Instrument for selecting and depositing multicellular organisms and other large objects
First Claim
1. An instrument for analyzing and selectively dispensing sample objects greater than about 50 μ
- m in diameter encapsulated in a continuous liquid sample stream in air, the instrument comprising;
a sample object source containing sample objects greater than about 50 μ
m in diameter in a fluid suspension, said source having an output opening;
an alignment chamber having an input opening in fluidic communication with the output opening of the sample object source and having an output opening;
a sample object sensing zone having an input opening in fluidic communication with the output opening of the alignment chamber, said object sensing zone having an output opening which produces a continuous liquid stream in air;
a sample detector responsive to presence of sample objects in the sensing zone; and
a fluid switch downstream of the output of the sample object sensing zone, said fluid switch controlling a fluid stream intersecting the continuous liquid stream in air for disrupting said stream such disrupting physically isolated from the sample object sensing zone and the alignment chamber to prevent introduction of fluidic instabilities therein, said switch responsive to the sample detector to turn off intermittently said intersecting fluid stream thereby allowing lengths of the continuous liquid sample stream in air containing detected objects to pass undisrupted to a sample container.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An instrument for analyzing and dispensing objects larger than about 70 μm in diameter is based on a flow cytometer with a novel fluidic switch arrangement for diverting a portion of a sample stream in response to detector signals in a flow cell. The instrument is particularly adapted for dispensing multicellular test organisms like nematodes or large microspheres for use in screening large libraries of potential pharmaceutical agents. Hydrodynamic focussing is used to center and align the objects in the flow cell. The objects pass through a sensing zone where optical or other characteristics of the objects are detected. The detector signals are processed and used to operate a fluidic switch that is located downstream from the sensing zone. The fluid stream containing the detected objects emerges from the flow cell into air where a fluid stream controlled by the fluidic switch diverts portions of the stream containing no sample objects or sample objects not meeting predetermined characteristics. The undiverted sample stream deposits selected sample objects into a plurality of containers.
66 Citations
56 Claims
-
1. An instrument for analyzing and selectively dispensing sample objects greater than about 50 μ
- m in diameter encapsulated in a continuous liquid sample stream in air, the instrument comprising;
a sample object source containing sample objects greater than about 50 μ
m in diameter in a fluid suspension, said source having an output opening;
an alignment chamber having an input opening in fluidic communication with the output opening of the sample object source and having an output opening;
a sample object sensing zone having an input opening in fluidic communication with the output opening of the alignment chamber, said object sensing zone having an output opening which produces a continuous liquid stream in air;
a sample detector responsive to presence of sample objects in the sensing zone; and
a fluid switch downstream of the output of the sample object sensing zone, said fluid switch controlling a fluid stream intersecting the continuous liquid stream in air for disrupting said stream such disrupting physically isolated from the sample object sensing zone and the alignment chamber to prevent introduction of fluidic instabilities therein, said switch responsive to the sample detector to turn off intermittently said intersecting fluid stream thereby allowing lengths of the continuous liquid sample stream in air containing detected objects to pass undisrupted to a sample container. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
- m in diameter encapsulated in a continuous liquid sample stream in air, the instrument comprising;
-
17. An instrument for analyzing and selectively dispensing sample objects greater than about 50 μ
- m in diameter encapsulated in a continuous liquid sample stream in air, the instrument comprising;
means for aligning the sample objects in a fluid stream, in a direction parallel to a flow direction of the fluid stream;
means for detecting the presence of the sample objects in the fluid stream, the means for detecting being located downstream from the means for aligning with respect to the fluid stream;
means for forming a continuous liquid sample stream in air; and
means for selectively disrupting the continuous liquid sample stream in air, the means for selectively disrupting located downstream from the means for detecting with respect to the fluid stream, such disrupting being physically isolated from said means for detecting so that fluidic instabilities cannot be transmitted from the means for selectively disrupting to the means for detecting, and being responsive to the means for detecting so as intermittently to cease disrupting the continuous fluid stream in air thereby allowing undisrupted lengths of said stream in air containing sample objects to pass undisturbed into a container. - View Dependent Claims (18)
- m in diameter encapsulated in a continuous liquid sample stream in air, the instrument comprising;
-
19. An instrument for analyzing and selectively dispensing sample objects encapsulated in a continuous liquid sample stream in air, the instrument comprising:
-
a source of objects having an output;
a sensing zone responsive to sample objects from the output;
a detector responsive to sample objects in the sensing zone;
means for forming a continuous liquid sample stream in air; and
a switched source of compressed gas having a gas output directed toward the continuous liquid sample stream in air downstream from the detector so as to disrupt said stream, such disruption physically isolated from the detector to prevent transmissions of fluidic instabilities to the detector, and having a control input responsive to the detector to cease disrupting said stream thereby allowing lengths of the liquid sample stream containing detected objects to pass undisrupted to a sample container. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
-
-
26. An instrument for selectively dispensing sample objects encapsulated in a continuous liquid sample stream in air, the instrument comprising:
-
means for providing a fluid stream carrying sample objects;
means for detecting the presence of the sample objects in the fluid stream, the means for detecting being located downstream from the means for providing with respect to the fluid stream;
means for forming a continuous liquid sample stream in air; and
means for selectively directing a gas stream toward the fluid stream to disrupt portions of the continuous sample stream in air, the means for selectively directing being located downstream from the means for detecting with respect to the fluid stream, physically isolating sample stream in air disruption from the means for detecting so as not to introduce fluidic instabilities to the means for detecting, and being responsive to the means for detecting intermittently to cease sample stream in air disruption thereby allowing lengths of the continuous liquid sample stream in air containing detected objects to pass undisrupted to a sample container. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28)
-
-
29. A method of dispensing sample objects encapsulated in a continuous liquid sample stream in air comprising the steps of:
-
centering and orienting the sample objects in a flowing fluid stream;
passing the fluid stream through a sensing zone with a surrounding sheath fluid;
detecting the presence of the sample objects in the sensing zone;
forming the fluid stream into a continuous liquid sample stream in air;
diverting at least some portion of the sample stream in air with a switched fluid stream , wherein said diverting is physically isolated from the sensing zone so as to not induce fluidic instabilities therein; and
collecting ones of the sample objects by intermittently ceasing to divert at least some portion of the sample stream in air based on the step of detecting so that remaining portions of the sample stream are not diverted by the step of diverting are collected. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40)
-
-
41. An instrument for analyzing and selectively dispensing sample objects encapsulated in a continuous liquid sample stream in air, the instrument comprising:
-
a sample source containing sample objects in a fluid suspension for dispensing a fluid suspension of sample objects;
an alignment chamber having an input in fluidic communication with an output of the sample source for aligning a longitudinal axis of the sample sources with a direction of flow of the fluid suspension;
a sample object sensing zone having an input in fluidic communication with an output of the alignment chamber;
a sample detector for detecting sample objects in the sensing zone;
an orifice downstream from the sensing zone for producing a continuous sample stream in air from the fluid suspension; and
a fluid switch downstream of the orifice, said fluid switch controlling a fluid stream intersecting the continuous liquid stream in air for disrupting said stream, such disrupting physically isolated from the sample object sensing zone and the alignment chamber to prevent introduction of fluidic instabilities therein, said switch responsive to the sample detector to turn off intermittently said intersecting fluid stream thereby allowing lengths of the continuous liquid sample stream in air containing detected objects to pass undisrupted to a sample container. - View Dependent Claims (42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56)
-
Specification