The invention further provides mechanisms for combining and integrating the different components and for housing, moving, and storing system components or the system as a whole. The systems may include any one or more or all of these components. The system finds particular use when employed for analysis of nucleic acid molecule using mass spectrometry, however, the invention is not limited such specific uses.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12 / 837,191 filed Jul. 15, 2010, which claims priority to PCT Patent Application No. PCT / US2010 / 042159 filed Jul. 16, 2010 and U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61 / 226,537 filed Jul. 17, 2009, the entirety of each of which is herein incorporated by reference.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention provides systems and methods for analysis of samples, particularly biological and environmental sample to detect biomolecules of interest contained therein. A variety of system components are described herein, including, but not limited to, components for sample handling, mixing of materials, sample processing, transfer of materials, and analysis of materials. The invention further provides mechanisms for combining and integrating the different components and for housing, moving, and storing system components or the system as a whole. The systems may inclu...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention is about microplate handling systems that can be used in various applications to handle or manage microplates. The systems have input and output microplate storage units that can store multiple stacked microplates. The systems also have mechanisms for introducing priority or stat samples for processing ahead of other samples. The technical effect of the invention is to provide efficient and effective tools for managing microplate-based processes.

Problems solved by technology

These methods typically have limited utility for relatively small amplicons (less than 150 base pairs), owing to the proportionately high fluorescence background, and do not provide any information with respect to amplicon heterogeneity or exact length.

ESI generally requires relatively clean samples and is intolerable of cationic salts, detergents, and many buffering agents commonly used in biochemical laboratories.

Unfortunately, a precipitation step alone is generally insufficient to obtain PCR products which are adequately desalted to obtain high-quality ESI spectra; consequently, precipitation is generally followed by a dialysis step to further desalt the sample.

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