Apparatus and method for biological sample processing

An automated biological sample processing apparatus, comprising:

• a plurality of substrate holders arranged in substantially the same plane along a minor arc of a circle, the circle having a first radius;
• an elongate nozzle plate rotatably mounted at the center of the circle and extending toward the minor arc in a plane above the plurality of substrate holders and along a radial line of the minor arc;
• and
• a cylindrical reagent dispenser carousel rotatably mounted on the elongate nozzle plate, the cylindrical carousel having an axis and a second radius, the second radius being smaller than the first radius, the cylindrical carousel mounted on the elongate nozzle plate such that a reagent dispenser on the carousel can be positioned over a substrate holder along the minor arc through a combination of rotational movement of the nozzle plate around the center of the circle and rotational movement of the carousel around its axis.

A method for improving the coordination of biological sample processing with biological sample preparation, comprising:

• cutting a tissue section;
• placing the tissue section on a substrate, the substrate including a machine-readable code that specifies a pre-determined set of sample processing steps for the tissue section;
• placing the tissue section on the substrate into an unoccupied substrate support unit of a biological sample processing apparatus, the apparatus having a plurality of separate substrate support units where each of the substrate support units are automatically and independently movable between a separate processing position and a separate access position, the unoccupied substrate support unit held in the access position to receive the substrate;
• causing the substrate support unit to move to the processing position;
• and
• initiating processing of the sample without interrupting the processing of other samples already being processed by the apparatus.

A method for controlling the operation of a biological sample treatment system to provide opportunities to replenish or change reagents on the system, wherein each of a plurality of samples is independently being processed by the system, comprising:

• determining pause point steps for each sample of the plurality of samples;
• calculating a landing zone by aligning the pause points for all of the plurality of samples;
• and,
• automatically stopping processing of samples at the landing zone and automatically providing access to a plurality of reagent containers held on the system so that the reagent containers can be removed, replaced or changed.