Cell observation system and cell observation method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2019070608-A1
Application number	US-201816122048-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 5, 2018
Priority date	Sep 6, 2017
Publication date	Mar 7, 2019
Grant date	—

Abstract

A cell observation system observes a cell moving in a flow path with a fluid, and includes a first observation apparatus, a second observation apparatus, and a control device. The first observation apparatus includes an objective lens and a line camera. The second observation apparatus includes an objective lens and an area camera. The control device analyzes first imaging data output from the first observation apparatus to determine whether the cell satisfies a specific condition, instructs the area camera to output second imaging data of the cell determined to satisfy the specific condition, and analyzes the second imaging data output from the second observation apparatus to determine whether the cell is a specific cell.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A cell observation system for observing a cell moving in a flow path with a fluid, comprising:
a first observation apparatus including a line camera and a first optical system, and configured to capture an image of the cell using the line camera to acquire and output first imaging data; a second observation apparatus including an area camera and a second optical system, and configured to capture an image of the cell using the area camera to acquire second imaging data; and a control device configured to analyze the first imaging data output from the first observation apparatus to determine whether the cell satisfies a specific condition, instruct the area camera to output the second imaging data of the cell determined to satisfy the specific condition, and analyze the second imaging data output from the second observation apparatus to determine whether the cell is a specific cell.

2 . The cell observation system according to claim 1 , wherein the area camera is configured to capture the image at a position on a downstream side from an imaging position of the line camera in a moving direction of the cell in the flow path, receive the output instruction from the control device, and capture the image of the cell over a predetermined period of time to output the second imaging data.

3 . The cell observation system according to claim 1 , wherein the area camera is configured to sequentially store the second imaging data at each time point in a built-in memory of a ring buffer type, receive the output instruction from the control device, and output the second imaging data over a predetermined period of time stored in the memory.

4 . The cell observation system according to claim 3 , wherein the area camera is configured to capture the image at a position on an upstream or downstream side from an imaging position of the line camera in a moving direction of the cell in the flow path.

5 . The cell observation system according to claim 3 , wherein the area camera is configured to capture the image at the same position as an imaging position of the line camera in a moving direction of the cell in the flow path.

6 . The cell observation system according to claim 5 , wherein at least parts of the first optical system and the second optical system are configured in common.

7 . The cell observation system according to claim 1 , wherein the flow path includes a branch flow path through which a cell determined as the specific cell by the control device selectively flows.

8 . The cell observation system according to claim 1 , wherein the control device is configured to analyze the first imaging data to determine whether there is a cell suspected as a cancer cell, and analyze the second imaging data to determine whether the cell is a cancer cell.

9 . A cell observation method for observing a cell moving in a flow path with a fluid, comprising:
a first determination step of determining whether the cell satisfies a specific condition by analyzing first imaging data output from a first observation apparatus, the first observation apparatus including a line camera and a first optical system, and configured to capture an image of the cell using the line camera to acquire and output the first imaging data; an instruction step of instructing a second observation apparatus to output second imaging data for the cell determined to satisfy the specific condition, the second observation apparatus including an area camera and a second optical system, and configured to capture an image of the cell using the area camera to acquire the second imaging data; and a second determination step of analyzing the second imaging data output from the second observation apparatus to determine whether the cell is a specific cell.

10 . The cell observation method according to claim 9 , wherein the area camera is configured to capture the image at a position on a downstream side from an imaging position of the line camera in a moving direction of the cell in the flow path, receive the output instruction in the instruction step, and capture the image of the cell over a predetermined period of time to output the second imaging data.

11 . The cell observation method according to claim 9 , wherein the area camera is configured to sequentially store the second imaging data at each time point in a built-in memory of a ring buffer type, receive the output instruction in the instruction step, and output the second imaging data over a predetermined period of time stored in the memory.

12 . The cell observation method according to claim 11 , wherein the area camera is configured to capture the image at a position on an upstream or downstream side from an imaging position of the line camera in a moving direction of the cell in the flow path.

13 . The cell observation method according to claim 11 , wherein the area camera is configured to capture the image at the same position as an imaging position of the line camera in a moving direction of the cell in the flow path.

14 . The cell observation method according to claim 13 , wherein at least parts of the first optical system and the second optical system are configured in common.

15 . The cell observation method according to claim 9 , wherein the flow path includes a branch flow path through which a cell determined as the specific cell in the second determination step selectively flows.

16 . The cell observation method according to claim 9 , wherein in the first determination step, the first imaging data is analyzed to determine whether there is a cell suspected as a cancer cell, and in the second determination step, the second imaging data is analyzed to determine whether the cell is a cancer cell.

Assignees

• Hamamatsu Photonics Kk
• National Univ Corporation Hamamatsu Univ School Of Medicine

Inventors

• Kikuchi Hirotoshi
• Okazaki Shigetoshi
• Yamada Hidenao
• Ozaki Yusuke
• Hirotsu Amane
• Yamashita Daisuke

Classifications

• C12M41/48

  Automatic or computerized control (automatic analysis G01N35/00) · CPC title

• B01L3/502761 Primary

  specially adapted for handling suspended solids or molecules independently from the bulk fluid flow, e.g. for trapping or sorting beads or physically stretching molecules · CPC title

• G01N15/1463

  Physics · mapped topic

• G01N15/1427

  with the synchronisation of components, a time gate for operation of components, or suppression of particle coincidences · CPC title

• G01N15/1434 Primary

  Optical arrangements · CPC title