Device for performing biological analyses by immunoenzymatic detection of antibodies or antigens in a serum

Claim 1

In combination, a device for performing biological analyses by immuno-enzymatic detection of antibodies or antigens in a serum and a plurality of cartridges, the device comprising a processing device for simultaneously processing said plurality of cartridges, said cartridges being assembled to said device and said cartridges being disposed in a thermostatically controlled enclosure, said processing device comprising: a hub associated with a motor having an angle encoder for controlling rotation cycles of the hub and capable both of imparting rapid motion thereto for centrifuging, and of imparting or slow step-by-step motion thereto; a plurality of cartridge-carrying lifts disposed radially on the hub, means for passing each of said lifts from a high, "cartridge-loading" position to a low, "working" position, each of said lifts having an open peripheral face, a top face and a bottom face which are largely open, and each lift including declutchable means for radially locking the corresponding cartridge for centrifuging; a plurality of optical reading gauges fixed to said hub, level with respective peripheral faces of said lifts for optically viewing the contents of said cartridges; each of said cartridges being generally rectangular in shape comprising a bottom of thermoformed plastic material covered with a thin transparent sheet of plastic material and constituting: a collecting cuvette disposed in a central position and connected by a duct to a serum storage cuvette situated at the end of the cartridge located adjacent to said hub; at least two cuvettes between the collecting cuvette and said serum storage cuvette, said at least two cuvettes being connected via respective ducts to said collecting cuvette, for containing respectively, a sachet of conjugate liquid and a sachet of substrate liquid; said collecting cuvette having a small liquid-evacuation hole in a bottom and containing a substantially cylindrical well closed by a lid, said well being rotatable about a vertical axis, and having a portion of a side wall of the well forming a spout for all of the liquids flowing in the said ducts, and containing a brush having a large surface area per unit volume, said brush being rotatable about a vertical axis independently of said well, with the bristles of said brush carrying antigens; and a flexible pocket for containing a diluting or blocking liquid connected by a duct to said collecting cuvette, and situated close to an open peripheral face of the corresponding lift, said duct being closed by a breakable capsule; and the processing device further comprising at least one peripheral read module situated on the path of said gauges and a module situated above the path of said cartridges provided with means for rupturing said sachets respectively containing the conjugate and the substrate, and also means for breaking said breakable capsule.