Method and device for determining the location and number of fluorescent molecules
First Claim
1. A device for determining a location of a molecule-group and the number of fluorescent molecules in said molecule-group comprising:
- a light source for irradiating a local area on a flat substrate with excitation light, said local area having a molecule-group comprising an adsorbed fluorescent molecule; and
fluorescence detecting means for detecting fluorescence photons generated by irradiating said local area on said substrate with excitation light, for identifying a fluorescent spot where said molecule-group is present based on a two-dimensional frequency distribution of said fluorescence photons, and for determining said number of said fluorescence molecules in said molecule-group by measuring the number of said fluorescence photons per unit period of time as a quantized fluorescence intensity of said molecule-group, measured in said fluorescent spot.
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Abstract
The present invention is directed to a device and method for determining the presence of fluorescent molecules, locations thereof, and number of fluorescent molecules in a local area irradiated with excitation light based on the number of fluorescence photons generated per unit period of time by the irradiation of the excitation light counted as a quantized fluorescence intensity of the fluorescence molecules and a distribution of appearance frequencies of the fluorescence photons formed on a two-dimensional image. In accordance with the present invention, a device is provided which comprises a light source for irradiating excitation light to a local area on a flat substrate with the adsorbed fluorescent molecules, and fluorescence detecting means for detecting fluorescence photons from the fluorescent molecules and for forming a distribution of appearance frequencies of the fluorescence photons per unit period of time on a two-dimensional image corresponding to the local area.
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Citations
17 Claims
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1. A device for determining a location of a molecule-group and the number of fluorescent molecules in said molecule-group comprising:
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a light source for irradiating a local area on a flat substrate with excitation light, said local area having a molecule-group comprising an adsorbed fluorescent molecule; and fluorescence detecting means for detecting fluorescence photons generated by irradiating said local area on said substrate with excitation light, for identifying a fluorescent spot where said molecule-group is present based on a two-dimensional frequency distribution of said fluorescence photons, and for determining said number of said fluorescence molecules in said molecule-group by measuring the number of said fluorescence photons per unit period of time as a quantized fluorescence intensity of said molecule-group, measured in said fluorescent spot. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A device for determining a sequence of bases in nucleic acid comprising:
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a light source for irradiating a a local area having a base therein with excitation light, said local area being on a flat substrate holding a sequence of said bases of nucleic acid; fluorescence detecting means for detecting fluorescence generated from said base present in said local area on said flat substrate and for identifying a kind of said base based on a wavelength distribution of said fluorescence and a lifetime of said fluorescence; moving means for moving said substrate; and means for controlling said moving means so as to relatively move said local area on said flat substrate along said sequence of bases. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A device for determining a sequence of bases in nucleic acid comprising:
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a light source for irradiating a local area having a base therein with excitation light, said local area being on a flat substrate holding a sequence of said bases of nucleic acid; fluorescence detecting means for detecting fluorescence generated from said base present in said local area on said flat substrate and for identifying a kind of said base based on a wavelength distribution of said fluorescence and a lifetime of said fluorescence; moving means for respectively moving said local area on said flat substrate along said sequence of said bases; and cooling means for cooling said fluorescent molecule in said local area of said substrate, wherein said substrate is positioned between said fluorescence detecting means and said cooling means.
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Specification