Rotatable sample disk and method of loading a sample disk

1. A rotatable sample disk configured for samples of biological material, comprising:

a fill chamber for storing a first biological material, the fill chamber configured for rotation on the sample disk about a rotational axis;

a plurality of first sample chambers positioned in the sample disk farther from the rotational axis than the fill chamber;

a plurality of second sample chambers, each second sample chamber configured to permit fluid communication with a respective first sample chamber, the second sample chambers positioned closer to the rotational axis than the first sample chambers;

a plurality of circumferential fill conduits positioned adjacent the plurality of first sample chambers, the plurality of circumferential fill conduits configured to permit transfer of the first biological material from the fill chamber to the plurality of first sample chambers upon a first rotation of the sample disk about the rotational axis;

a plurality of radial fill conduits, each radial fill conduit being positioned between a second sample chamber and a first sample chamber to permit fluid communication between a second sample chamber and a first sample chamber; and

means for selectively blocking the passage of the first biological material through the circumferential fill conduits after the first biological material is permitted to flow into the first sample chambers; wherein

each circumferential fill conduit is positioned between adjacent first sample chambers to permit fluid communication between the adjacent first sample chambers,

the plurality of circumferential fill conduits are configured so that upon rotation of the sample disk the first biological material contained in the fill chamber is permitted to flow from the fill chamber into the first sample chambers via the circumferential fill conduits, and

the means for blocking the passage of the first biological material comprises an elastically deformable region configured such that upon pressing a staking device against a surface of the sample disk in the elastically deformable region the circumferential fill conduit between adjacent first sample chambers is closed off.

2. A rotatable sample disk configured for samples of biological material, comprising:

a fill chamber for storing a first biological material, the fill chamber configured for rotation on the sample disk about a rotational axis;

a plurality of first sample chambers positioned in the sample disk farther from the rotational axis than the fill chamber;

a plurality of second sample chambers, each second sample chamber configured to permit fluid communication with a respective first sample chamber, the second sample chambers positioned closer to the rotational axis than the first sample chambers;

a plurality of circumferential fill conduits positioned adjacent the plurality of first sample chambers, the plurality of circumferential fill conduits configured to permit transfer of the first biological material from the fill chamber to the plurality of first sample chambers upon a first rotation of the sample disk about the rotational axis;

a plurality of radial fill conduits, each radial fill conduit being positioned between a second sample chamber and a first sample chamber to permit fluid communication between the second sample chamber and the first sample chamber; and

means for selectively blocking the passage of the first and second biological materials from the first sample chambers to the second sample chambers; wherein

the radial fill conduits are configured to permit fluid communication of a second biological material from a second sample chamber to a first sample chamber upon rotation of the sample disk, and

the means for selectively blocking the fluid communication of the first and second biological materials from the first sample chambers to the second sample chambers comprises a surface of the sample disk that has been physically deformed to close off the radial fill conduits between the first sample chambers and the second sample chambers.

3. A rotatable sample disk configured for samples of biological material, comprising:

a fill chamber for storing a first biological material, the fill chamber configured for rotation on the sample disk about a rotational axis;

a plurality of first sample chambers positioned in the sample disk farther from the rotational axis than the fill chamber;

a plurality of second sample chambers, each second sample chamber configured to permit fluid communication with a respective first sample chamber, the second sample chambers positioned closer to the rotational axis than the first sample chambers;

a plurality of circumferential fill conduits positioned adjacent the plurality of first sample chambers, the plurality of circumferential fill conduits configured to permit transfer of the first biological material from the fill chamber to the plurality of first sample chambers upon a first rotation of the sample disk about the rotational axis;

a plurality of radial fill conduits, each radial fill conduit being positioned between a second sample chamber and a first sample chamber to permit fluid communication between the second sample chamber and the first sample chamber; and

means for selectively blocking the passage of the first and second biological materials from the first sample chambers to the second sample chambers; wherein

the radial fill conduits are configured to permit fluid communication of a second biological material from a second sample chamber to a first sample chamber upon rotation of the sample disk, and

the means for selectively blocking the fluid communication of the first and second biological materials from the first sample chambers to the second sample chambers comprises a one-way valve positioned in the radial fill conduits.

