System and method

• US 7,497,934 B2
• Filed: 07/20/2001
• Issued: 03/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: deltaDOT Limited
• Original Assignee: deltaDOT Limited
• Inventors: Sideris, Dimitrios
• Primary Examiner(s): NOGUEROLA, ALEXANDER STEPHAN
• Application Number:
  US10/344,290
• Publication Number:
  US 20040013567A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,783 Days
• Field of Search: 204/450, 204/600, 204/603, 204/612, 204/461, 204/452, 422/70, 702 19- 22, 702/142, 73/13.7
• US Class Current: 204/452
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/44717 Arrangements for investigating the separated zones, e.g. localising zones

Abstract

An analysis system for and method of enabling determination of the velocities of migrating objects and also classifying migrating objects into groups having a common constraint. In one aspect the present invention provides an analysis system for and method of enabling determination of the velocities of migrating objects, the system comprising: a space-time map generator for generating a space-time map of points representative of the signal peaks of signals detected at a plurality of spaced positions; and a vertex finder for identifying at least one vertex from the space-time map, with a single vertex being identified for each group of objects having a common constraint and the velocities of the objects being determinable from the sets of points in the space-time map corresponding to the respective objects as fitted to the respective vertex. In another aspect the present invention provides an analysis system for classifying migrating objects into groups each having a common constraint, the system comprising: a space-time map generator for generating a space-time map of points representative of the signal peaks of signals detected at a plurality of spaced positions; and a vertex finder for identifying at least one vertex from the space-time map, with a single vertex being identified for each group of objects having a common constraint.

Claims

1. An analysis system for enabling determination of the velocities of migrating objects, comprising:

a space-time map generator for generating a space-time map of points representative of the signal peaks of signals detected at a plurality of spaced positions; and

a vertex finder for identifying at least one vertex from the space-time map, with a single vertex being identified for each group of objects having a common constraint and the velocities of the objects being determinable from the sets of points in the space-time map corresponding to the respective objects as fitted to the respective vertex; and

a velocity sorter for determining the nominal velocities associated with the signal peaks in the signals and grouping those signal peaks into sets according to nominal velocity.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the space-time map generator is configured to utilize a corrected time component in generating the space-time map according to a function of the electric current variation.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the space-time map generator is an equiphase space-time map generator for generating an equiphase space-time map of equiphase points.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the equiphase space-time map generator is configured to transform each data set into a set of local slopes of the signals detected at a plurality of spaced positions and determine the local extrema as the minimum absolute local derivatives.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the objects are non-labeled objects.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the objects are labeled objects.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the objects are migrated through a channel.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the channel comprises a separation channel through which the objects are electrophoretically driven.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the objects comprise components from one sample.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the objects comprise components from a plurality of separate samples.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the objects comprise molecular components.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the objects comprise polymeric components.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the components comprise DNA bands.

14. A method of enabling determination of the velocities of migrating objects, comprising the steps of:

generating a space-time map of points representative of the signal peaks of signals detected at a plurality of spaced positions;

identifying at least one vertex from the space-time map, with a single vertex being identified for each group of objects having a common constraint and the velocities of the objects being determinable from the sets of points in the space-time map corresponding to the respective objects as fitted to the respective vertex;

determining the nominal velocities associated with the signal peaks in the signals; and

grouping those signal peaks into sets according to nominal velocity.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein a time component corrected according to a function of the electric current variation is utilized in generating the space-time map.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the space-time map is an equiphase space-time map of equiphase points.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the equiphase points are determined by transforming each data set into a set of local slopes and determining the local extrema as the minimum absolute local derivatives.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the objects are non-labeled objects.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the objects are labeled objects.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the objects are migrated through a channel.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the channel comprises a separation channel through which the objects are electrophoretically driven.

22. The method of claim 14, wherein the objects comprise components from one sample.

23. The method of claim 14, wherein the objects comprise components from a plurality of separate samples.

24. The method of claim 14, wherein the objects comprise molecular components.

25. The method of claim 14, wherein the objects comprise polymeric components.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the components comprise DNA bands.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the components comprise DNA bands.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein the components comprise DNA bands.

29. An electrophoresis apparatus including an analysis system for enabling determination of the velocities of migrating objects comprising:

a space-time map generator for generating a space-time map of points representative of the signal peaks of signals detected at a plurality of spaced positions as the objects are migrated through a separation channel through which the objects are electrophoretically driven; and

a vertex finder for identifying at least one vertex from the space-time map, with a single vertex being identified for each group of objects having a common constraint and the velocities of the objects being determinable from the sets of points in the space-time map corresponding to the respective objects as fitted to the respective vertex.

30. An analysis system for classifying migrating objects into groups each having a common constraint, comprising:

a space-time map generator for generating a space-time map of points representative of the signal peaks of signals detected at a plurality of spaced positions;

a vertex finder for identifying at least one vertex from the space-time map, with a single vertex being identified for each group of objects having a common constraint;

and

a velocity sorter for determining the nominal velocities associated with the signal peaks in the signals and grouping those signal peaks into sets according to nominal velocity.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the space-time map generator is configured to utilize a corrected time component in generating the space-time map according to a function of the electric current variation.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the corrected time (t_c) is determined according to the function t_c=∫

I₀/I(t)dt in the range of 0 to t, where t is the measured time, I is the measured current and I₀ is the reference current.

33. The system of claim 30, wherein the space-time map generator is an equiphase space-time map generator for generating an equiphase space-time map of equiphase points.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein the equiphase space-time map generator is configured to transform each data set into a set of local slopes and determine the local extrema as the minimum absolute local derivatives.

35. The system of claim 30, wherein the objects are non-labeled objects.

36. The system of claim 30, wherein the objects are labeled objects.

37. The system of claim 30, wherein the objects are migrated through a channel.

38. The system of claim 37, wherein the channel comprises a separation channel through which the objects are electrophoretically driven.

39. The system of claim 30, wherein the velocities of the objects are determinable from the points in the space-time map as fitted to the respective vertex.

40. The system of claim 30, wherein the objects comprise molecular components.

41. The system of claim 30, wherein the objects comprise polymeric components.

42. A method of classifying migrating objects into groups each having a common constraint, comprising the steps of:

generating a space-time map of points representative of the signal peaks of signals detected at a plurality of spaced positions;

identifying at least one vertex from the space-time map, with a single vertex being identified for each group of objects having a common constraint;

determining the nominal velocities associated with the signal peaks in the signals; and

grouping those signal peaks into sets according to nominal velocity.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein a time component corrected according to a function of the electric current variation is utilized in generating the space-time map.

44. The method of claim 42, wherein the space-time map is an equiphase space-time map of equiphase points.

45. The method of claim 44, wherein the equiphase points are determined by transforming each data set into a set of local slopes of the signals detected at a plurality of spaced positions and determining the local extrema as the minimum absolute local derivatives.

46. The method of claim 42, wherein the objects are non-labeled objects.

47. The method of claim 42, wherein the objects are labeled objects.

48. The method of claim 42, wherein the objects are migrated through a channel.

49. The method of claim 48, wherein the channel comprises a separation channel through which the objects are electrophoretically driven.

50. The method of claim 42, wherein the velocities of the objects are determinable from the points in the space-time map as fitted to the respective vertex.

51. The method of claim 42, wherein the objects comprise molecular components.

52. The method of claim 42, wherein the objects comprise polymeric components.