US 12,139,742 B2
Devices, systems, and methods for preparing a standardized inoculum for antimicrobial susceptibility testing
Meike Herget, Woodside, CA (US); Creighton T. Buie, Daly City, CA (US); Nitin K. Rajan, Palo Alto, CA (US); Andrew H. THeiss, Mountain View, CA (US); Elizabeth Botbol Ponte, Menlo Park, CA (US); Oren S. Knopfmacher, San Francisco, CA (US); Michael D. Laufer, Menlo Park, CA (US); Eszter Deak, San Jose, CA (US); and Suzanne Putney, San Francisco, CA (US)
Assigned to Avails Medical, Inc., Menlo Park, CA (US)
Filed by Avails Medical, Inc., Menlo Park, CA (US)
Filed on Jul. 29, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/443,990.
Application 17/443,990 is a continuation in part of application No. PCT/US2021/032237, filed on May 13, 2021.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/058,264, filed on Jul. 29, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/025,575, filed on May 15, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2021/0371896 A1, Dec. 2, 2021
Int. Cl. C12Q 1/24 (2006.01); B01L 3/00 (2006.01); G01N 27/00 (2006.01); G01N 33/487 (2006.01); G01N 33/49 (2006.01); G01N 35/00 (2006.01); G01N 35/10 (2006.01)
CPC C12Q 1/24 (2013.01) [B01L 3/508 (2013.01); G01N 27/00 (2013.01); G01N 33/48707 (2013.01); G01N 33/49 (2013.01); G01N 35/00693 (2013.01); G01N 35/1009 (2013.01); B01L 2300/02 (2013.01); B01L 2300/042 (2013.01); B01L 2300/046 (2013.01)] 13 Claims
 
1. A system for preparing a standardized inoculum for downstream testing, the system comprising:
a sensor apparatus comprising:
a sample container comprising a chamber cavity configured to receive a diluted sample comprising an infectious agent, wherein the chamber cavity is surrounded by a chamber lateral wall, wherein the sample container comprises an active sensor coupled to at least part of the chamber lateral wall at a window opening defined along the chamber lateral wall and no part of the active sensor extends into the chamber cavity, and wherein the sample container is configured to allow the diluted sample within the chamber cavity to be in fluid contact with the active sensor through at least part of the chamber lateral wall surrounding the window opening, and
a container cap configured to couple to the sample container when the chamber cavity is filled with the diluted sample, wherein at least part of the container cap serves as a reference sensor; and
a reader configured to receive the sensor apparatus when the container cap is coupled to the filled sample container, wherein at least part of the reader is configured to be in electrical contact with the active sensor and the reference sensor when the sensor apparatus is placed within the reader, wherein the reader comprises one or more processors and a memory, and wherein the one or more processors are programmed to execute instructions stored in the memory to:
monitor a change in a solution characteristic of the diluted sample, and
generate an alert or notification, via a display of the reader or a computing device in communication with the reader, when the solution characteristic changes by a threshold amount to indicate successful preparation of the standardized inoculum from the diluted sample.