4. A method of loading a plurality of sample chambers in a sample disk, comprising:

providing a sample disk with a fill chamber, a plurality of first sample chambers, and a plurality of second sample chambers;

loading the plurality of first sample chambers with a first biological material by rotating the sample disk about a rotational axis so that a first biological material in the fill chamber travels through a plurality of circumferential fill conduits connecting the fill chamber with the first sample chambers, the plurality of circumferential fill conduits being positioned between adjacent first sample chambers;

providing a plurality of second sample chambers with a second biological material; and

transporting the second biological material from the second sample chambers into the first sample chambers by rotating the sample disk about the rotational axis so that the second biological material passes from the second sample chambers through a plurality of radial fill conduits into the first sample chambers;

wherein the step of providing a plurality of second sample chambers with a second biological material comprises pipetting the second biological material into the second sample chambers through orifices in the second sample chambers.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the first biological material is a reagent and the second biological material is a sample to be tested.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the first biological material is a sample to be tested and the second biological material is a reagent.

7. A method of loading a plurality of sample chambers in a sample disk, comprising:

providing a sample disk with a fill chamber, a plurality of first sample chambers, and a plurality of second sample chambers;

loading the plurality of first sample chambers with a first biological material by rotating the sample disk about a rotational axis so that a first biological material in the fill chamber travels through a plurality of circumferential fill conduits connecting the fill chamber with the first sample chambers, the plurality of circumferential fill conduits being positioned between adjacent first sample chambers;

providing a plurality of second sample chambers with a second biological material;

transporting the second biological material from the second sample chambers into the first sample chambers by rotating the sample disk about the rotational axis so that the second biological material passes from the second sample chambers through a plurality of radial fill conduits into the first sample chambers; and

between the step of loading the plurality of sample chambers with a first biological material and the step of providing a plurality of second sample chambers with a second biological material, performing the step of isolating adjacent first sample chambers from one another.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the step of isolating adjacent first sample chambers is preformed by deforming the circumferential fill conduits so that liquid cannot pass between adjacent first sample chambers.

9. The method of claim 7 , further comprising, after the step of transporting the second biological material from the second sample chambers into the first sample chambers, performing the step of isolating the first sample chambers from the corresponding second sample chambers.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the step of isolating die first sample chambers from the corresponding second sample chambers is performed by physically deforming the radial fill conduits positioned between the first sample chambers and the second sample chambers.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the step of isolating the first sample chamber from the corresponding second sample chamber is performed by one-way valves positioned in the radial fill conduits.

12. A method of loading a plurality of sample chambers in a sample disk, comprising:

providing a sample disk with a fill chamber, a plurality of first sample chambers, and a plurality of second sample chambers;

loading the plurality of first sample chambers with a first biological material by rotating the sample disk about a rotational axis so that a first biological material in the fill chamber travels through a plurality of circumferential fill conduits connecting the fill chamber with the first sample chambers, the plurality of circumferential fill conduits being positioned between adjacent first sample chambers;

providing a plurality of second sample chambers with a second biological material;

transporting the second biological material from the second sample chambers into the first sample chambers by rotating the sample disk about the rotational axis so that the second biological material passes from the second sample chambers through a plurality of radial fill conduits into the first sample chambers; and

simultaneously with the step of performing thermal cycling on the sample disk, detecting the optical characters of the sample chambers.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the thermal cycling is performed without removing the sample disk from its position on the rotational axis.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the step of thermal cycling includes controlling the temperature of a sample block thermally connected to the sample disk by a temperature control unit operatively connected to the sample block.

15. An apparatus configured for containing samples of biological material during a thermal cycling operation, comprising:

a microcard configured for rotation about a rotational axis;

a plurality of first sample chambers positioned in the microcard around the rotational axis;

a plurality of second sample chambers positioned in the microcard around the rotational axis, the second sample chambers being positioned closer to the rotational axis than the first sample chambers; and

a plurality of channels formed in the microcard, the plurality of channels comprising a plurality of circumferential channels and a plurality of radial channels, the circumferential channels being positioned between adjacent first sample chambers to transport a first biological material from a reservoir into the plurality of first sample chambers upon rotation of the microcard about the rotational axis, the plurality of radial channels being positioned between corresponding first and second sample chambers to transport a second biological material from the second sample chambers to the first sample chambers upon a further rotation of the microcard about the rotational axis; wherein

the plurality of first sample chambers are configured to permit optical detection of the biological materials in the first sample chambers, and

the plurality of first sample chambers are configured to permit thermal cycling during a rotation of the microcard about the rotational axis.

