Search

WO-2026095694-A1 - MODULAR PRE-ANALYTIC SYSTEM

WO2026095694A1WO 2026095694 A1WO2026095694 A1WO 2026095694A1WO-2026095694-A1

Abstract

A modular pre-analytic system includes a supplying part where sample containers each containing a sample, reagent containers each containing a reagent, and consumable containers each including a consumable are provided, a processing part including a processing module, and a controller. The processing module includes at least two processing units. At least one of the processing units has at least two of a vortex function, a centrifugation function, a spin-down function, and a heating function. The controller is configured to operate the at least two processing units so that the processing module performs a predetermined pre-analytic process among a plurality of pre-analytic processes for the type of the samples supplied to the processing module.

Inventors

  • CHUN, JONG YOON

Dates

Publication Date
20260507
Application Date
20251030
Priority Date
20241031

Claims (20)

  1. A modular pre-analytic system for samples, the system comprising: (a) a supplying part where (i) sample containers each containing a sample, (ii) reagent containers each containing a reagent, and (iii) consumable containers each including a consumable are provided; (b) a processing part including: a processing module including at least two processing units, at least one of the processing units having at least two of a vortex function, a centrifugation function, a spin-down function, and a heating function; and (c) a controller configured to operate the at least two processing units so that the processing module performs a predetermined pre-analytic process among a plurality of pre-analytic processes for the type of the samples supplied to the processing module.
  2. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to optimize the function of each of the at least two processing units so that a function of one processing unit of the at least two processing units is changed in one run of the predetermined pre-analytic process depending on the predetermined pre-analytic process for the type of the samples.
  3. The system of claim 2, wherein at least two functions among the vortex function, the centrifugation function, the spin-down function, and the heating function in one processing unit are performed in one run.
  4. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing module is configured to pretreat a single sample in each run of the pre-analytic process.
  5. The system of claim 1, wherein the consumable includes a tip, the consumable container includes a tip container, the reagent includes a first reagent, and the reagent container includes a first reagent container, and wherein the supplying part including: a first consumable supplying device configured to supply the tip containers each including the plurality of tips; and a first reagent supplying device configured to supply the first reagent containers each containing the first reagent.
  6. The system of claim 5, the processing part further including: a processing preparation station including (i) a first stage in which the tip container is positioned and (ii) a second stage in which the first reagent container is selectively positioned.
  7. The system of claim 6, further comprising: a first gripping unit configured to: (i) transfer the tip container to the first stage of the processing preparation station; and (ii) selectively transfer the first reagent container to the second stage of the processing preparation station.
  8. The system of claim 7, wherein the supplying part further includes: (i) a first positioning stage in which one tip container among the tip containers supplied from the first consumable supplying device is positioned; and (ii) a second positioning stage in which one first reagent container among the first reagent containers supplied from the first reagent supplying device is positioned, and wherein: the second positioning stage is spaced apart from the first positioning stage in a first direction, the first stage is spaced apart from the second positioning stage in the first direction, the second stage is spaced apart from the first stage in the first direction, and the first positioning stage, the second positioning stage, the first stage, and the second stage are aligned with the first direction.
  9. The system of claim 8, wherein the first gripping unit is configured to: (i) transfer the one tip container positioned in the first positioning stage to the first stage; and (ii) selectively transfer the one first reagent container positioned in the second positioning stage to the second stage.
  10. The system of claim 5, wherein the type of the first reagents supplied from the first reagent supplying device is at least two.
  11. The system of claim 5, wherein the consumable further includes a first tube, and the consumable container further includes a first tube container, wherein the supplying part further including: a second consumable supplying device configured to supply the first tube containers each including the at least two first tubes; a sample supplying device configured to the sample container; and a first pipette unit configured to transfer a portion of the sample supplied from the sample supplying device to the first tube supplied from the second consumable supplying device, and wherein the first pipette unit is horizontally movable in both a first direction and a second direction opposite to the first direction.
  12. The system of claim 11, wherein the reagent further includes a second reagent, and the reagent container further includes a second reagent container, wherein the supplying part further including: a second reagent supplying device configured to supply the second reagent containers each containing the second reagent, and wherein the first pipette unit is configured to selectively transfer the second reagent supplied from the second reagent supplying device to the sample container supplied from the sample supplying device or the tube supplied from the second consumable supplying device.
  13. The system of claim 12, wherein the first tube including the portion of the sample is defined as a sample tube, wherein the system further comprises: a second gripping unit configured to transfer the sample tube to one processing unit of the processing module.
  14. The system of claim 13, wherein the supplying part further including: a first tip waste container positioned to overlap a movement path of the first pipette unit between the first consumable supplying device and the sample supplying device.
  15. The system of claim 14, wherein the supplying part further includes: (i) a third positioning stage in which one tip container among the tip containers supplied from the first consumable supplying device is positioned; (ii) a fourth positioning stage in which one second reagent among the second reagents supplied from the second reagent supplying device is positioned; (iii) a fifth positioning stage in which one sample container among the sample containers supplied from the sample supplying device is positioned; and (iv) a sixth positioning stage in which one first tube container among the first tube containers supplied from the second consumable supplying device is positioned, wherein: the fourth positioning stage is spaced apart from the third positioning stage in the first direction, the fifth positioning stage is spaced apart from the fourth positioning stage in the first direction, the sixth positioning stage is spaced apart from the fifth positioning stage in the first direction, the first tip waste container is positioned between the fourth positioning stage and the fifth positioning stage, and the third positioning stage, the fourth positioning stage, the first tip waste container, the fifth positioning stage, and the sixth positioning stage are aligned with the first direction.
  16. The system of claim 15, wherein: the first pipette unit is connected to the tip included in the one tip container positioned in the third positioning stage, and is configured to selectively transfer the second reagent positioned in the fourth positioning stage to the sample container positioned in the fifth positioning stage or the tube supplied from the second consumable supplying device, after the tip is connected to the first pipette unit, the used tip is released to the first tip waste container, and the first pipette unit is connected to the tip included in the one tip container positioned in the third positioning stage, and the first pipette unit is configured to aspirate the portion of the sample in the sample container positioned in the fifth positioning stage to, and is configured to transfer the aspirated sample to the first tube included in the first tube container positioned in the sixth positioning stage.
  17. The system of claim 16, wherein the movement path of the first pipette unit is overlapped with a position of the first tip waste container and the third to sixth positioning stages.
  18. The system of claim 16, wherein the consumable further includes a second tube, and the consumable container further includes a second tube container, wherein the supplying part further including: a third consumable supplying device configured to supply the second tube containers each including the at least two second tubes; an eighth positioning stage in which the first tube container moved from the sixth positioning stage is positioned; and a ninth positioning stage in which one second tube container among the second tube containers supplied from the third consumable supplying device is positioned, and wherein the eighth positioning stage is spaced apart from the seventh positioning stage in the first direction, and the seventh positioning stage, the eighth positioning stage, and the at least two processing units are aligned with the first direction.
  19. The system of claim 18, wherein the second gripping unit is configured to: (i) transfer the sample tube positioned in the seventh positioning stage to one processing unit of the processing module, and (ii) selectively transfer the second tube positioned in the eighth positioning stage to one processing unit of the processing module.
  20. The system of claim 13, wherein the at least two processing units include first, second, and third processing units that are sequentially arranged in the first direction, and the sample tube position in the supplying part is transferred to the first or second processing units by the second gripping unit, and wherein the sample tube positioned in the first or second processing units is transferred along the first direction by the second gripping unit.

