Cell analyzing apparatus

• US 5,488,469 A
• Filed: 08/28/1992
• Issued: 01/30/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Omron Corporation
• Original Assignee: Omron Corporation
• Inventors: Hanafusa, Masahiro, Nishimura, Michio, Onuma, Fumio, Yamamoto, Koji
• Primary Examiner(s): Gonzalez, Frank
• Assistant Examiner(s): HANTIS, KAREN
• Application Number:
  US07/936,680
• Time in Patent Office: 1,250 Days
• Field of Search: 356/213, 356/243, 356/72, 356/39, 377/29, 250/458.1, 250/458.2, 250/461.1, 250/462.1
• US Class Current: 356/72
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 1/38 Diluting, dispersing or mixing samples
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 15/1404 Handling flow, e.g. hydrodynamic focusing
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 15/1459 the analysis being performed on a sample stream
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2015/1486 Counting the particles

Abstract

A cell analyzing apparatus which employs flow cytometry to obtain the concentration (the cell count per unit volume) of a specimen under examination is adapted to measure either the cell count of a control specimen the concentration of which is known or the length of time the control specimen is measured. The concentration of the specimen under examination is calculated based upon the cell count thereof obtained over a length of measurement time identical with the length of measurement time of the control specimen. Alternatively, the concentration of the specimen under examination is calculated based upon the length of measurement time thereof needed to obtain a cell count identical with that of the control specimen.

Claims

1. A cell analyzing apparatus comprising:

a flow cell through which a specimen flows;

a light source for irradiating cells in the specimen flowing through said flow cell;

cell light-information detecting means for detecting cell light information as detected cell light information, said detected cell light information comprising at least one parameter for each cell irradiated with the light source;

cell light-information selecting means for selecting, as selected cell light information, cell light information from the detected cell light information;

cell light-information processing means for processing the detected cell light information and the selected cell light information;

control specimen concentration information measuring means for measuring a control cell count of a control specimen having a known concentration;

subject specimen information measuring means for measuring a subject cell count of a subject specimen; and

subject specimen concentration correcting means for correcting the subject cell count, based upon the control cell count, to obtain the concentration of the subject specimen,

output means for outputting results of at least one of processing by said cell-light information processing means, measuring by said control specimen concentration information measuring means, measuring by said subject specimen information measuring means, and correcting by said subject specimen concentration means;

wherein said subject specimen concentration correcting means obtains a concentration of the subject specimen, using information indicative of measurement time obtained by said control specimen concentration information measuring means, based upon a cell count of the subject specimen obtained over a measurement time identical to the measurement time obtained by said control specimen concentration information measuring means according to the formula C=C_o ×

(N/N_o);

wherein C represents the concentration of the subject specimen, C_o represents the concentration of the control specimen, N represents the cell count of the subject specimen and N_o represents the cell count of the control specimen.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said subject specimen concentration correcting means uses a rate of dilution for correcting.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said cell light-information processing means comprises specimen discriminating means for determining whether a specimen is normal.

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

control specimen measuring means which uses a control specimen of a known concentration for measuring a control cell count of a cell type of interest in the control specimen;

subject specimen measuring means which uses a subject specimen for measuring a subject cell count of the cell type of interest in the subject specimen under measurement conditions identical with conditions under which the control cell count was measured; and

cell-count coordinating means for making the subject cell count and the control cell count agree.

5. A cell analyzing apparatus comprising:

a flow cell through which a specimen flows;

a light source for irradiating cells in the specimen flowing through said flow cell;

cell light-information detecting means for detecting cell light information as detected cell light information, said detected cell light information comprising at least one parameter for each cell irradiated with the light source;

cell light-information selecting means for selecting, as selected cell light information, cell light information from the detected cell light information;

cell light-information processing means for processing the detected cell light information and the selected cell light information;

control specimen concentration information measuring means for measuring a control measurement time of a control specimen having a known concentration;

subject specimen information measuring means for measuring a subject measurement time of a subject specimen; and

subject specimen concentration correcting means for correcting the subject measurement time, based upon the control measurement time, to obtain the concentration of the subject specimen,

output means for outputting results of at least one of processing by said cell-light information processing means, measuring by said control specimen concentration information measuring means, measuring by said subject specimen information measuring means, and correcting by said subject specimen concentration means;

wherein said subject specimen concentration correcting means obtains the concentration of the subject specimen, using information indicative of a cell count obtained by said control specimen concentration information measuring means, based upon measurement time of the subject specimen needed to obtain a cell count identical with a cell count obtained by said control specimen concentration information measuring means according to the formula C=C_o ×

(T_o /T);

wherein C represents the concentration of the subject specimen, C_o represents the concentration of the control specimen, T_o represents the time required to obtain a particular number of cells in the control specimen, and T represents the time required to obtain the same number of cells in the subject specimen.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said subject specimen concentration correcting means uses a rate of dilution for correcting.

7. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said cell light-information processing means comprises specimen discriminating means for determining whether a specimen is normal.

8. The apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising:

control specimen measuring means which uses a control specimen of a known concentration for measuring a control cell count of a cell type of interest in the control specimen;

subject specimen measuring means which uses a subject specimen for measuring a subject cell count of the cell type of interest in the subject specimen under measurement conditions identical with conditions under which the control cell count was measured; and

cell-count coordinating means for making the subject cell count and the control cell count agree.

9. A cell analyzing method for use in a cell analyzing apparatus comprising:

a flow cell through which a specimen flows;

a light source for irradiating cells which flow through said flow cell with a light beam;

cell light-information detecting means for detecting cell light information, which comprises at least one parameter with regard to each cell irradiated with the light beam;

cell light-information selecting means for selecting cell light information indicative of a cell population of interest, from the cell light information detected by said cell light-information detecting means;

cell light-information processing means for processing the cell light information detected by said cell light-information detecting means and the cell light information selected by said cell light-information selecting means; and

output means for outputting results of processing by said cell-light information processing means;

said cell analyzing method comprising the steps of;

(a) measuring a control cell count of a control specimen having a known concentration and used as the specimen to obtain control measurements;

(b) measuring a subject cell count of a subject specimen used as said specimen to obtain subject measurements; and

(c) obtaining a concentration of the subject specimen by correcting the subject measurements using the control measurements according to the formula C=C_o ×

(N/N_o);

wherein C represents the concentration of the subject specimen, C_o represents the concentration of the control specimen, N represents the cell count of the subject specimen and N_o represents the cell count of the control specimen.

10. A cell analyzing method for use in a cell analyzing apparatus comprising:

a flow cell through which a specimen flows;

a light source for irradiating cells which flow through said flow cell with a light beam;

cell light-information detecting means for detecting cell light information, which comprises at least one parameter with regard to each cell irradiated with the light beam;

cell light-information selecting means for selecting cell light information indicative of a cell population of interest, from the cell light information detected by said cell light-information detecting means;

cell light-information processing means for processing the cell light information detected by said cell light-information detecting means and the cell light information selected by said cell light-information selecting means; and

output means for outputting results of processing by said cell-light information processing means;

said cell analyzing method comprising the steps of;

(a) measuring a control measurement time of a control specimen having a known concentration and used as the specimen to obtain control measurements;

(b) measuring a subject measurement time of a subject specimen used as said specimen to obtain subject measurements; and

(c) obtaining a concentration of the subject specimen by correcting the subject measurements using the control measurements according to the formula C=C_o ×

(T_o /T);

wherein C represents the concentration of the subject specimen, C_o represents the concentration of the control specimen, T_o represents the time required to obtain a particular number of cells in the control specimen, and T represents the time required to obtain the same number of cells in the subject specimen.