SPECTROSCOPIC SAMPLE HOLDER

• US 20080180658A1
• Filed: 01/18/2008
• Published: 07/31/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ChroMedX Ltd. (Relay Medical Corp.)
• Original Assignee: ChroMedX Inc.
• Inventors: SAMSOONDAR, JAMES
• Granted Patent: US 7,740,804 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 356/246
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0636 Integrated biosensor, microarrays
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0654 Lenses; Optical fibres
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0816 Cards, e.g. flat sample carriers usually with flow in two horizontal directions
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0864 comprising only one inlet and multiple receiving wells, e.g. for separation, splitting
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0406 capillary forces
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502715 characterised by interfacing components, e.g. fluidic, electrical, optical or mechanical interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502723 characterised by venting arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502746 characterised by the means for controlling flow resistance, e.g. flow controllers, baffles B01L3/502738 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/0314 Double pass, autocollimated path
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/0346 Capillary cells; Microcells
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/0382 Frustoconical, tapered cell
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/03 Cuvette constructions
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/11 Filling or emptying of cuvettes
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/274 Calibration, base line adjustment, drift correction
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/49 Blood chemical methods for determining blood cell populations G01N33/5094; chemical analysis of blood groups or blood types G01N33/80

Abstract

Some embodiments of the invention provide one sample holder that is suitable for collection and spectroscopic measurement of a blood sample. In some very specific embodiments, the sample holder is provided with an optical chamber that is specifically designed to spread blood into a thin film, thereby reducing the average attenuation of electromagnetic radiation (EMR) due to scattering of EMR by the red blood cells in a blood sample, without having to hemolyze the red blood cells using sound waves or reagents. Also, the sample holder is designed so that air bubbles are easily pushed through the optical chamber and guided out of the sample holder through a vent. The inlet of some embodiments of a sample holder is a piece of capillary tube and in other embodiments, the inlet is configured to accept the male end of a syringe. In some embodiments, the inlet of the sample holder can accommodate adaptors with different configurations, thereby allowing the sample holder to receive blood from any source, for example a pin prick or a syringe.

Claims

1. A sample holder comprising:

a housing having a width dimension and a depth dimension orthogonal to the width dimension;

an inlet transition chamber within the housing for receiving blood to be analyzed;

an optical chamber, within the housing, for receiving the blood from the inlet transition chamber, the optical chamber having at least one optical window for spectroscopic analysis and an optical chamber depth extending from the at least one optical window parallel to the depth dimension;

an overflow chamber, within the housing, for receiving blood from the optical chamber; and

an outlet vent, in the housing and fluidly connected to the overflow chamber, to provide an outflow path for air;

wherein the inlet transition cavity comprises a tapered transition region bordering the optical chamber, wherein within the tapered transition region the inlet transition cavity width, parallel to the width dimension, increases toward the optical region and the inlet transition cavity depth, parallel to the depth dimension, diminishes toward the optical chamber.

2. A sample holder comprising:

a housing having a width dimension and a depth dimension orthogonal to the width dimension;

an inlet transition chamber within the housing for receiving blood to be analyzed;

an optical chamber, within the housing, for receiving the blood from the inlet transition chamber, the optical chamber having at least one optical window for spectroscopic analysis and an optical chamber depth extending from the at least one optical window parallel to the depth dimension;

an overflow chamber, within the housing, for receiving blood from the optical chamber;

an outlet vent, in the housing and fluidly connected to the overflow chamber, to provide an outflow path for air; and

means for drawing the blood into the inlet transition chamber by capillary action, wherein the means includes a piece of capillary tube fluidly connected to the inlet transition chamber.

3. A sample holder comprising:

a housing having a width dimension and a depth dimension orthogonal to the width dimension;

an inlet in the housing for receiving blood to be analyzed by spectroscopic means, wherein the inlet is configured to accept the male end of a syringe;

an optical chamber, within the housing, for receiving the blood from the inlet, the optical chamber having at least one optical window for spectroscopic measurement and an optical chamber depth extending from the at least one optical window parallel to the depth dimension;

an overflow chamber, within the housing, for receiving blood from the optical chamber;

an outlet vent, in the housing and fluidly connected to the overflow chamber, to provide an outflow path for air; and

means for preventing blood flow through the outlet vent, the means including a buffer chamber for receiving excess blood from the overflow chamber, wherein the buffer chamber is located between the overflow chamber and the outlet vent.

4. A sample holder comprising:

a housing having a width dimension and a depth dimension orthogonal to the width dimension;

an inlet in the housing for receiving blood to be analyzed by spectroscopic means, wherein the inlet is fluidly connected to an adaptor, the adaptor providing means for receiving blood into the inlet from a source;

an optical chamber, within the housing, for receiving the blood from the inlet, the optical chamber having at least one optical window for spectroscopic analysis and an optical chamber depth extending from the at least one optical window parallel to the depth dimension;

an overflow chamber, within the housing, for receiving blood from the optical chamber; and

an outlet vent, in the housing and fluidly connected to the overflow chamber, to provide an outflow path for air.