System For Genetic Surveillance and Analysis

• US 20150213192A1
• Filed: 12/10/2014
• Published: 07/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Applied Biosystems LLC (Thermo Fisher Scientific Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Applied Biosystems LLC (Thermo Fisher Scientific Incorporated)
• Inventors: Fuernkranz, Hans, Greenstein, Michael, Patel, Chirag
• Granted Patent: US 10,181,010 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G16B 25/00 ICT specially adapted for hybridisation; ICT specially adapted for gene or protein expression
• CPC Class Codes: G16B 30/00 ICT specially adapted for sequence analysis involving nucleotides or amino acids
• CPC Class Codes: G16B 50/00 ICT programming tools or database systems specially adapted for bioinformatics
• CPC Class Codes: G16B 50/30 Data warehousing; Computing architectures
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/40 for data related to laboratory analysis, e.g. patient specimen analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/80 for detecting, monitoring or modelling epidemics or pandemics, e.g. flu
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 90/10 Information and communication technologies [ICT] supporting adaptation to climate change, e.g. for weather forecasting or climate simulation

Abstract

A genetic surveillance system comprises a communications network and at least one reader-analyzer instrument. The reader-analyzer instrument has a communication interface to communicate over the network. The reader-analyzer instrument is adapted to perform genetic assay analysis of a sample obtained from a member of a population and to generate detection-related data based upon the analysis. The reader-analyzer instrument is adapted to associate qualifying information with the detection-related data and to communicate the associated qualifying information and detection-related data over the network.

Claims

1-25. -25. (canceled)

26. A method of performing genetic surveillance, comprising:

using at least one reader-analyzer instrument to perform genetic assay analysis of a sample obtained from an individual member of a population and to generate genetic surveillance-related data based on said analysis;

associating spatial information and temporal information with said genetic surveillance-related data; and

communicating said spatial information and temporal information associated with said genetic surveillance-related data over a network using said reader-analyzer instrument to effect said communication.

27. The method of claim 26 further comprising storing said spatial information and temporal information with associated said genetic surveillance-related data in a database as information reflecting the status of said population.

28. The method of claim 26 further comprising communicating said spatial information and temporal information associated with said genetic surveillance-related data to a laboratory response network.

29. The method of claim 26 further comprising using at least one portable reader-analyzer instrument to perform genetic assay analysis of said sample.

30. The method of claim 26 further comprising communicating said spatial information and temporal information associated with said genetic surveillance-related data from a first reader-analyzer instrument to a second reader-analyzer instrument.

31. The method of claim 30 wherein said communication from a first reader-analyzer instrument to a second reader-analyzer instrument is effected peer-to-peer.

32. The method of claim 26 further comprising sending control instructions to said at least one reader-analyzer instrument via said network.

33. The method of claim 26 further comprising altering the manner in which said genetic surveillance-related data are generated based on information received by said reader-analyzer over said network.

34. The method of claim 26 further comprising performing sample preparation steps on said sample based on information received over said network.

35. The method of claim 34 wherein said sample preparation steps include manipulation of at least one assay.

36. The method of claim 34 wherein said sample preparation steps include manipulation of at least one assay and wherein said assay manipulation is performed based on information received over said network.

37. The method of claim 26 further comprising generating said surveillance-related data by collecting data identifying a presence or absence of at least one pathogenic organism.

38. The method of claim 27 wherein said collecting data step is performed by analyzing at least one target sequence related to the at least one pathogenic organism.

39. The method of claim 26 further comprising collecting demographic information from said individual member of a population.

40. The method of claim 39 wherein said demographic information is associated with said spatial information, said temporal information and said genetic surveillance-related data.

41. The method of claim 26 further comprising using said spatial information, said temporal information and said genetic surveillance-related data to predict potential danger to the population.

42. The method of claim 26 further comprising applying a learning algorithm to said spatial information, said temporal information and said genetic surveillance-related data to validate data acquired subsequent to said generation of surveillance-related data.

43. The method of claim 26 wherein said reader-analyzer instrument is associated with an automatic sensing device and the sample obtaining step is performed automatically by said automatic sensing device.

44. The method of claim 26 wherein said sample obtaining step is performed by the user of said reader-analyzer instrument.

45-49. -49. (canceled)