Abstract: An automatic analyzer performs a dispensing operation with high throughput while reducing a risk of carry-over of a reagent that includes first and second dispensing operations. The second dispensing operation includes a first procedure of aspirating a sample accommodated by a dispensing nozzle, a second procedure of discharging the aspirated sample to a first reaction container, a third procedure in which a cleaning tank cleans an inner side and an outer side of the dispensing nozzle after the second procedure, a fourth procedure of aspirating the reagent accommodated in a reagent container after the third procedure, a fifth procedure B5 in which the cleaning tank cleans the outer side of the dispensing nozzle after the fourth procedure, a sixth procedure of aspirating the sample accommodated in the first reaction container after the fifth procedure, and a seventh procedure of discharging the reagent and the sample to a second reaction container.

Abstract: Provided is a technology that enables stirring of a liquid containing fine particles without providing a dedicated stirring mechanism. An automatic analyzer according to the present disclosure includes a probe that aspirates and discharges a specimen and a reagent, and a control unit that controls an operation of the probe, in which the control unit controls the probe so that the specimen, the reagent, and fine particles are dispensed to an empty vessel to obtain a liquid mixture, and a first stirring of aspirating, discharging, and stirring the liquid mixture in the vessel before precipitation of the fine particles after the dispensing, and a second stirring of aspirating, discharging, and stirring the liquid mixture in the vessel after the precipitation of the fine particles after the first stirring are performed.

Abstract: The purpose of the present invention is to provide an automatic analysis device capable of ensuring accuracy in a wide range of a pipetting amount without changing the rotation/vertical speed of a sampling arm and the aspiration speed of a pump. The automatic analysis device according to the present invention, which is an automatic analysis device for analyzing a target substance included in a sample, is characterized by comprising: a detection unit that analyzes the sample; and a probe that pipettes a liquid, wherein the probe changes the number of aspiration by which the liquid is aspirated into the probe according to the pipetting amount by which the probe pipettes the liquid.

Abstract: The object of the invention is to provide an automatic analysis apparatus capable of setting a dispensing mechanism for measuring dispensing accuracy and a dispensing volume, and capable of performing dispensing accuracy measurement without absorbance measurement. Regarding a dispensing accuracy, a dispensing mechanism to be measured is designated. Parameters including a dispensing volume and the like are input. A dispensing operation of the input dispensing volume is automatically performed for each designated dispensing mechanism. A reaction vessel contains, for example, a reagent of the input dispensing volume which has been dispensed by the designated dispensing mechanism. By measuring a weight of the reagent in the reaction vessel, or the like, it is possible to measure the dispensing accuracy of the designated dispensing mechanism.

Abstract: An abnormality is detected with high accuracy at the time of pipetting a liquid to be subjected to abnormality detection.

Abstract: [Task] To provide an automatic analysis apparatus including a photomultiplier tube which controls a sensitivity of the photomultiplier tube without adjusting a high voltage value. [Solution] An automatic analysis apparatus according to the present invention includes a photomultiplier tube which detects light from a reaction vessel; a determination unit which determines an output signal of the photomultiplier tube in a case where the photomultiplier tube is irradiated with first light; and a control unit which irradiates the photomultiplier tube with second light to lower a sensitivity of the photomultiplier tube in accordance with a determination result by the determination unit.

Abstract: An automatic analyzer includes a tube pump, a mounting unit that mounts the liquid delivery target container, a drive mechanism, a liquid surface detecting unit, and a control unit. The tube pump delivers the liquid to the liquid delivery target container during design liquid delivery time necessary to deliver the liquid in a design liquid delivery amount before the tube pump is degraded. The drive mechanism moves the mounting unit mounting the liquid delivery target container from a first position to a second position at which the liquid surface is to be detected by the liquid surface detecting unit. The control unit computes an actual liquid delivery amount of the liquid for the design liquid delivery time based on the first and the second positions, and the control unit determines a degradation state of the tube pump based on the design liquid delivery amount and the actual liquid delivery amount.

Abstract: Provided is an automatic analyzer in which an abnormality of a flow path including malfunction of an electromagnetic valve or a pressure change portion can be detected using an existing sensor that measures a liquid amount in a container. A syringe 103, a first electromagnetic valve 104, and a second electromagnetic valve 105 are operated such that a predetermined liquid aspirating and discharging operation is performed in a container 101, a liquid discharging unit 108, and flow path systems 113 and 114 and whether or not an abnormality occurs in the flow path system is determined based on a liquid amount measured by the sensor 102.

