Method and device for identification of nucleated red blood cells from a maternal blood sample
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method of identifying a nucleated fetal cell, the method comprising the steps of:
- obtaining a maternal blood sample;
removing non-nucleated cells from the maternal blood sample to thereby create an enriched maternal blood sample;
adhering cells from the enriched maternal blood sample to a surface;
staining the cells with a nuclear stain to thereby produce a plurality of cells having stained nuclei;
generating a pair of images corresponding to the same cell wherein one image of the pair of images shows the stained nucleus of the cell;
applying an algorithm to the pair of images to determine that the shown cell is a nucleated red blood cell;
treating the nucleated red blood cell with a fetal identifier after the applying an algorithm step to thereby generate a treated cell; and
performing an analysis on the treated cell using the fetal identifier to identify the treated cell as a nucleated fetal cell.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method for concentrating and isolating nucleated cells, such as a maternal and fetal nucleated red blood cells (NRBC'"'"'s), in a maternal whole blood sample. The invention also provides methods and apparatus for preparing to analyze and analyzing the sample for identification of fetal genetic material as part of prenatal genetic testing. The invention also pertains to methods and apparatus for discriminating fetal nucleated red blood cells from maternal nucleated red blood cells obtained from a blood sample taken from a pregnant woman.
259 Citations
30 Claims
-
1. A method of identifying a nucleated fetal cell, the method comprising the steps of:
-
obtaining a maternal blood sample; removing non-nucleated cells from the maternal blood sample to thereby create an enriched maternal blood sample; adhering cells from the enriched maternal blood sample to a surface; staining the cells with a nuclear stain to thereby produce a plurality of cells having stained nuclei; generating a pair of images corresponding to the same cell wherein one image of the pair of images shows the stained nucleus of the cell; applying an algorithm to the pair of images to determine that the shown cell is a nucleated red blood cell; treating the nucleated red blood cell with a fetal identifier after the applying an algorithm step to thereby generate a treated cell; and performing an analysis on the treated cell using the fetal identifier to identify the treated cell as a nucleated fetal cell. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
-
-
16. A method of identifying a nucleated fetal cell, the method comprising the steps of:
-
obtaining a maternal blood sample; removing non-nucleated cells from the maternal blood sample to thereby create an enriched maternal blood sample; creating a monolayer of cells from the enriched maternal blood sample on a surface; staining the nuclei of the cells in the monolayer with a nuclear stain; transmitting a hemoglobin absorbable light through the monolayer; generating a pair of images showing a cell in a portion of the monolayer, wherein the first image shows the stained nucleus of said cell and a second image shows the absorbance of the hemoglobin absorbable light through said portion; applying an algorithm to the pair of images to categorize said cell as a white cell, a non-nucleated red cell, or a nucleated red cell; performing an analysis using a fetal identifier on said cell if the cell is categorized as a nucleated red blood cell by the algorithm; and identifying said cell as a nucleated fetal red cell after the fetal identifier indicates the presence of fetal cellular material in said cell. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
-
Specification