System for dispensing biological fluids

Abstract

Systems, including methods and apparatus, for dispensing biological fluids, such as allergens.

1 . A method of dispensing biological fluid, comprising:
 operating at least one cooling device to refrigerate a plurality of sealed stock vials disposed in an array in a housing, the stock vials holding biological fluids;   blowing filtered air into a compartment disposed below a stock vial disposed in the housing; and   transferring an aliquot of a biological fluid held by the stock vial, out through a resilient closure of the stock vial and into a syringe pump disposed in the compartment.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of blowing filtered air includes a step of filtering air to remove microorganisms. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , where the step of filtering air includes a step of filtering air with a HEPA filter. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , where the step of blowing filtered air includes a step of creating a positive pressure in the compartment with the filtered air to reduce entry of unfiltered air into the compartment. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the stock vial is disposed in a vessel storage compartment in the housing, further comprising a step of blowing filtered air into the vessel storage compartment. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising a step of disposing at least one stock vial in the housing such that a label and/or a fluid level of the at least one stock vial is visible from outside the housing. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the step of disposing includes a step of disposing the at least one stock vial behind a transparent wall of the housing such that at least a portion of the at least one stock vial is visible through the transparent wall. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising a step of disposing the stock vials in the array, with each stock vial in an inverted configuration. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of transferring includes a step of transferring at least a portion of the aliquot from the syringe pump to a receiver vial, through a resilient closure of the receiver vial. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of transferring is performed a plurality of times with aliquots of different biological fluids to form a mixture of the different biological fluids. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the step of transferring performed a plurality of times includes a step of transferring allergens to make an allergen mixture for an allergy patient. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the housing is connected to a base, further comprising a step of rotating the array of stock vials relative to the base in order to select the stock vial from which the aliquot is to be transferred. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of transferring includes a step of automatically operating a power-driven syringe pump. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising a step of inputting instructions for the step of transferring to a controller that controls operation of the syringe pump. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the step of inputting instructions includes a step of inputting instructions to the controller via a touchscreen. 
     
     
         16 . A system for dispensing biological fluid, comprising:
 a housing for holding an array of sealed stock vials containing biological fluids;   at least one cooling device operatively coupled to the housing and configured to refrigerate the stock vials with the stock vials disposed in the housing;   a blower mechanism for blowing filtered air into a compartment disposed below a stock vial disposed in the housing;   a syringe pump for transferring an aliquot of a biological fluid contained by the stock vial, out through a resilient closure of the stock vial and into a syringe pump disposed in the compartment; and   a controller operatively coupled to the syringe pump and configured to control transfer of the aliquot by the syringe pump.   
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein the blower mechanism includes a filter for removing microorganisms from air. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein the blower mechanism includes a HEPA filter. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 16 , further comprising a base connected to the housing, wherein the housing is pivotable relative to the base for selection of the stock vial. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein the at least one cooling device includes at least one thermoelectric cooling device.