Method of imaging assay beads in a biological sample

A system for imaging assay beads, comprising:

• one or more processors;
• and
• memory coupled to the one or more processors, the memory encoded with a set of instructions configured to perform a process comprising:
• receiving an operating state signal from a test cartridge indicative of a type of cartridge inserted into an analyzer;
• determining that the type of cartridge is the test cartridge having a contact connected to an imager chip configured to image the assay beads;
• driving a pump actuator to actuate a pump on the test cartridge and move a biological sample from a sample receiving chamber into a sample testing conduit, wherein the sample testing conduit comprises a first wall formed from at least a portion of the imager chip, a second wall formed from a transparent material layer, and a plurality of wells disposed between the first wall and the second wall, and wherein each of the plurality of wells is aligned vertically with one or more pixels of the imager chip and at least a portion of the plurality of wells comprise at least one assay bead;
• driving a light emitter to project light through the plurality of wells;
• recording an output signal of at least one of absorbance and fluorescence at an array of pixels of the imager chip based on the light received from the plurality of wells;
• and
• converting the output signal using the processor to a value indicative of a reaction of the biological sample with the at least one assay bead in each of the plurality of wells.

A non-transitory machine readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a computing system, cause the computing system to perform operations comprising:

• driving a pump actuator to actuate a pump on a test cartridge and move a biological sample from a sample receiving chamber into a sample testing conduit, wherein the sample testing conduit comprises a first wall formed from at least a portion of an imager chip, a second wall formed from a transparent material layer, and a plurality of wells disposed between the first wall and the second wall, and wherein each of the plurality of wells is aligned vertically with one or more pixels of the imager chip and at least a portion of the plurality of wells comprise at least one assay bead;
• driving a light emitter to project light through the plurality of wells;
• recording an output signal of at least one of absorbance and fluorescence at an array of pixels of the imager chip based on the light received from the plurality of wells;
• and
• converting the output signal using the processor to a value indicative of a reaction of the biological sample with the at least one assay bead in each of the plurality of wells.