Method of identifying biologic particles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12031895-B2
Application number	US-202017081585-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 27, 2020
Priority date	Oct 28, 2019
Publication date	Jul 9, 2024
Grant date	Jul 9, 2024

Abstract

A method of analysing and identifying particles in an input fluid by electrical field analysis preferably in combination with imaging analysis and towards establishing characterises of the particles that can be compared with characteristics of known particles, preferably biologic particles such as bacteria and viruses. Preferably in a focusing step, the particles are focused as in a microfluidic particle sorting cartridge followed by electrical field analysis to determine impedance data. Preferably, the electrical field analysis is carried out in a water and alcohol solution.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method of identifying biologic particles in an input fluid comprising:
a focusing step in which the input fluid is sorted into a focused fluid stream including to be analyzed particles from the input fluid in a desired range of particle sizes and/or a desired range of particle shapes,
the focusing step including passing the input fluid through a microfluidic sorting channel configured to separate particles of the input fluid by size wherein a focused fluid stream with the to be analyzed particles is discharged into an analysis channel, and flowing through the analysis channel sequentially as individual separate particles separated from other particles in the focused fluid stream,
an imaging analysis step of determining with a first electromagnetic imaging apparatus image characteristics of each separate particle of the particles in the focused fluid stream,
an electrical field analysis step of determining with an electrical field measurement apparatus determined electrical field characteristics of each separate particle of the particles in the focused fluid stream,
the first electromagnetic imaging apparatus comprising an emitter of emitted electromagnetic radiation and a sensor of electromagnetic radiation,
an image analysis step of determining with the sensor the image characteristics of each separate particle of the particles in the focused fluid stream,
using an image identification method comprising a review of the image characteristics to determine a primary estimated identity of each separate particle of the particles in the focused fluid stream as a primary probability profile of one or more known biologic particles,
the method including directing the emitted electromagnetic radiation onto each separate particle of the particles and sensing with the sensor emitted electromagnetic radiation that is scattered, reflected, emitted and/or transmitted from, through or about each separate particle,
the image characteristics are derived from one or more characterizations of electromagnetic imaging of each separate particle,
estimating an estimated concentration of the particles in the focused fluid stream when the determined electrical field characteristics are determined,
using an electrical field identification method to estimate a secondary estimated identity of each separate particle of the particles in the focused fluid stream as a secondary probability profile of one or more known biologic particles based on the determined electrical field characteristics and the estimated concentration, and
using the primary estimated identity and the secondary estimated identity to estimate a final estimated identity of each separate particle of the particles in the focused fluid stream as a final probability profile of one or more known biologic particles.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the electrical field identification method is impedance spectroscopy.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the input fluid comprises an alcohol water solution selected to have a disinfecting effect and kill the biological particles on contact.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the image characteristics represent data based on imaging of each separate particle with such data represented by various different measured characteristics selected from one or more of the characteristics of integrated density, area, perimeter, circularity, aspect ratio, solidity, and maximum diameter.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4 including creating image characteristics of the known biologic particles from images of the known biologic particles and recording the image characteristics of the known biologic particles in an image characteristics reference database and
wherein the review comprising an image characteristics comparison step of comparing the one or more image characteristics of each separate particle of the particles with the image characteristics of the known biologic particles in the image characteristics reference database, and an image characteristics identification step of identifying each separate particle as being one or more of the known biologic particles based on the results of the image characteristics comparison step.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5 wherein identifying each separate particle as being the one or more of the known biologic particles based on the results of the image characteristics comparison step comprises selecting one or more of the known biologic particles based on a determination as to the image characteristics of the known biologic particles that are closest to the image characteristics of each separate particle.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6 wherein the electrical field identification method comprising:
i. creating correlated field/concentration data for a particle comprising:
(a) one or more of the determined electrical field characteristics of the particle, and
(b) the estimated concentration of particles in the focused fluid stream when the one or more of the determined electrical field characteristics for that particle is determined.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7 creating a field/concentration reference database of the known biologic particles by creating correlated field/concentration data of the known biologic particles by use of the electrical field identification method for particles of the known biologic particles comprising:
i. creating correlated field/concentration data for particles of the known biologic particles comprising:
(a) one or more of the determined electrical field characteristics of the particles of the known biologic particles, and
(b) the estimated concentration of particles of the known biologic particles in a focused fluid stream of the known particles when the one or more determined electrical field characteristics for each particle of the known biologic particles is determined;
recording correlated field/concentration data of the known biologic particles in the field/concentration reference database as the correlated field/concentration data of the known biologic particles,
creating correlated field/concentration data for each separate particle of the particles of:
(a) one or more of the determined electrical field characteristics of each separate particle, and
(b) the estimated concentration of the particles in the focused fluid stream when the one or more determined electrical field characteristics for that each separate particle is determined,
a field/concentration comparison step of comparing for each particle the correlated field/concentration data of the electrical field measurements and the estimated concentration for each separate particle with correlated field/concentration data of electrical field measurements and concentration of the known biologic particles in the field/concentration reference database,
a field/concentration identification step of identifying each separate particle as being one or more of the known biologic particles based on the results of the field/concentration comparison step.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8 wherein identifying each separate particle as being one or more of the known biologic particles based on the field/concentration comparison step comprises selecting one or more of the known biologic particles based on a determination as to the field/concentration data of the known biologic particles that is closest the field/concentration data of each separate particle.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9 wherein:
the electrical field analysis step includes subjecting the focused fluid stream to impedance spectroscopy to determine for a particle of the particles in the focused fluid stream Base Impedance/Frequency Data regarding the relationship of impedan

Assignees

• Op Hygiene Ip Gmbh

Inventors

• Steltenkamp Siegfried
• Ophardt Heiner
• Lang Albrecht

Classifications

• G01N2015/1024

  Counting particles by non-optical means · CPC title

• G01N15/1433

  using image recognition · CPC title

• G01N15/1023

  Microstructural devices for non-optical measurement · CPC title

• B01L2200/0652

  Sorting or classification of particles or molecules · CPC title

• G01N15/1429

  Signal processing · CPC title