Device and methods for quantifying analytes

• US 8,551,408 B2
• Filed: 01/24/2007
• Issued: 10/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Life Technologies Corporation (Thermo Fisher Scientific Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Life Technologies Corporation (Thermo Fisher Scientific Incorporated)
• Inventors: Hagen, David C., Hendrickson, Jill, Meyer, Rich B., Beaudet, Matthew P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Xu, Robert
• Application Number:
  US11/626,842
• Publication Number:
  US 20100255601A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,449 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 422/82.08
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/0647 Handling flowable solids, e.g. microscopic beads, cells, particles
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/143 Quality control, feedback systems
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/5082 Test tubes per se
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 7/52 with provision for submitting samples to a predetermined sequence of different temperatures, e.g. for treating nucleic acid samples amplification or hybridisation processes per se C12Q1/68; controlling sequential reactions for synthesis B01J19/0046
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2015/1486 Counting the particles
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/6441 with two or more labels
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/00782 reprogrammmable code
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/6428 Measuring fluorescence of fluorescent products of reactions or of fluorochrome labelled reactive substances, e.g. measuring quenching effects, using measuring "optrodes" in vivo A61B5/00; immunoassay G01N33/53
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/6452 Individual samples arranged in a regular 2D-array, e.g. multiwell plates
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/6486 Measuring fluorescence of biological material, e.g. DNA, RNA, cells G01N21/6428 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/143333 Saccharide [e.g., DNA, etc.]

Abstract

The present invention relates to devices and methods for measuring the quantity of multiple analytes in a sample. The device is designed such that each of the analyte sensing elements is configured to measure the quantity of a predetermined analyte and where the machine executable instructions are configured to select the proper analyte sensing element corresponding to the analyte to be measured.

Claims

1. A device for measuring the quantity of one or more predetermined analytes, comprising:

an integrated unit comprising a receptacle for holding a sample container containing a sample having one or more predetermined analytes, a photodetector, two or more distinct and operably linked analyte sensing elements (ASE), and a computer processing unit with machine executable instructions, wherein each ASE comprises;

a) a distinct energy source for exciting the sample, wherein the energy source is configured to emit a predetermined peak wavelength of light;

b) an excitation filter, wherein the excitation filter is configured to isolate a predetermined range of wavelengths of light from the energy source;

c) an emission filter, wherein the emission filter is configured to isolate a predetermined range of wavelengths of light emitted from the excited sample; and

wherein each of the ASE is configured to measure the quantity of the one or more predetermined analytes and wherein the machine executable instructions are configured to select the proper ASE corresponding to each of the one or more predetermined analytes to be measured.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the energy source is a light emitting diode (LED), and wherein the two or more distinct and operably linked analyte sensing elements include at least two distinct and operably linked analyte sensing elements that share a same energy source for exciting the sample and have separate excitation filters and emission filters.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more predetermined analytes is selected from the group consisting of RNA, carbohydrates, viruses, pH, and metal ions.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the integrated unit further comprises a user interface.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the user interface comprises a display and a non-numerical keypad.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the sample container receptacle is configured to fit an optically clear microcentrifuge tube.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the device further comprises an internal power source, and wherein the sample container receptacle is configured to fit a petri dish, a cuvette, or a well plate having at least four wells.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the integrated unit further comprises at least one communications port.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the communications port is selected from the group consisting of a universal serial bus (USB) port, an audio/video serial bus (IEEE 1394), an infrared (IR) port and a radio frequency (RF) port.

14. The device of claim 5, wherein the user interface is configured to allow a user to select the analyte for measurement.

15. The device of claim 1, wherein the machine executable instructions are capable of selecting the analyte for measurement without user input.

16. The device of claim 1, wherein dimensions of the device are about 30-300 mm on a minor axis, 100-500 mm on a major axis, and a variable thickness of about 10 to 100 mm;

with the proviso that the dimension of the major axis is greater than that of the minor axis.

17. The device of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more predetermined analytes is selected from the group consisting of DNA, eukaryotic cells, and prokaryotic cells.

18. The device of claim 1, wherein the two or more distinct and operably linked ASE includes a plurality of ASEs operably linked such that the one or more predetermined analytes can be measured without a manual selection of wavelength and filters by an end user and without a need to perform additional calculations by an end user to obtain the measured quantity of the one or more predetermined analytes, and wherein each of the one or more ASE has been optimized for use with a specific reporter molecule used to measure the quantity of the one or more predetermined analytes.

19. The device of claim 1, wherein each of the ASE is configured to measure the quantity of the one or more predetermined analytes by measuring a cleavage of a reporter moving through diffusion or active mixing from a zone outside an optical path of the ASE to a zone within the optical path, the reporter having been previously bound to a cleavable substrate bound to an inner surface of the sample container.

20. The device of claim 1, wherein the measured quantity of the one or more predetermined analytes is a concentration of the one or more predetermined analytes.

4. A device for measuring the quantity of one or more predetermined analytes, comprising:

an integrated unit comprising a receptacle for holding a sample container containing a sample having one or more predetermined analytes, a photodetector, at least two distinct and operably linked analyte sensing elements (ASE), and a computer processing unit with machine executable instructions, wherein each of the ASE comprises;

a) a distinct energy source for exciting the sample, wherein the energy source is configured to emit a predetermined peak wavelength of light;

b) an excitation filter, wherein the excitation filter is configured to isolate a predetermined range of wavelengths of light from the energy source;

c) an emission filter, wherein the emission filter is configured to isolate a predetermined range of wavelengths of light emitted from the excited sample; and

wherein each of the ASE is configured to measure the quantity of the one or more predetermined analytes, wherein the machine executable instructions are configured to select the proper ASE corresponding to each of the one or more predetermined analytes to be measured and to determine the concentration of each of the one or more predetermined analytes based upon an emitted light from the excited sample, and wherein each of the ASE is arranged in a distinct spatial arrangement, each of the distinct spatial arrangements being centered on the receptacle.

11. A device for measuring the quantity of one or more predetermined analytes, comprising:

an integrated unit comprising a receptacle for holding a sample container containing a sample having one or more predetermined analytes, a photodetector, first and second distinct and operably linked analyte sensing elements (ASE), and a computer processing unit with machine executable instructions, wherein each of the first and second ASE comprises;

a) a distinct energy source for exciting the sample, wherein the energy source is configured to emit a predetermined peak wavelength of light;

b) an excitation filter, wherein the excitation filter is configured to isolate a predetermined range of wavelengths of light from the energy source;

c) an emission filter, wherein the emission filter is configured to isolate a predetermined range of wavelengths of light emitted from the excited sample; and

wherein each of the first and second ASE is configured to measure the quantity of the one or more predetermined analytes and wherein the machine executable instructions are configured to select the proper ASE corresponding to each of the one or more predetermined analytes to be measured and to calibrate the device with calibration data written in the machine executable instructions prior to a first use of the device by an end-user.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the first ASE comprises a LED that emits light with a peak wavelength of about 470 nm, an excitation filter that filters out light with a wavelength of greater than about 490 nm, and an emission filter that filters out light with a wavelength of less than about 520 nm and greater than about 580 nm.

13. The device of claim 11, wherein the second ASE comprises a LED that emits light with a peak wavelength of about 640 nm, an excitation filter that filters out light with a wavelength of less than about 570 nm and greater than about 647 nm, and an emission filter that filters out light with a wavelength of less than about 652 nm.