MICROARRAY IMAGING SYSTEM AND ASSOCIATED METHODOLOGY

• US 20070263914A1
• Filed: 03/09/2007
• Published: 11/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TessArae, LLC
• Original Assignee: Tessarae Inc.
• Inventors: Tibbetts, Clark
• Granted Patent: US 7,961,323 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/129
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/02 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0229 using masks, aperture plates, spatial light modulators or spatial filters, e.g. reflective filters
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/10 Arrangements of light sources specially adapted for spectrometry or colorimetry
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/2846 using modulation grid; Grid spectrometers
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/6428 Measuring fluorescence of fluorescent products of reactions or of fluorochrome labelled reactive substances, e.g. measuring quenching effects, using measuring "optrodes" in vivo A61B5/00; immunoassay G01N33/53
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/6452 Individual samples arranged in a regular 2D-array, e.g. multiwell plates
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/6456 Spatial resolved fluorescence measurements; Imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2201/0626 Use of several LED's for spatial resolution
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2201/0631 Homogeneising elements

Abstract

An apparatus and method are provided for creating an image of a microarray. The apparatus includes at least one light source configured to direct light toward the microarray. The apparatus includes an excitation filter configured to filter the light into a first frequency band towards dichromatic mirror. The dichromatic mirror reflects light onto the microarray causing the microarray to emit electromagnetic energy. The apparatus includes emission filter configured to filter the electromagnetic energy within a second frequency band. The apparatus further includes an imaging unit having a charged coupled device (CCD), the CCD having an imaging surface masked by a pinhole blind such that when the pinhole blind receives electromagnetic energy from the emission filter, an image is created of the entire micro array.

Claims

1. An apparatus for creating an image of a microarray, comprising:

at least one light source configured to direct light toward the microarray having addressed probes with at least on label that is activated by targets;

an excitation filter configured to filter the light into a first frequency band;

a dichromatic mirror configured to reflect the light in the first frequency band onto the microarray causing the microarray to emit electromagnetic energy from the labels activated by the target at a frequency range that transmits through the dichromatic mirror;

an emission filter configured to filter the electromagnetic energy within a second frequency band; and

an imaging unit including a charged coupled device (CCD), the CCD having an imaging surface masked by a pinhole blind such that when the pinhole blind receives electromagnetic energy from the emission filter, an image is created of the entire microarray.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a data processor configured to receive the image of the entire microarray and perform image deconvolution by multiplying a Fourier transform of the image of the entire microarray with a Fourier transform of a point spread function, the point spread function modeling a spread of a point light source on the array plane through the pinhole blind to the CCD imaging plane.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a holographic diffuser located between the at least one emitting diode and the excitation filter; and

the holographic diffuser configured to increase uniformity of a illumination intensity of the light emitted from the at least one light source.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a first distance between the CCD imaging surface and the pinhole blind is equal to a second distance between the microarray plane and the pinhole aperture when the image of the microarray is created.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pinhole blind is a lens cap having a pinhole aperture.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the CCD is further configured to receive an electronic signal whereby the CCD is flushed of charge accumulations.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the CCD further includes a number of imaging wells higher than a number of features in the microarray.

8. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein a ratio of the number of imaging wells of the CCD to the number of features of the microarray is at least 25:

1.

9. An apparatus for creating an image of a microarray, comprising:

at least one light source configured to direct light toward the microarray having addressed probes with at least on label that is activated by targets;

an excitation filter configured to filter the light into a first frequency band;

a dichromatic mirror configured to reflect the light in the first frequency band onto the microarray causing the microarray to emit electromagnetic energy from the labels activated by the target at a frequency range that transmits through the dichromatic mirror;

an emission filter configured to filter the electromagnetic energy within a second frequency band; and

an imaging unit including a charged coupled device (CCD), the CCD having an imaging surface masked by a surface having a coded aperture array such that when the coded aperture array receives electromagnetic energy from the emission filter, an image is created of the entire microarray.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the enclosure further comprises:

a data processor configured to receive the image of the entire microarray and perform image deconvolution by multiplying a Fourier transform of the image of the entire microarray with a Fourier transform of a inverse of the coded aperture array.

11. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the coded aperture array is a modified uniformly redundant array (MURA).

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein a dimension of the MURA is at least 211×

211 elements.

13. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the coded aperture array is configured to contain the inverse of itself.

14. The apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising:

a holographic diffuser located between the at least one emitting diode and the excitation filter; and

the holographic diffuser configured to increase uniformity of a illumination intensity of the light emitted from the at least one light source.

15. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein a first distance between the CCD imaging surface and the coded aperture array is equal to a second distance between the microarray plane and the coded aperture array when the image of the microarray is created.

16. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the CCD is further configured to receive an electronic signal whereby the CCD is flushed of charge accumulations.

17. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the CCD further includes a number of imaging wells higher than a number of features in the microarray.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein a ratio of the number of imaging wells of the CCD to the number of features of the microarray is at least 25:

1.

19. A light emitting unit, comprising:

at least one light source configured to direct light toward an object;

a holographic diffuser configured to increase uniformity of a illumination intensity of the light emitted by the at least one light source; and

an excitation filter configured to filter the light into a first frequency band.

20. A method for creating an image of a microarray, comprising:

directing light toward the microarray having addressed probes with at least on label that is activated by targets;

filtering the light into a first frequency band;

reflecting the light in the first frequency band onto the microarray causing the microarray to emit electromagnetic energy from the labels activated by the target at a frequency range that transmits through the dichromatic mirror;

filtering the electromagnetic energy within a second frequency band; and

forming an image of the entire microarray on a CCD having an imaging surface masked by a pinhole blind.

21. A method for creating an image of a microarray, comprising:

directing light toward the microarray having addressed probes with at least on label that is activated by targets;

filtering the light into a first frequency band;

reflecting the light in the first frequency band onto the microarray causing the microarray to emit electromagnetic energy from the labels activated by the target at a frequency range that transmits through the dichromatic mirror;

filtering the electromagnetic energy within a second frequency band; and

forming an image of the entire microarray on a CCD having an imaging surface masked by a surface having a coded aperture array.

22. A method for optical encryption, comprising:

receiving light from an object through a surface masked by a coded aperture array; and

forming an image of the object on a CCD having an imaging surface, the coded aperture array configured to encrypt the image on the imaging surface of the CCD.