| abstract |
The present invention relates to a cost effective analytical instrument for determining the presence or amount of an analyte in a sample. The assay instrument uses an assay cartridge that includes a rotatable circular conveyor that includes a sample receiving port and a plurality of reagent wells. Each reagent well includes a piston element for transferring reagents to the test surface. The instrument can index the assay cartridge to transfer the sample and reagents to the test surface in some flexible manner, thus providing an analysis protocol specific to the type of sample under analysis. The invention also relates to elements, features, disposables, reagent delivery systems, accessories and methods for using such instruments. Suitable applications include pathological disease tests, cancer detection and monitoring, therapeutic drug level monitoring, allergy tests, environmental tests, food tests, diagnostic tests of human and animal samples, and offline treatment tests. |