16. An apparatus configured for containing samples of biological material during a thermal cycling operation, comprising:

a microcard configured for rotation about a rotational axis;

a plurality of first sample chambers positioned in the microcard around the rotational axis;

a plurality of second sample chambers positioned in the microcard around the rotational axis, the second sample chambers being positioned closer to the rotational axis than the first sample chambers;

a plurality of channels formed in the microcard, the plurality of channels comprising a plurality of circumferential channels and a plurality of radial channels, the circumferential channels being positioned between adjacent first sample chambers to transport a first biological material from a reservoir into the plurality of first sample chambers upon rotation of the microcard about the rotational axis, the plurality of radial channels being positioned between corresponding first and second sample chambers to transport a second biological material from the second sample chambers to the first sample chambers upon a further rotation of the microcard about the rotational axis; and

means for selectively blocking the passage of the first biological material through the circumferential channels after the first biological material has been transported into the first sample chambers; wherein

the plurality of first sample chambers are configured to permit optical detection of the biological materials in the first sample chambers, and

the means for blocking the passage of the first biological material comprises an elastically deformable region configured such that upon pressing a staking device against a surface of the microcard in the elastically deformable region the circumferential channels between adjacent first sample chambers are closed off.

17. An apparatus configured for containing samples of biological material during a thermal cycling operation, comprising:

a microcard configured for rotation about a rotational axis;

a plurality of first sample chambers positioned in the microcard around the rotational axis;

a plurality of second sample chambers positioned in the microcard around the rotational axis, the second sample chambers being positioned closer to the rotational axis than the first sample chambers;

a plurality of channels formed in the microcard, the plurality of channels comprising a plurality of circumferential channels and a plurality of radial channels, the circumferential channels being positioned between adjacent first sample chambers to transport a first biological material from a reservoir into the plurality of first sample chambers upon rotation of the microcard about the rotational axis, the plurality of radial channels being positioned between corresponding first and second sample chambers to transport a second biological material from the second sample chambers to the first sample chambers upon a further rotation of the microcard about the rotational axis;

means for selectively blocking the passage of the first biological material through the circumferential channels after the first biological material has been transported into the first sample chambers; and

means for selectively blocking the passage of the first and second biological materials from the first sample chambers to the second sample chambers; wherein

the plurality of first sample chambers are configured to permit optical detection of the biological materials in the first sample chambers, and

the means for selectively blocking the fluid communication of the first and second biological materials comprises an elastically deformable region configured such that upon pressing a staking device against a surface of the microcard in the elastically deformable region the radial fill conduits between the first sample chambers and the second sample chambers are closed off.

18. An apparatus configured for containing samples of biological material during a thermal cycling operation, comprising:

a microcard configured for rotation about a rotational axis;

a plurality of first sample chambers positioned in the microcard around the rotational axis;

a plurality of second sample chambers positioned in the microcard around the rotational axis, the second sample chambers being positioned closer to the rotational axis than the first sample chambers;

a plurality of channels formed in the microcard, the plurality of channels comprising a plurality of circumferential channels and a plurality of radial channels, the circumferential channels being positioned between adjacent first sample chambers to transport a first biological material from a reservoir into the plurality of first sample chambers upon rotation of the microcard about the rotational axis, the plurality of radial channels being positioned between corresponding first and second sample chambers to transport a second biological material from the second sample chambers to the first sample chambers upon a further rotation of the microcard about the rotational axis; wherein

the plurality of first sample chambers are configured to permit optical detection of the biological materials in the first sample chambers, and

the microcard is thermally connected to a sample block of a thermal cycling device.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the sample block is operatively connected to a temperature control unit for raising and lowering the temperature of the sample block according to a user-defined profile.