METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR OPTIMIZING ASSAY SEQUENCING ON A RANDOM ACCESS CLINICAL LABORATORY INSTRUMENT

摘要

A method and apparatus are disclosed for optimizing the sequence of assays on an automated random access instrument so as to reduce reagent cross-contamination problems. A common vehicle for reagent cross-contamination is the reagent probe surface which transfers reagents for the various tests. When a plurality of assays are run on a single sample, an initial best path (order of assays) is identified, after which the iterative process of looking for a better alternative begins. This process involves the application of a knowledge base concerning relationships associated with random access cross-contamination, to search the state space.