Description

MODULAR PRE-ANALYTIC SYSTEM Embodiments relate generally to a modular pre-analytic system. More particularly, embodiments of the present inventive concept relate to a modular pre-analytic system having a continuous loading for a sample and a random access capability for a device pretreating the sample. A molecular diagnostic test is a method of determining a presence or absence of a disease or infection by analyzing a genetic information included in a biological sample or a biological marker included in a protein using molecular biological techniques. In order to perform the molecular diagnostic test, nucleic acids included in the biological sample should be extracted, and before extracting the nucleic acids, a step of pretreating the sample depending on the type of biological samples is required. In addition, a step of pretreating the samples may be different from one another depending on the type of samples. For example, various devices such as a vortex device, a centrifugation device, a spin-down device, a heating device, a pipette device, etc. may be used to pretreat the sample, and various reagents may be used to pretreat the sample. In addition, each of various samples such as urine, liquid-based cytology (LBC), semen, formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE), saliva, respiratory (RP) sputum, tuberculosis (TB) sputum, bronchial washing, raw stool, etc. may be contained in a container, and a shape and a diameter of a cap of containers each may be different from one another. The pre-analytic processes for various samples may mostly be manually performed by a laboratory researcher, and only for some samples having relatively high demand among the various samples, the pre-analytic process may be automatically performed by a pre-analytic automation apparatus. That is, the pre-analytic processes for most of the samples may be manually performed by the laboratory researcher. FIG. 1 is a plan view illustrating a modular pre-analytic system according to exemplary embodiments of a present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram for describing a supplying part included in the modular pre-analytic system of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a diagram for describing a processing part included in the modular pre-analytic system of FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a controller included in the modular pre-analytic system of FIG. 1. FIGS. 5, 6, 7, and 8 are plan views for describing a pre-analytic processes performed in the modular pre-analytic system of FIG. 1. FIGS. 9, 10, 11, and 12 are plan views illustrating a method of operating the modular pre-analytic system of FIG. 1. FIG. 13 is a plan view illustrating a modular pre-analytic system according to exemplary embodiments of a present invention. FIG. 14 is a plan view illustrating a modular pre-analytic system according to exemplary embodiments of a present invention. FIGS. 15 and 16 are plan views illustrating a modular pre-analytic system according to exemplary embodiments of a present invention. FIG. 17 is a perspective view illustrating a modular pre-analytic system according to exemplary embodiments of a present invention. FIG. 18 is a plan view illustrating a modular pre-analytic system according to exemplary embodiments of a present invention. Hereinafter, a modular pre-analytic system and a method of operating a modular pre-analytic system according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the accompanying drawings, same or similar reference numerals refer to the same or similar elements. In present specification, specific structural and functional descriptions are merely exemplified for the purpose of explaining embodiments of the present invention, and the embodiments of the present invention may be implemented in various forms and are not construed as being limited to the embodiments described in the present specification, but should be understood to include all modifications, equivalents, and substitutes included in the spirit and technical scope of the present invention. When a component is described as being "connected" or "in contact with" another component, it should be understood that it may be directly connected or in contact with the other component, but another component may exist in between. In addition, when a component is described as being "directly connected" or "in direct contact with" another component, it may be understood that there is no another component in between. Other expressions describing the relationship between components, such as "between" and "directly between" or "adjacent to" and "directly adjacent to", may be interpreted in the same way. The terminology used in the present invention is for the purpose of describing embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the present invention. The singular expression includes the plural expression unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In the present specification, it should be un