Sampling and assay kit, sample holder and method

Inventors

Laukkonen, Jukka • Raussi, Jaana • Eilola, Sanna • Rissanen, Jaakko

Assignees

Aidian Oy

Abstract

A sampling and assay kit comprises a cuvette for holding a quantity of a buffer solution and a sample holder including a capillary tube for obtaining a sample. The sample holder includes a body portion which holds the capillary tube. The body portion when inserted in the cuvette, is effective to position the capillary tube within the cuvette at a predetermined position above the end of the cuvette.

Core Innovation

The invention relates to a sampling and assay kit for analyzing an amount of an analyte using a sampler held within a sample holder and a separate stopper. The kit includes a receptacle for holding a quantity of a liquid and a sample holder insertable within the receptacle, and the sample holder comprises a sampler and a body portion with projection means. When the body portion is inserted, the projection means rests on an internal projection of the receptacle to position the sampler at a predetermined position above an end of the receptacle.

The separate stopper comprises a chamber for holding a reagent, a lid, and a plunger device configured to open the lid. The sample-holder body portion includes an indented portion configured to enable opening of the lid. When the stopper is inserted in the receptacle in a space above the body portion, the indented portion enables ejection of reagent held within the chamber into the receptacle while maintaining the positioning of the sampler above the end of the receptacle.

In an embodiment described, a cuvette is prefilled with buffer solution and a sample holder carries a capillary tube. The capillary tube is positioned at a predetermined height above the cuvette measuring or optical zone using projection/ledge interfaces, and the indented space in the sample-holder body enables reagent to be ejected into the cuvette by insertion of the stopper, while the capillary tube is kept out of an optical light path, after which optical measurement is performed on the resulting mixture.

Claims Coverage

The document provides three independent claims covering a sampling and assay kit structure, a method of analyzing an analyte using a handle-connected sample holder, and a use of a sample holder within such a kit. Across these claims, three core inventive areas are identified: predetermined positioning of a sampler using projection means, a separate stopper with a reagent chamber and plunger that ejects reagent via an indented portion, and an analyzing workflow that includes dilution in a liquid-filled receptacle followed by measuring analyte after stopper insertion.

Overall, the independent claim set focuses on using projection means and an internal projection to position a sampler at a predetermined location within a liquid receptacle, using a separate stopper with a reagent chamber and plunger-operated lid together with an indented portion to eject reagent into the receptacle above the body portion, and enabling a method workflow that performs dilution in the receptacle, separates a handle portion, inserts the stopper, and measures the analyte amount.

Stated Advantages

Documented Applications