Screening system and method for analyzing a plurality of biosensors

• US 8,231,268 B2
• Filed: 02/24/2011
• Issued: 07/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Corning Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Corning Incorporated
• Inventors: Krol, Mark F., Moore, Thomas C., Pastel, David A., Shedd, Gordon M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Caputo, Lisa
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jagan, Mirellys
• Application Number:
  US13/034,214
• Publication Number:
  US 20110142092A1
• Time in Patent Office: 523 Days
• Field of Search: 374/137, 374/166, 374/110, 374/120, 374/141
• US Class Current: 374/137
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/453 by correlation of the amplitudes
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/00346 Heating or cooling arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/00366 Several different temperatures used
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/0332 with temperature control control of temperature G05D23/00; cryostats F17C3/08
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/553 and using surface plasmons fluorescence excitation G01N21/648; enhanced Raman G01N21/658
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/7743 the reagent-coated grating coupling light in or out of the waveguide
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/028 having reaction cells in the form of microtitration plates

Abstract

A screening device and a method are described herein which can automatically handle and measure (interrogate) a plurality of sensor carriers (i.e., multiwell plates, microplates) with multi-dimensionally arranged, temperature-compensated or temperature-compensatable optical sensors, while maintaining a substantially constant temperature gradient for a relatively long period of time around the optical sensors where temperature compensation has been performed on the sensor carriers.

Claims

1. A screening system, comprising:

a temperature equilibration system which includes a temperature compensation body on which a sensor carrier is stored for a predetermined amount of time to ensure there is a substantially constant temperature gradient across at least a portion of the sensor carrier, wherein the sensor carrier has multi-dimensionally arranged, temperature-compensated or temperature-compensatable optical sensors; and

a measurement system which interrogates one or more of the optical sensors located within the sensor carrier when there is still the substantially constant temperature gradient present across at least a portion of the sensor carrier.

2. The screening system of claim 1, wherein said temperature compensation body has a bottom which is configured to match a bottom of the sensor carrier and is also configured to not damage the sensors within the sensor carrier.

3. The screening system of claim 1, further comprising a temperature sensor which measures an incoming temperature of the sensor carrier and then the measured incoming temperature is used to calculate the predetermined amount of time that the sensor carrier needs to be placed on said temperature compensation body to ensure there is a substantially constant temperature gradient across the at least a portion of the sensor carrier.