Method and system of array imaging
First Claim
1. A method of detecting the presence of at least one target analyte in at least a first and a second sample comprising:
- contacting said first sample with a sensor array comprising a plurality of sensor element types and a plurality of sensor elements of each sensor element type;
defining a first section of said sensor array and a second section of said sensor array which is non-overlapping with said first section, wherein each of said first and second sections contains a distribution of sensor elements of each sensor element type that is substantially the same as an overall distribution of the sensor elements of each sensor element type for the entire sensor array;
illuminating said first section of said sensor array with a first intensity and collecting a first set of data;
contacting said second sample with said sensor array and with at least a portion of said sensor elements;
illuminating said second section of said sensor array with a second intensity different from said first intensity and collecting a second set of data; and
during at least one point during performance of the method, determining the presence or absence of said target analyte.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention relates to a method and system of array imaging that extends or maximizes the longevity of the sensor array by minimizing the effects of photobleaching. The imaging system has a light source, a variable exposure aperture, and a variable filter system. The system extends the longevity of sensors by (1) using the variable exposure aperture to selectively expose sections of the sensor array containing representative numbers of each type of sensor, and/or (2) using the variable filter system to control the intensity of the excitation light, providing only the intensity required to induce the appropriate excitation and increasing that intensity over time as necessary to counteract the effects of photobleaching.
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Citations
22 Claims
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1. A method of detecting the presence of at least one target analyte in at least a first and a second sample comprising:
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contacting said first sample with a sensor array comprising a plurality of sensor element types and a plurality of sensor elements of each sensor element type; defining a first section of said sensor array and a second section of said sensor array which is non-overlapping with said first section, wherein each of said first and second sections contains a distribution of sensor elements of each sensor element type that is substantially the same as an overall distribution of the sensor elements of each sensor element type for the entire sensor array; illuminating said first section of said sensor array with a first intensity and collecting a first set of data; contacting said second sample with said sensor array and with at least a portion of said sensor elements; illuminating said second section of said sensor array with a second intensity different from said first intensity and collecting a second set of data; and during at least one point during performance of the method, determining the presence or absence of said target analyte. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method of determining the amount of at least one target analyte present in at least a first and a second sample comprising:
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contacting said first sample with a sensor array comprising a plurality of sensor element types and a plurality of sensor elements of each sensor element type; defining a first section of said sensor array and a second section of said sensor array which is non-overlapping with said first section, wherein each of said first and second sections contains a distribution of sensor elements of each sensor element type that is substantially the same as an overall distribution of the sensor elements of each sensor element type for the entire sensor array; illuminating said first section of said sensor array with a first intensity and collecting a first set of data; contacting said second sample with said sensor array comprising at least a portion of said sensor elements; illuminating said second section of said sensor array with a second intensity different from said first intensity and collecting a second set of data; and during at least one point during performance of the method, determining an amount of said target analyte present. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A method of determining a property of a target analyte in a sample comprising:
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contacting said sample with a sensor array comprising a plurality of sensor element types and a plurality of sensor elements of each sensor element type; defining a first section of said sensor array, said first section comprising a first plurality of sensor elements, and a second section of said sensor array which is non-overlapping with said first section, said second section comprising a second plurality of sensor elements; illuminating said first section of said sensor array and said first plurality of sensor elements a plurality of times and collecting at least one first set of data; illuminating said second section of said sensor array and said second plurality of sensor elements a plurality of times and collecting at least one second set of data; and during at least one point during performance of the method, determining at least one property of said target analyte. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22)
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Specification