Abstract: There is provided an automatic analyzer that can reduce a cleaning agent used for cleaning a puddle configured to stir a reagent including a fine particle. An automatic analyzer including a reagent container configured to accommodate a reagent including a fine particle, a puddle configured to stir the reagent, and a cleaning unit configured to immerse the puddle in a cleaning vessel reserving a cleaning agent. The automatic analyzer further includes a determining unit configured to determine whether to totally replace the cleaning agent based on a score computed using a number of times of cleaning the puddle having stirred the reagent in the cleaning unit and a remaining amount of the reagent. When the determining unit determines that the cleaning agent is totally replaced, the cleaning unit displays, on a screen, a notification of total replacement of the cleaning agent, or recommendation of the total replacement.

Abstract: The object of the invention is to provide an automatic analysis apparatus which is capable of both sterilizing a reagent and suppressing property variations in the reagent. Provided is an automatic analysis apparatus including a reagent vessel which holds a reagent; a suction nozzle which sucks the reagent; an analysis unit which executes an analysis operation by adding a reagent sucked from the reagent vessel to a specimen via the suction nozzle; an ultraviolet ray source which sterilizes a reagent by ultraviolet irradiation; and an electrode or a substrate which supplies electric power to the ultraviolet ray source, in which a heat insulation portion is arranged between a reagent in the suction nozzle and the ultraviolet ray source and the electrode or the substrate, or, it is isolated between a reagent in the suction nozzle and the ultraviolet ray source and the electrode or the substrate.

Abstract: Paramagnetic fine particles of 1 micron or less used under a strong magnetic field were shown to form beads-like aggregates along the magnetic flux, and become irregularly shaped as such a mass of particles combines with a flat particle layer. This phenomenon becomes a factor that degrades the quality of quantification in bioanalysis. By confining a solution of microscopic magnetic fine particles between flat substrates of high wettability as thin a vertical thickness as possible and attracting the magnetic fine particles under a magnetic field applied from the side of one of the flat substrates, the magnetic fine particles can be evenly immobilized in the form of a film on the substrate surface in a dispersion state, and the quality of the biomolecule quantification can be improved.

Abstract: [Task] To provide an automatic analysis apparatus including a photomultiplier tube which controls a sensitivity of the photomultiplier tube without adjusting a high voltage value. [Solution] An automatic analysis apparatus according to the present invention includes a photomultiplier tube which detects light from a reaction vessel; a determination unit which determines an output signal of the photomultiplier tube in a case where the photomultiplier tube is irradiated with first light; and a control unit which irradiates the photomultiplier tube with second light to lower a sensitivity of the photomultiplier tube in accordance with a determination result by the determination unit.

Abstract: An amount of gas remaining within a fluid control valve is reduced according to a method for fixing the fluid control valve to achieve highly accurate trace dispensation by simply removing gas. The dispensing device has a discharge nozzle, a liquid feeding tube that is disposed so as to connect a reagent bottle in which a reagent is stored and the discharge nozzle and forms a reagent flow path, and a fluid control valve that is disposed on the liquid feeding tube route connecting the reagent bottle and the discharge nozzle. The fluid control valve is provided with a reagent flow path having a liquid inlet and a liquid outlet and a diaphragm valve provided in the middle of the flow path. The fluid control valve is disposed in an orientation such that the diaphragm valve is disposed at the bottom of the flow path of the fluid control valve.

Abstract: The object of the invention is to provide an automatic analysis apparatus capable of setting a dispensing mechanism for measuring dispensing accuracy and a dispensing volume, and capable of performing dispensing accuracy measurement without absorbance measurement. Regarding a dispensing accuracy, a dispensing mechanism to be measured is designated. Parameters including a dispensing volume and the like are input. A dispensing operation of the input dispensing volume is automatically performed for each designated dispensing mechanism. A reaction vessel contains, for example, a reagent of the input dispensing volume which has been dispensed by the designated dispensing mechanism. By measuring a weight of the reagent in the reaction vessel, or the like, it is possible to measure the dispensing accuracy of the designated dispensing mechanism.

