PEPconnect

BN ProSpec® System Instrument Overview Online Training

Replenish consumables and reagents. Empty waste. Replace used dilution strips. This clinical laboratory training qualifies for continuing education units (CEU).

The BN ProSpec® System is designed to analyze proteins in serum, plasma, urine, and cerebrospinal fluid. Below are some key features of the system. Performs over 40 different test protocols for protein analysis Samples from primary and secondary tubes of varying sizes Identifies samples, reagents, controls, and standards by barcode Monitors the inventory of reagents and controls that remain on-board in a refrigerated compartment This course does not include audio. Upon successful completin of this course, you will be able to: Identify exterior components such as the system liquids and waste, computer station, and uninterruptible power supply (UPS)  Identify interior components such as the sample rotor, reagent rotor, and dilution station  Identify general functions of the system components Congratulations. You’ve completed the BN ProSpec® System Instrument Overview course. In this online training course, you’ve learned how to: Identify the exterior components of the BN ProSpec® System You’ve learned to identify the left connectivity panel (which has connections for system liquids and waste) and the right connectivity panel (which has connections for power and computer cables). And now you know that the three lights on the system’s upper-right corner are LEDs, and the unit attached to the power cable is the UPS. Identify the interior components of the BN ProSpec® System You’ve learned that the sample rotor and syringe are located under the left cover, and the reagent rotor, dilution station, probe, wet station, and cuvette rotor are located under the right cover. And you can identify the different types of segments that fit on each rotor. You’ve also learned that you should make a request through the system software before opening the covers to access interior components. List general functions of the BN ProSpec® System components You’ve learned that the sample rotor holds samples and standards, and the reagent rotor holds reagents and controls. And now you know that the probe performs key functions, such as mixing, heating, and transferring liquids, and is cleaned at the wet station. You’ve also learned that the cuvettes on the cuvette rotor hold mixtures of reagents and samples while nephelometric readings are taken.     You can find out by checking the light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, located on the upper-right corner of the analyzer. Green indicates everything is okay Yellow indicates the instrument needs attention but can continue processing Red indicates the instrument requires immediate attention The computer station functions as the interface between the operator and the analyzer. The BN ProSpec® System applications software runs on a Windows NT® operating system. You’ll learn more about the applications software in the BN ProSpec® System Software Overview Online Training course. The computer station includes these standard components: Monitor Keyboard Mouse CPU Printer The power cable is connected to a UPS, or uninterruptible power supply. This can preserve your run if the power is interrupted.  During a power outage, the system can continue to run for up to 20 minutes. You should perform a controlled shutdown before the end of the 20-minute period. The connections for a computer cable and a power cable are located on the analyzer’s right connectivity panel for easy accessibility. This connectivity panel includes: Fuse box On/Off power switch Power cable socket Cable connection from analyzer hard drive to computer System liquids are used to make dilutions, enhance antigen-antibody reactions, and clean the probe between transfers. Liquids that are being discarded from the system collect as waste. Here are a few key facts about the system liquids and waste: Diluent is used to dilute samples, controls, and standards, as well as to flush the interior of the analyzer’s probe. Buffer is added to the sample and reagent mixture to optimize the reactions for most assays. Distilled water is used to clean the probe exterior. System liquid containers should be placed no farther than 70 cm (28 in) from the base of the analyzer and should never be placed above it. The waste container can be placed on the floor; alternately, the waste line can be plumbed to a drain. System Liquids and Wastes Learn about System Liquids and Wastes Tab TitleTextContainers The four containers for the system liquids and waste are located on the left side of the analyzer. Rings on the tubing from the containers are color-coded: Blue: diluent container (5-L capacity) Red: buffer container (5-L capacity) White: distilled water container (10-L capacity) Green: waste container (10-L capacity) Container Sensor Level Each container has a level sensor. These sensors detect when the level of buffer, diluent, or distilled water is low, or when the waste container is full.   Tubings and Cables Connections for the color-coded tubings (solid arrows) and the electrical cables from the level sensors (dashed arrow) are located on the left connectivity panel. The electrical cables transmit signals from the level sensors to the software. When liquid levels are low or waste is full, a status button turns yellow to notify the operator.  