Methods and devices for improved signal detection from biological samples

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11187651-B2
Application number	US-201916527473-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 31, 2019
Priority date	Jan 31, 2017
Publication date	Nov 30, 2021
Grant date	Nov 30, 2021

Abstract

Methods and devices are provided to provide clean signals even in the presence of spectral interference. At least some of these methods can be applied for cases when interfering signals are to be accounted for. These cases include, but are not limited to, hemolysis detection, icterus detection, and assays. They can be implemented in with data collected with spectrophotometers, instruments that can collect absorbance values at the few wavelengths of interest, and, in the case of the method based on background subtraction, simple imaging setups with only two filters (such as but not limited to narrow-band and wide-band) per absorption peak of interest.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for use with a biological sample, the method comprising:
using a camera to image said biological sample in a sample processing device;
acquiring background-subtracted signals by processing light from said image using a narrow-band optical filter and a wide-band optical filter; and
using a processor programmed to use said background-subtracted signals for quantification of hemolysis and icterus in the biological sample.

2. A method for use with a biological sample, the method comprising:
using a camera to image said biological sample in a sample processing device;
acquiring background-subtracted signals by processing light from said image using a narrow-band optical filter and a wide-band optical filter; and
using a processor programmed to use said background-subtracted signals for quantification of hemolysis and icterus in the biological sample;
wherein said using comprises placing the narrow-band optical filter to process light from a first region of interest of said image and placing the wide-band optical filter to process light from a second region of interest concurrently so that only one exposure is needed to obtain the major signal, the background signal, and the background-subtracted signal.

3. A method for use with a biological sample, the method comprising:
using a camera to image said biological sample in a sample processing device;
acquiring background-subtracted signals by processing light from said image using a narrow-band optical filter and a wide-band optical filter;
using a processor programmed to use said background-subtracted signals for quantification of hemolysis and icterus in the biological sample; and
reducing signal interference through using said programmed processor for the calculation of background-subtracted spectra.

Assignees

• Theranos Ip Co Llc
• Labrador Diagnostics Llc

Inventors

• Huynh Toan

Classifications

• G01N21/33 Primary

  using ultraviolet light (G01N21/39 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01N33/49

  Blood {(chemical methods for determining blood cell populations G01N33/5094; chemical analysis of blood groups or blood types G01N33/80)} · CPC title

• G01N21/31 Primary

  Investigating relative effect of material at wavelengths characteristic of specific elements or molecules, e.g. atomic absorption spectrometry {(G01N21/72 takes precedence)} · CPC title