Abstract: A convenient method for nucleic acid analysis is provided, which enables 1000 or more types of nucleic acid to be analyzed collectively with high comprehensiveness and with a dynamic range of at least four digits. In particular, provided is a very effective analytical method especially for untranslated RNAs and microRNAs, of which the types of target nucleic acids is 10000 or lower. Nucleic acids can be analyzed conveniently and rapidly with high comprehensiveness and quantitative performance at single-molecule sensitivity and resolution by following the steps of: preparing a group of target nucleic acid fragments one molecule at a time and hybridizing the nucleic acid molecules, which have known base sequences and have been labeled with the fluorescence substances, with the group of the target nucleic acid fragments to detect the fluorescence substances labeling the hybridized nucleic acid molecules.

Abstract: An amount of gas remaining within a fluid control valve is reduced according to a method for fixing the fluid control valve to achieve highly accurate trace dispensation by simply removing gas. The dispensing device has a discharge nozzle, a liquid feeding tube that is disposed so as to connect a reagent bottle in which a reagent is stored and the discharge nozzle and forms a reagent flow path, and a fluid control valve that is disposed on the liquid feeding tube route connecting the reagent bottle and the discharge nozzle. The fluid control valve is provided with a reagent flow path having a liquid inlet and a liquid outlet and a diaphragm valve provided in the middle of the flow path. The fluid control valve is disposed in an orientation such that the diaphragm valve is disposed at the bottom of the flow path of the fluid control valve.

Abstract: Biomolecules are specifically captured with magnetic particles and the biomolecules are labeled with fluorescence. A magnetic field generator, for attracting the magnetic particles to the support substrate, is provided on the reverse face of the support substrate, and an adhesion layer is provided on the surface of the support substrate to hold the magnetic particles. First, a dispersing solution for the magnetic particles is placed on the surface of the support substrate with the magnetic field in an off state. Next, the magnetic field is turned on, and the magnetic particles in solution are attracted to the support substrate surface. The magnetic particles colliding with the support substrate adhere to the adhesion layer of the support substrate surface, and then the magnetic field is turned off. Thus, aggregations can be broken up while the magnetic particles are held, and a magnetic particle layer on the support substrate can be a single layer.

Abstract: In the conventional nucleic acid analysis devices and nucleic acid analyzers, there was no technique available for sequencing a single nucleic acid molecule easily and highly efficiently. The present invention enabled a highly efficient single molecule immobilization of nucleic acid with good reproductivity in a short time at a low price by providing small metallic bonding pads at predetermined positions on a support substrate, firmly fixing a hydrophobic linker on the bonding pads, and bonding on to the linker bulky microparticles onto which a single molecule of a nucleic acid sample fragment is immobilized. According to the present invention, in the nucleic acid analysis device which uses a nucleic acid analyzer, the nucleotide read length can be extended and many types of nucleic acid molecule to be analyzed can be analyzed at one time.

Abstract: The method for analyzing biomolecules, includes the steps of: immobilizing biomolecules to be analyzed on surfaces of magnetic microparticles; reacting labeled probe molecules with the biomolecules to be analyzed; collecting and immobilizing the microparticles on a support substrate; and measuring a label on the support substrate. Since single-molecule immobilized magnetic microparticles are used in the present invention, the number of biomolecules can be counted, and since hybridization and an antigen-antibody reaction are performed with the microparticles having biomolecules immobilized thereon dispersed, the reaction can be rapidly performed. Further, the type and the abundance of biomolecules of interest can be determined at a single molecular level, so as to evaluate, in particular, the absolute concentration of biomolecules.

Abstract: Disclosed is a technique for binding microparticles to patterned bonding pads of a metal (e.g., gold) formed on a support. The microparticles each carry a nucleic acid synthetase or DNA probe immobilized thereon for capturing a nucleic acid sample fragment. The technique involves forming, on a support surface, a film having a thickness equivalent to that of the bonding pads; controlling the size of microparticles with respect to the size of bonding pads; and thereby immobilizing microparticles each bearing a single nucleic acid sample fragment to the bonding pads in a one-to-one manner in a grid form. This allows high-density regular alignment and immobilization of many types of nucleic acid fragment samples on a support and enables high-throughput analysis of nucleic acid samples. Typically, immobilization of microparticles at 1-micrometer intervals easily provides a high density of 106 nucleic acid fragments per square millimeter.