Systems and methods for detecting toxins in a sample
First Claim
1. An apparatus to identify the presence of a toxin in a sample, comprisinga first chamber containing an organism having a motility response to a toxin in the sample,a second chamber, having a fluid connection with the first chamber, and having an opening such that sample may be introduced through the opening and combined with the organism from the first chamber,an imaging module, electromagnetically coupled to the second chamber, capable of imaging a path of the organism in the second chamber, anda processing module connected to the imaging module such that the imaged path is processed to detect the presence of a toxin in the sample.
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Abstract
In one aspect the invention provides a system for detecting the presence of toxins in a sample that includes a plurality of chambers for culturing organisms and observing the organism'"'"'s motility response when introduced into a sample containing a toxin. The toxicity measurement system may include an imaging module to monitor and track the movement of one or more organisms in the sample and identify abnormalities. In other aspects, the invention provides methods of culturing organisms and detecting the presence of toxins in the sample using the motility response of organisms in the sample.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. An apparatus to identify the presence of a toxin in a sample, comprising
a first chamber containing an organism having a motility response to a toxin in the sample, a second chamber, having a fluid connection with the first chamber, and having an opening such that sample may be introduced through the opening and combined with the organism from the first chamber, an imaging module, electromagnetically coupled to the second chamber, capable of imaging a path of the organism in the second chamber, and a processing module connected to the imaging module such that the imaged path is processed to detect the presence of a toxin in the sample.
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16. A method of detecting the presence of a toxin in a sample, comprising the steps of
culturing an organism, having a motility response to a toxin, in a first medium, culturing the organism in a second medium such that the second medium is removed and replenished at regular intervals of time, introducing the cultured organism to a sample at regular intervals of time, and detecting the presence of the toxin in the sample based at least on a motility response of the cultured organism to the toxin.
Specification