Filtration testing devices

A filter assembly for filtering a liquid specimen sample, the filter assembly comprising:

• a filter cartridge, which comprises:
• (a) a support shell, which has proximal and distal ends, and a support-shell side wall that is shaped so as to define one or more support-shell side openings therethrough to an internal space defined by the filter cartridge;
• and
• (b) a filter, which is coupled to the support-shell side wall so as to cover the one or more support-shell side openings, and which is configured to filter biological particulate from the liquid specimen sample when the liquid specimen sample is driven through the filter and the one or more support-shell side openings;
• a handle, which is coupled to the proximal end of the support shell;
• and
• an occluder, which is configured to selectively occlude at least 50% of a volume of the internal space of the filter cartridge.

A method comprising:

• driving a liquid specimen sample into a filtration-chamber inlet defined by a filtration-chamber wall of a filtration chamber of a filter unit, the filter unit further including a filter assembly, which includes:
• (a) a filter cartridge, which includes:
• (i) a support shell, which has proximal and distal ends, and a support-shell side wall that is shaped so as to define one or more support-shell side openings therethrough to an internal space defined by the filter cartridge;
• and (ii) a filter, which is coupled to the support-shell side wall so as to cover the one or more support-shell side openings;
• and (b) a handle, which is coupled to the proximal end of the support shell,
• wherein driving comprises driving the liquid specimen sample into the filtration-chamber inlet while the filter assembly is partially inserted into the filtration chamber, such that (a) the filter assembly passes through and forms a fluid-tight seal with a filter-assembly opening defined by the filtration-chamber wall, (b) the handle is disposed outside the filtration chamber, and (c) the filter cartridge is disposed within the filtration chamber such that the filter unit defines:
• (i) a filtration-chamber space within the filtration chamber between an inner surface of the filtration-chamber wall and the filter cartridge, and (ii) a fluid flow path from the filtration-chamber inlet to a filtration-chamber outlet defined by the filtration-chamber wall, the fluid flow path providing fluid communication among the filtration-chamber space, the one or more support-shell side openings, and the filter, wherein the filter is configured to filter biological particulate from the liquid specimen sample when the liquid specimen sample is driven along the fluid flow path while the filter cartridge is disposed within the filtration chamber;
• and
• after finishing driving the liquid specimen sample into the filtration-chamber inlet, entirely removing the filter assembly from the filtration chamber using the handle.

A method comprising:

• filtering a liquid specimen sample using a filter assembly that includes (a) a filter cartridge, which includes:
• (i) a support shell, which has proximal and distal ends, and a support-shell side wall that is shaped so as to define one or more support-shell side openings therethrough to an internal space defined by the filter cartridge;
• and (ii) a filter, which is coupled to the support-shell side wall so as to cover the one or more support-shell side openings, and which is configured to filter biological particulate from the liquid specimen sample when the liquid specimen sample is driven through the filter and the one or more support-shell side openings;
• (b) a handle, which is coupled to the proximal end of the support shell;
• and (c) an occluder, which is configured to selectively occlude at least 50% of a volume of the internal space of the filter cartridge,
• wherein filtering the liquid specimen comprises driving the liquid specimen sample through the filter and the one or more support-shell side openings while the occluder is in a non-occluding configuration, in which the occluder does not occlude at least at least 50% of the volume of the internal space;
• and
• after filtering the liquid specimen sample, transitioning the occluder from the non-occluding configuration to an occluding configuration, in which the occluder occludes at least 50% of the volume of the internal space.

A liquid-specimen-sample processing system for processing a liquid specimen sample, the liquid-specimen-sample processing system comprising:

• (a) a filter assembly, which comprises:
• (i) a filter cartridge, which comprises:
• (A) a support shell, which has proximal and distal ends, and a support-shell side wall that is shaped so as to define one or more support-shell side openings therethrough to an internal space defined by the filter cartridge;
• and
• (B) a filter, which is coupled to an external surface of the support-shell side wall so as to cover the one or more support-shell side openings, and which is configured to filter biological particulate from the liquid specimen sample when the liquid specimen sample is driven through the filter and the one or more support-shell side openings;
• (ii) a handle, which is coupled to the proximal end of the support shell;
• and
• (b) a receptacle, wherein the filter assembly and the receptacle are configured such that the filter assembly is partially insertable into the receptacle using the handle, such that at least a portion of the handle is outside the receptacle and at least a portion of the filter cartridge is disposed within the receptacle, wherein an inner surface of a side wall of the receptacle is shaped so as to define one or more protrusions, which are configured to physically disturb the filter, when the filter assembly is as least partially within the receptacle, so as to help release, from the filter, the biological particulate trapped by the filter.

A method comprising

• filtering a liquid specimen sample using a filter assembly that includes (a) a filter cartridge, which includes:
• (i) a support shell, which has proximal and distal ends, and a support-shell side wall that is shaped so as to define one or more support-shell side openings therethrough to an internal space defined by the filter cartridge;
• and (ii) a filter, which is coupled to an external surface of the support-shell side wall so as to cover the one or more support-shell side openings, and which is configured to filter biological particulate from the liquid specimen sample when the liquid specimen sample is driven through the filter and the one or more support-shell side openings;
• and (b) a handle, which is coupled to the proximal end of the support shell;
• and
• after filtering the liquid specimen sample, partially inserting the filter assembly into a receptacle using the handle, such that at least a portion of the handle is outside the receptacle and at least a portion of the filter cartridge is disposed within the receptacle, wherein an inner surface of a side wall of the receptacle is shaped so as to define one or more protrusions, which are configured to physically disturb the filter, when the filter assembly is as least partially within the receptacle, so as to help release, from the filter, the biological particulate trapped by the filter.