Method and a system for determination of particles in a liquid sample
First Claim
1. A method for the assessment of at least one parameter of a species of biological particles in a liquid analyte material, comprising applying a volume of a liquid sample representing the analyte material and comprising a plurality of particles, or a plurality of particles isolated from a volume of liquid sample representing the analyte material, to sample compartment from which sample compartment electromagnetic signals from the sample in the compartment can pass to the exterior, the size of the volume allowing identification of at least 10 of the biological particles,performing one exposure of electromagnetic signals from the sample onto an array of active detection elements forming an image of the plurality of particles, the ratio of a linear dimension of the image on the array of detection elements to the original linear dimension in the sample compartment being from 40:
- 1 to 1;
10 when the size of the particles is between ⅓
Tm and 3 Tm, and from 3;
1 to 1;
100, when the size of the particles is between 3 T, and 100 Tm, detecting the image as intensities by individual active detection elements, processing the intensities in order to identify the image of electromagnetic signals from the species of biological particles as distinct from representations of electromagnetic signals from background signals correlating the results of the processing to the at least one parameter of the liquid analyte material, and assessing the at least one parameter with a repeatability error of at most 33%.
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Abstract
The present invention relates to a method for the assessment of quantity and quality parameters of biological particles in a liquid analyte material. The method comprises applying a volume of a liquid sample to an exposing domain from which exposing domain electromagnetic signals from the sample in the domain can pass to the exterior, and exposing, onto an array of active detection elements such as CCD-elements, a spatial representation of electromagnetic signals having passed from the domain, the representation being detectable as an intensity by individual active detection elements, under conditions permitting processing of the intensities detected by the array of detection elements during the exposure in such a manner that representations of electromagnetic signals from the biological particles are identified as distinct from representations of electromagnetic signals from background signals. The size of the volume of the liquid sample is sufficiently large to permit the assessment of the quantity and quality parameters to fullfil a predetermined requirement to the statistical quality of the assessment based on substantially one exposure.
105 Citations
36 Claims
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1. A method for the assessment of at least one parameter of a species of biological particles in a liquid analyte material, comprising applying a volume of a liquid sample representing the analyte material and comprising a plurality of particles, or a plurality of particles isolated from a volume of liquid sample representing the analyte material, to sample compartment from which sample compartment electromagnetic signals from the sample in the compartment can pass to the exterior, the size of the volume allowing identification of at least 10 of the biological particles,
performing one exposure of electromagnetic signals from the sample onto an array of active detection elements forming an image of the plurality of particles, the ratio of a linear dimension of the image on the array of detection elements to the original linear dimension in the sample compartment being from 40: - 1 to 1;
10 when the size of the particles is between ⅓
Tm and 3 Tm, and from 3;
1 to 1;
100, when the size of the particles is between 3 T, and 100 Tm, detecting the image as intensities by individual active detection elements,processing the intensities in order to identify the image of electromagnetic signals from the species of biological particles as distinct from representations of electromagnetic signals from background signals correlating the results of the processing to the at least one parameter of the liquid analyte material, and assessing the at least one parameter with a repeatability error of at most 33%. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
said information existing in the form of varying degrees of measurable intensity of a physical property distributed over a confined area divided into sub-areas, each of which sub-areas having assigned thereto an index uniquely identifying the sub-area, the method comprising determining the intensity of the physical property, a) defining a sub-area of interest situated in a group of sub-areas comprising of at least 2× - 2 sub-areas situated adjacent to each other,
b) evaluating in said sub-area of interest at least one directional derivative(s) of the measurable intensity in the sub-area of interest with respect to predetermined geometrical direction(s) in the plane of the confined area, the directional derivative(s) is (are) based on measurable intensities in sub-areas situated adjacent to or in proximity of the group of sub-area, c) based on th evaluation of the at least one directional derivative an attribute is assigned to the value assigned to said sub-area of interest;
the attribute represent an adjusted measurable intensity and/or information(s) related to a predetermined strategy for adjustment of the measurable intensity in the sub-area of interest or sub-areas situated adjacent to or in proximity to the sub-area of interest,d) repeating the step a)-c) for substantially all sub-areas of the confined area.
- 1 to 1;
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32. A method according to claim 1, wherein the correlation comprises:
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identifying and counting substantially all detection elements having intensities which are distinct from background signals, adjusting the result of the counting by a predefined scaling value, the scaling value being directly related to the number of detection elements representing a signal from a biological particle, the result of the scaling being correlated to the number of particles represented exposure.
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33. A method according to claim 32, where the measured intensities of the detection elements have been adjusted prior to counting, the adjustment comprising the steps of:
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a) defining a range of predetermined size in a co-ordinate system representing the intensity values of the detection elements, the size of the range being determined such that it is bigger than the representation of a biological particle having an average extension, b) choosing a first detection elements, the first detection element being one of which the intensity is subject to an adjustment, c) positioning the range such that the detection element of which the intensity is to be adjusted is substantially in the centre of the range, d) adjusting the intensity of the detection element in the centre of the range based on the result of an investigation of at least one gradient describing the variation of the signal intensities inside the range and around the centre of the range by considering intensities of detection elements describing the gradient, and repeating the step b) through c) until a predetermined number of detection elements has been adjusted a predetermined number of times.
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34. A method according to claim 33, wherein the sample compartment form which electromagnetic signals from the sample in the sample compartment can pass to the exterior is adapted to allow the assessment of substantially only one sample of liquid analyte material.
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35. A method according to claim 34, wherein the sample compartment is connected with a reagent container, the reagent container containing one or several reagent component(s).
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36. A method according to claim 35, wherein the reagent container contains one or several reagent component(s) in an amount substantially adequate for substantially only one assessment.
Specification