User interface for a fluorescence assay

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12099010-B2
Application number	US-202117369744-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 7, 2021
Priority date	Jul 8, 2020
Publication date	Sep 24, 2024
Grant date	Sep 24, 2024

Abstract

A fluorescence assay device performs a fluorescence assay of one or more samples including fluorescent materials, causing a plurality of sets of datapoint to be stored relating to received fluorescence emitted by the fluorescent materials. A user interface displays representations of some of the sets of datapoints. A first region of the user interface includes alphanumeric representations of a subset of the plurality of sets of datapoints, including one or more user-specified sets of datapoints. A second region of the user interface includes one or more pictographic representations of the one or more user-selected sets of datapoints. The one or more pictographic representations indicate categorizations of values of the particular set of datapoints for the one or more samples.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a fluorescence assay device including:
a sample receiver configured to hold a receptable including one or more samples, wherein the one or more samples include particles having a plurality of fluorescent materials;
a plurality of light sources configured to illuminate the sample; and
a plurality of photosensors configured to receive fluorescence emitted by the fluorescent materials;

a display;
a computer processor circuit; and
a computer memory circuit storing instructions that when executed by the computer processor circuit cause the apparatus to perform operations including:
performing a fluorescence assay of the one or more samples using the fluorescence assay device, wherein a plurality of datapoints relating to received fluorescence emitted by the fluorescent materials is stored during the fluorescence assay;
displaying, on a first region of the display as the fluorescence assay is being performed, alphanumeric representations of one or more sets of datapoints for the one or more samples, including a particular set of datapoints, wherein the particular set of datapoints is user specified; and
displaying, on a second region of the display as the fluorescence assay is being performed, pictographic representations corresponding to categorizations of values of the datapoints for the one or more samples in the particular set of datapoints, wherein the pictographic representations indicate the categorizations of the values of the datapoints determined according to user-specified categorization criteria, the user-specified categorization criteria defining particular pictographic representations to represent particular categories for the values of the datapoints.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the operations further include:
receiving from a user one or more commands that adjust performance of the fluorescence assay being performed.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 ,
wherein the pictographic representation includes one or more respective icons that represent respective individual ones of the one or more samples; and
wherein the respective icons indicate a spatial arrangement of the one or more samples in the receptacle.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the operations further include:
receiving, using the first region of the display, a user selection of the particular set of datapoints;
receiving, using the display, a user selection of a format for the pictographic representation; and
receiving the user-specified categorization criteria.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the operations further include:
receiving results of previously-performed fluorescence assays of previous samples, wherein the results include a plurality of datapoints relating to received fluorescence emitted by the previous samples and metadata about the previous samples;
displaying, on the display, tabular alphanumeric representations of the results;
receiving one or more filtering thresholds for the plurality of datapoints and/or metadata; and
based on the one or more filtering thresholds, displaying, on the display, a filtered tabular representation of the results.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the operations further include:
receiving a selection of datapoints and metadata displayed in the filtered tabular representation; and
preparing the selected datapoints and metadata for export to a remote computer system.

7. A method comprising:
receiving, at a computer system, information about a fluorescence assay of one or more samples including particles having a plurality of fluorescent materials, wherein the information includes a plurality of sets of datapoints relating to received fluorescence emitted by the fluorescent materials;
generating, with the computer system, a first region of a user interface, wherein the first region includes alphanumeric representations of a first subset of the plurality of sets of datapoints for the one or more samples, including one or more particular sets of datapoints, wherein the one or more particular sets of datapoints is user specified; and
generating, with the computer system, a second region of the user interface including:
a plurality of pictographic representations corresponding to categorizations of values of the datapoints for the one or more samples in the one or more particular sets of datapoints, wherein the plurality of pictographic representations indicates the categorizations of the values of the datapoints determined according to user-specified categorization criteria, the user-specified categorization criteria defining particular pictographic representations to represent particular categories for the values of the datapoints, and
a pictographic representation control useable by a user to select which of the plurality of pictographic representations is displayed in the second region.

8. The method of claim 7 ,
wherein, during the generating of the first and second regions of the user interface, the fluorescence assay is ongoing;
wherein the plurality of pictographic representations indicates a progress of the ongoing fluorescence assay and data collected during the ongoing fluorescence assay;
the method further comprising:
receiving, with the computer system, one or more commands that adjust performance of the fluorescence assay.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the one or more commands that adjust performance includes one or more modifications to acquisition parameters for the fluorescence assay.

10. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
in response to one or more user commands, reducing a size of the first region within the user interface and increasing a size of the second region within the user interface.

11. The method of claim 7 , wherein the computer system is a component of a fluorescence assay device that is operable to perform the fluorescence assay;
the method further comprising:
displaying, on a display of the fluorescence assay device, the user interface; and
in response to one or more user commands, exporting a portion of the information to a second computer system.

12. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
generating, with the computer system, a third region of the user interface, wherein the third region includes one or more controls useable by the user to change the first subset of the plurality of sets of datapoints displayed in the first region to a second, different subset of the plurality of sets of datapoints.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
receiving, at the computer system from the user, one or more commands specifying which of the information to include in the first subset and the second subset.

14. The method of claim 7 , wherein the fluorescence assay includes a multiplex assay for detecting a plurality of analytes in the one or more samples, wherein the particles includes a plurality of groups of particles, and wherein particles in individual ones of the groups of particles have (i) one or more characteristic fluorescence parameters that distinguish the particles of one of the groups of particles from those of another of the groups of particles, and (ii) a reactant specific for an analyte from among the plurality of analytes.

15. The method of claim 7 ,
wherein the computer system is a component of a fluorescence assay device that is operable to perform the fluorescence assay using a plurality of light sources; and
wherein the information includes one or more measurements of fluorescence emitted by the plurality of fluorescent materials as a result of being illuminated by one or more of the plurality of light sources.

Assignees

• Luminex Corp

Inventors

• Erdei Alpar
• Callaway Joshua Lelan
• Hodge Terrence Lee

Classifications

• G01N2035/0091

  GUI [graphical user interfaces] · CPC title

• G01N2021/6423

  Spectral mapping, video display · CPC title

• G01N2021/6421

  Measuring at two or more wavelengths · CPC title

• G01N2035/00891

  Displaying information to the operator · CPC title

• G01N2021/6419

  Excitation at two or more wavelengths · CPC title