MICROPIPET FOR ALIQUOTING SMALL VOLUMES OF FLUID

摘要

Described is a pipet, or micropipet, that can be used to dispense multiple aliquots of a biological fluid sample. The pipet includes a capillary tube, a plunger and a plunger stop mechanism having multiple stop positions that allow the plunger to move through the capillary tube in equal incremental steps. The plunger stop mechanism enables the pipet to dispense equal volume portions of fluid in the capillary tube. Advantageously, the pipet can be fabricated at low cost and may be provided as a single-use disposable device. The micropipet may be provided to users with a sample collection device such as a dried blood spot card having multiple collection regions. The pipet optionally includes a dispensing stage that maintains a predetermined separation between the tip of the pipet and a surface of a sample collection medium to limit wicking of the fluid when an aliquot is dispensed.