Systems and methods for performing measurements of one or more materials

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10451541-B2
Application number	US-201414307598-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 18, 2014
Priority date	Jun 2, 2006
Publication date	Oct 22, 2019
Grant date	Oct 22, 2019

Abstract

Systems and methods for performing measurements of one or more materials are provided. One system is configured to transfer one or more materials to an imaging volume of a measurement device from one or more storage vessels. Another system is configured to image one or more materials in an imaging volume of a measurement device. An additional system is configured to substantially immobilize one or more materials in an imaging volume of a measurement device. A further system is configured to transfer one or more materials to an imaging volume of a measurement device from one or more storage vessels, to image the one or more materials in the imaging volume, to substantially immobilize the one or more materials in the imaging volume, or some combination thereof.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A system for analyzing a fluidic assay, comprising:
a fluidic flow-through chamber comprising an imaging region, wherein the imaging region comprises a central point and a leading edge of the imaging region;
a magnet comprising a polarizing axis and a leading edge of the magnet, wherein:
the polarizing axis of the magnet is located downstream of the central point of the imaging region; and
the leading edge of the magnet is located downstream relative to the leading edge of the imaging region;

a mechanism for selectively positioning the magnet in proximity to the imaging region of the fluidic flow-through chamber, the mechanism comprising an actuator and a magnetic field strength sensor;
an illumination subsystem configured to illuminate the imaging region of the fluidic flow-through chamber; and
a photosensitive detection subsystem configured to image the imaging region of the fluidic flow-through chamber when illuminated;
wherein an interior back portion of the imaging region of the fluidic flow-through chamber comprises a roughened surface.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the roughened surface comprises a surface roughness between approximately 0.6 microns root mean square and approximately 0.8 microns root mean square.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the fluidic flow-through chamber comprises input and output channels for respectively receiving and dispensing a fluidic assay to and from the fluidic flow-through chamber, and wherein widths of the input and output channels are tapered relative to a width of the imaging region of the fluidic flow-through chamber.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein a back portion of the fluidic flow-through chamber corresponding to the imaging region of the fluidic flow-through chamber is coated with a coating configured to provide negligible reflectance and transmittance with respect to wavelengths of light emitted by the illumination subsystem.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the mechanism for selectively positioning the magnet is configured to prevent the magnet from contacting the fluid flow-through chamber when the magnet is positioned in proximity to the imaging region.

Assignees

• Luminex Corp
• Luminsex Corp

Inventors

• Collins Charles J
• Deicher William R
• Krager Jarden E
• Schilffarth Adam R
• Johnson Ross G

Classifications

• G01N2035/00564

  Handling or washing solid phase elements, e.g. beads · CPC title

• G01N2035/00544

  using fluid flow · CPC title

• G01N2015/1452

  Adjustment of focus; Alignment · CPC title

• G01N35/0098

  involving analyte bound to insoluble magnetic carrier, e.g. using magnetic separation (magnetic particles used in immunoassays G01N33/54326; magnetic separation in general B03C) · CPC title

• G01N35/00732

  Identification of carriers, materials or components in automatic analysers · CPC title