COMBINED OPTICAL IMAGING AND ELECTRICAL DETECTION TO CHARACTERIZE PARTICLES CARRIED IN A FLUID
First Claim
1. An interrogation apparatus, comprising:
- structure configured and arranged to interact with a removable microfluidic cassette to obtain an optically-based signal related to optical particle characterization of a plurality of particles carried by a fluid that can be urged to move through a channel in said cassette, said optically-based signal being extracted from a optical-interrogation location disposed along said channel;
structure configured and arranged to interact with said removable cassette to obtain an electrically-based signal related to at least one of;
identification of said cassette;
a location of a fluid boundary that can be urged to move through said channel in said cassette;
orcharacterization of one or more particles carried by said fluid; and
a display element on which a result from processing one or more of said optically-based signal and said electrically-based signal may be shown.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus for, and a method of, characterizing a plurality of particles carried by a fluid that can be urged to move through a channel in a microfluidic cassette by combining data analysis of a first signal that is optically-based, and data analysis of a second signal that is electrically-based. Optically-based information is typically obtained by a digital image sensor. Electrically-based information can be obtained by direct measurement of impedance; sometimes in an arrangement operating under the Coulter principle. Data provided by exemplary characterization includes at least one of: volumetric cell count; viability percentage or ratio; particle type; and a particle size histogram.
9 Citations
20 Claims
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1. An interrogation apparatus, comprising:
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structure configured and arranged to interact with a removable microfluidic cassette to obtain an optically-based signal related to optical particle characterization of a plurality of particles carried by a fluid that can be urged to move through a channel in said cassette, said optically-based signal being extracted from a optical-interrogation location disposed along said channel; structure configured and arranged to interact with said removable cassette to obtain an electrically-based signal related to at least one of; identification of said cassette; a location of a fluid boundary that can be urged to move through said channel in said cassette;
orcharacterization of one or more particles carried by said fluid; and a display element on which a result from processing one or more of said optically-based signal and said electrically-based signal may be shown. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification