Agglutination assays

• US 20020168784A1
• Filed: 01/23/2001
• Published: 11/14/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/1998
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Axis Biochemicals ASA
• Original Assignee: Axis Biochemicals ASA
• Inventors: Bremnes, Dag, Gogstad, Geir O., Sundrehagen, Erling
• Application Number:
  US09/768,040
• Publication Number:
  US 20020168784A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 436/536
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/82 producing a precipitate or turbidity

Abstract

A diagnostic system comprises a desk-top, flat-bed optical scanner (101) which scans a substrate, such as a microtitre plate (107) containing a mixture (105) of a sample and an agglutination reagent which react to generate an assay result of an agglutination assay. The scanner (101) generates a digitized image of the assay result. A personal computer (103) coupled to the scanner (101) is arranged to perform an analysis of the digital image to provide a quantified result for the degree of agglutination of the assay result.

Claims

1. Apparatus for the analysis of an agglutination assay comprising:

an imaging device arranged to generate a digital image of an assay result comprising a mixture of a sample and at least one agglutination reagent; and

data processing means arranged to process said digital image to generate a quantitative result representative of the degree of agglutination of the sample and reagent.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the imaging device is a desk top, flat bed computer scanner.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the data processing means comprises a personal computer.

4. Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the digital image is a digital colour image.

5. Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the data processing means is arranged to locate automatically digital image data corresponding to said assay result within the digital image.

6. Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the data processing means is arranged to determine at least one statistical characteristic of the distribution of pixels within the digital image.

7. Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the data processing means is arranged to determine the proportion of an area of the digital image representative of agglutination products.

8. Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the data processing means is arranged to locate within the digital image clusters of contiguous pixels which are representative of agglutination products.

9. Apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein the data processing means is arranged to generate the quantitative result by reference to the area of the clusters.

10. Apparatus as claimed in claim 8 or 9, wherein the data processing means is arranged to generate the quantitative result by reference to the distribution of the clusters in the digital image.

11. Apparatus as claimed in any of claims 8 to 10, wherein the data processing means is arranged to generate the quantitative result by reference to the number of the clusters in the digital image.

14. A method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the optical properties are the colours of the reagents.

20. A method as claimed in claim 19, wherein the processing step comprises generating the quantitative result by reference to the area of the clusters.

21. A method as claimed in claim 19 or 20, wherein the processing step comprises generating the quantitative result by reference to the distribution of the clusters in the digital image.

12. A method for the analysis of an agglutination assay comprising the steps of:

generating a digital image of an assay result comprising a mixture of a sample and at least one agglutination reagent; and

processing said digital image to generate a quantitative result representative of the degree of agglutination of the sample and reagent.

15. A method as claimed in any of claims 12 to 14, wherein the digital image is a digital colour image.

16. A method as claimed in any of claims 12 to 15, wherein the processing step comprises automatically locating digital image data corresponding to the assay result within the digital image.

17. A method as claimed in any of claims 12 to 16, wherein the processing step comprises determining at least one statistical characteristic of the distribution of pixels within the digital image.

18. A method as claimed in any of claims 12 to 17, wherein the processing step comprises determining the proportion of an area of the digital image representative of agglutination products.

19. A method as claimed in any of claims 12 to 18, wherein the processing step comprises locating within the digital image clusters of contiguous pixels which are representative of agglutination products.

22. A method as claimed in any of claims 19 to 21, wherein the processing step comprises generating the quantitative result by reference to the number of the clusters in the digital image.

23. Computer software which when run on data processing means processes a digital image of an assay result comprising a mixture of a sample and at least one agglutination reagent, and generates a quantitative result representative of the degree of agglutination of the sample and the reagent in accordance with the method of any of claims 12 to 22.

13. A method for performing an agglutination assay comprising the steps of:

providing a sample;

providing at least two agglutination reagents, each having different optical properties;

mixing the sample and the reagents to form an assay result;

generating a digital image of the assay result; and

processing said digital image by reference to the optical properties of each reagent to generate a quantitative result representative of the degree of agglutination of the sample and each reagent.