Reflex testing of samples using residual materials from a prior test

A method of performing reflex testing on a plurality of specimens, said method comprising:

• under control of an automated instrument:
• receiving, at a dock located within the automated instrument, a test strip carrier including a plurality of specimens to be tested;
• processing the plurality of specimens according to a first assay workflow to obtain a respective plurality of samples;
• transferring a first portion of each of said plurality of samples to be tested to a respective plurality of first vessels that comprise first reagents for a first test for a first target analyte, the first test identified by the first assay workflow, wherein, for each sample in said plurality of samples, said sample and said first vessel comprising the first reagents for the first test of said sample are located on a first test strip, and each test strip being located at a location within the test strip carrier;
• automatically adjusting the automated instrument based at least in part on the first assay workflow to perform the first test on the first portion of said plurality of samples, the first test providing a result indicating a presence of the first target analyte in a subset of samples from said plurality of samples;
• selecting the subset of samples from the plurality of samples;
• scanning, via a code reader included in the automated instrument, indicia affixed to the test strips associated with the subset of samples;
• storing, in memory included in the automated instrument, assay-specific data for the subset of samples;
• moving the test strips associated with the subset of samples to a new location within the test strip carrier;
• scanning, via the code reader, an indicator affixed to each of the test strips associated with the subset of samples;
• identifying the new locations for each of the test strips based at least in part on the indicator and the assay-specific data stored in the memory;
• transferring a second portion of the selected subset of samples to a second vessel comprising second reagents for a second test to determine a presence of a second target analyte according to a second assay workflow, wherein the first target analyte indicates presence of an organism in a specimen, wherein the second target analyte indicates a property of the organism in the specimen, and wherein the first target analyte is different than the second target analyte;
• and
• automatically adjusting the automated instrument based at least in part on the second assay workflow to perform the second test on the second portion of the selected subset of samples, the second test providing a result indicating, for an individual sample included in the second portion of the selected subset of samples, a presence of the second target analyte in the individual sample.

A method of performing reflex testing on a specimen, said method comprising:

• under control of an automated instrument:
• receiving, at a dock located within the automated instrument, a first test strip carrier including a specimen to be tested;
• lysing cells in said specimen to obtain a sample, said sample comprising at least one isolated nucleic acid;
• transferring a first portion of said sample to be tested to a first vessel comprising first reagents for a first test for a first target nucleic acid, the first test identified by a first assay workflow, wherein said sample and said first vessel are located on a first test strip, and wherein the first test strip is located at a first position within the first test strip carrier;
• automatically adjusting the automated instrument based at least in part on the first assay workflow to perform said first test on said first portion of said sample, the first test providing a result indicating a presence of the first target nucleic acid in the first portion of said sample;
• determining the result indicates the presence of the first target nucleic acid;
• scanning, via a code reader included in the automated instrument, an indicator affixed to the first test strip;
• storing, in memory included in the automated instrument, assay-specific data for said sample;
• moving the first test strip associated with the subset of samples to a second position within a second test strip carrier;
• receiving, at the dock, the second test strip carrier;
• scanning, via the code reader, the indicator affixed to the first test strip;
• identifying the second position for the first test strip based at least in part on the indicator and the assay-specific data stored in the memory;
• transferring a second portion of said sample to a second vessel comprising second reagents for a second test to determine a presence of a second target nucleic acid according to a second assay workflow, wherein the first target nucleic acid indicates presence of an organism in the specimen, wherein the second target nucleic acid indicates a property of the organism in the specimen, wherein the first target nucleic acid is different than the second target nucleic acid, and wherein the second test is different than the first test;
• and
• automatically adjusting the automated instrument based at least in part on the second workflow to perform said second test on said second portion of said sample, the second test providing a result indicating a presence of the second target nucleic acid in said sample.

A system for performing an automated assay on a plurality of samples from a respective plurality of specimen, said system comprising:

• an automated instrument configured to receive and process a plurality of samples according to one or more assay workflows;
• said automated instrument comprising:
• a dock located within the automated instrument for receiving a test strip carrier including the plurality of samples to be tested, and
• a code reader;
• a processor;
• and
• an information storage capacity storing instructions for performing an automated assay, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the system to:
• automatically transfer, via the automated instrument, a first portion of each of said plurality of samples to be tested to a respective plurality of first vessels that comprise first reagents for a first test for a first target analyte, wherein, for each sample in said plurality of samples, said sample and said first vessel comprising the first reagents for the first test of said sample are located on a first test strip, and each test strip being located at a first position within the test strip carrier;
• automatically adjust the automated instrument according to a first assay workflow to automatically perform the first test on the first portion of said plurality of samples, the first test providing a result indicating a presence of the first target analyte in a subset of samples from the plurality of samples;
• select, via the automated instrument, the subset of samples from the plurality of samples;
• scan, via the code reader, indicia affixed to the test strips associated with the subset of samples;
• store, in memory included in the automated instrument, assay-specific data for the subset of samples;
• move the test strips associated with the subset of samples to a second position within the automated instrument;
• scan, via the code reader, an indicator affixed to each of the test strips associated with the subset of samples;
• identify respective second positions for the test strips associated with the subset of samples based at least in part on the indicator and the assay-specific data stored in the memory;
• automatically transfer, via the automated instrument, a second portion of the selected subset of samples to a second vessel comprising second reagents for a second test to determine a presence of a second target analyte according to a second assay workflow, wherein the first target analyte indicates presence of an organism in a specimen, wherein the second target analyte indicates a property of the organism in the specimen, and wherein the first target analyte is different than the second target analyte;
• and
• automatically perform, via the automated instrument, the second test on the second portion of the selected subset of samples, the second test providing a result indicating, for an individual sample included in the second portion of the selected subset of samples, a presence of the second target analyte in the individual sample.