Diluent The diluent in the diluent line (solid arrow) is monitored by a bubble detector (dashed arrow) located behind the connections. If air is detected in the diluent line, the detector sends a signal to the system's software. The signal initiates an Emergency Stop, and processing halts. The exterior components of the BN ProSpec® System include: System liquids and waste area Computer station Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) Uninterruptible power supply (UPS)  Left Cover Sample rotor Syringe Right Cover Reagent rotor Dilution station Cuvette rotor Probe Wet station Cleaner bottle Request access through the system software before opening either cover. Opening the right cover without making a request will initiate an Emergency Stop. The probe will stop functioning immediately; however, processing will continue in the cuvette rotor. To open the covers, pull the covers forward, then push upward in a circular movement. The sample rotor is where samples and standards are loaded. This rotor: Works at room temperature Holds up to three segments Holds a maximum of 45 primary and secondary sample tubes The labels on the analyzer serve as reminders to remove caps from all vials and tubes before loading them on the rotor. Use biohazard precautions when operating the system. The different types of sample rotor segments have these common features: A segment barcode label which corresponds to the number on the grip label A grip label with a four-digit number. The first two digits identify the type of segment, and the next two digits represent the number of the segment A scan barcode label which spans the back so that the analyzer can identify empty positions Sample Segment    Holds up to 15 primary or secondary tubes Uses white adapters for 3-, 5-, and 7-mL tubes Uses black adapters for 10-mL tubes ​Allows mixing white and black adapters Eppendorf Cup Segment Holds up to 15 1.7mL microcentrifuge tubes for small-volume samples Uses only Eppendorf cups     Standard Segment Holds up to 6 standards to calibrate assays A 500-mL syringe works with the probe to aspirate and deliver samples, controls, reagents, standards, cleaner, buffer, distilled water, and diluent on the system. The reagent rotor is where reagents and controls are loaded. This rotor: Is cooled to 8–10°C so that reagents and controls can remain on the system Holds 15 segments The software maintains an inventory of the lot numbers and volumes of on-board reagents and controls on this rotor.  The reagent rotor can hold two types of segments: reagent segments and control segments.  Reagent Segment Has a white grip Holds two 5-mL reagent vials, each with a barcode indicating type of reagent and lot number Holds reagent vials fitted with white evaporation caps   Control Segment Has a yellow grip Holds three 2-mL control vials, each with a barcode indicating type of control and lot number Holds control vials fitted with yellow evaporation caps ​Remember to fit the vials with evaporation caps to minimize evaporation. You can place segments anywhere on the reagent rotor. The system’s barcode scanner will read the barcode, and the reagent or control position on the rotor will be stored in memory. To load a single segment, open the access lid (1) To load multiple segments, remove the reagent rotor lid (2) Each sample, control, and standard is diluted with diluent before being transferred to a reaction cuvette for analysis. Each single-use dilution strip has six dilution cups The dilution frame holds 16 strips, or 96 dilution cups total The analyzer’s probe checks for the presence of dilution strips When fewer than six dilution cups are available, a status button turns yellow to notify the operator  ​Dilutions cups can be replaced while the system is processing An aliquot of the diluted sample and one or more reagents are added to the cuvette where the antigen-antibody reaction occurs. Reactions are measured by nephelometry with an 840-nm wavelength light-emitting diode (LED). The cuvette rotor temperature is maintained at 37°C during processing. When the instrument is in standby, the heating to the cuvette rotor is turned off. The rotor holds 90 single-use cuvettes. When fewer than nine cuvettes are available, a status button turns yellow to notify the operator. ​Do not replace used cuvettes while the system is processing. The probe (or transfer arm pipettor) is the workhorse of the System. The probe: Pipettes and dilutes samples, controls, and standards Transfers reagents and dilutions to the cuvettes Heats liquids as they are being transferred Mixes liquids in the dilution cups and cuvettes Checks for inserted dilution strips Detects levels of samples, controls, reagents, standards, cleaner, and buffer  Maintaining a clean probe is critical during protein analysis. The wet station is where the probe undergoes cleaning. The probe is cleaned internally with diluent and externally with water. An additional cleaner, contained in the cleaner bottle, may also be used. The wet station has three distinct areas with separate functions. Buffer reservoir (left arrow)—Reservoir from which buffer is aspirated and delivered to the cuvettes Internal probe-cleaning and waste removal area (middle arrow)—Area where the inside of the probe is cleaned with diluent, which goes to the waste container External probe-cleaning area (right arrow)—Area that has a fountain, where the outside of the probe is cleaned with distilled water The cleaner bottle contains a special cleaner called SCS. This cleaner is used to remove protein from the probe when processing assays with extremely adhesive proteins. The system uses 30 mL of SCS to clean the inside of the probe. The bottle must contain at least 3,500 mL of SCS to clean the outside of the probe.

  • components
  • hardware
  • software
  • liquids
  • waste
  • LED
  • UPS
  • sample rotor
  • syringe
  • reagent rotor
  • dilution
  • cuvette
  • probe
  • wet station