Cell analyzer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9383320-B2
Application number	US-201314141211-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 26, 2013
Priority date	Jun 27, 2011
Publication date	Jul 5, 2016
Grant date	Jul 5, 2016

Abstract

A cell analyzer includes a flow cell through which a sample containing a cell flows; an imaging unit that captures the cell contained in the sample flowing through the flow cell; a cell image storage unit that stores a cell image captured by the imaging unit; a light source that irradiates the sample flowing through the flow cell with light; a light receiving unit that receives light from the cell irradiated with the light from the light source and outputs a signal corresponding to a light receiving amount; a waveform data storage unit that stores data indicating change in the light receiving amount obtained based on the output signal; a display unit; and a control unit that controls the display unit to display the cell image and a graph representing a waveform of data for the cell in the cell image and/or a marker corresponding to the data.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A cell analyzer comprising:
a flow cell through which a sample containing a cell flows, the cell including a stained nucleus;
an imaging unit configured to capture the cell contained in the sample flowing through the flow cell;
a light source configured to irradiate the sample flowing through the flow cell with light;
a light receiving unit configured to receive flourescence from the cell irradiated with the light from the light source and outputs a signal corresponding to amount of the received fluorescence;
a memory configured to store a cell image captured by the imaging unit in association with fluorescence waveform data indicating change in the amount of the received fluorescence obtained based on the output signal;
a display unit; and
a processor programmed to
control the display unit to display the cell image aligned with and overlapped with a graph representing the fluorescence waveform data corresponding to an amount of genetic material represented for the cell in the cell image, so that sizes and positions of the cell image, an intensity of the fluorescence, and the graph are correlated, and
execute a size adjustment process such that a cell width in the cell image and a width of the graph coincide with each other.

2. The cell analyzer according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is further programmed to control the display unit to display the cell image and the graph on the same screen.

3. The cell analyzer according to claim 2 , wherein the processor is further programmed to execute position adjustment of adjusting a position of one of the cell image and the graph according to a position of the other one, and controls the display unit to display the cell image and the graph after the position adjustment.

4. The cell analyzer according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is further programmed to execute size adjustment of adjusting a size of one of the cell image and the graph according to a size of the other one, and controls the display unit to display the cell image and the graph after the size adjustment.

5. The cell analyzer according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is further programmed to control the display unit to display a set of the cell image and the graph in a list.

6. The cell analyzer according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is further programmed to control the display unit to display a color displayed with a density corresponding to the light receiving amount.

7. The cell analyzer according to claim 6 , wherein the waveform data includes data indicating temporal change of a fluorescence intensity for a predetermined cell; and
the processor is further programmed to control the display unit to display the color displayed with a density corresponding to the fluorescence intensity.

8. The cell analyzer according to claim 6 , wherein the waveform data includes data indicating temporal change of a scattered light intensity for a predetermined cell; and
the processor is further programmed to control the display unit to display the color displayed with a density corresponding to the scattered light intensity.

9. The cell analyzer according to claim 1 , wherein the waveform data includes data indicating temporal change of a fluorescence intensity for a predetermined cell; and
the processor is further programmed to control the display unit to display a color given to a range in which the fluorescence intensity is greater than or equal to a predetermined value.

10. The cell analyzer according to claim 9 , wherein the processor is further programmed to control the display unit to display the range in which the fluorescence intensity is greater than or equal to the predetermined value as information reflecting a position of a nucleus in the predetermined cell.

11. The cell analyzer according to claim 1 , wherein the waveform data includes data indicating temporal change of a scattered light intensity for a predetermined cell; and
the processor is further programmed configured to control the display unit to display a color given to a range in which the scattered light intensity is greater than or equal to a predetermined value.

12. The cell analyzer according to claim 11 , wherein the processor is further programmed to control the display unit to display the range in which the scattered light intensity is greater than or equal to the predetermined value is information reflecting a size of the predetermined cell.

13. The cell analyzer according to claim 6 , wherein the processor is further programmed to control the display unit to display the color and the cell image in an overlapping manner.

14. The cell analyzer according to claim 13 , wherein the processor is further programmed to control the display unit to display a plurality of colors in an overlapping manner.

15. The cell analyzer according to claim 3 , wherein the processor is further programmed to execute size adjustment of adjusting a size of one of the cell image and the graph according to a size of the other one, and to control the display unit to display the cell image and the graph after the size adjustment.

16. The cell analyzer according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a first photomultiplier tube configured to detect side red fluorescence data (SRFL) divided from a side fluorescence transmitted from a first dichroic mirror through a second dichroic minor; and
a second photomultiplier tube, different than the first photomultiplier tube, configured to detect side green fluorescence data (SGFL) divided from the side fluorescence.

17. The cell analyzer according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is further programmed to control the display unit to display the cell image aligned with the graph at same sizes thereof such that an axial pixel length of the cell image is equal to a pixel length of the graph in a same axial direction, wherein
the graph is aligned with a nucleus of the cell.

Assignees

• Sysmex Corp

Inventors

• Naito Takamichi
• Saitou Takeo

Classifications

• G01N2015/1497

  Particle shape · CPC title

• G01N2015/1472

  with colour · CPC title

• G01N15/147

  the analysis being performed on a sample stream · CPC title

• G01N2015/1488

  Methods for deciding · CPC title

• G01N15/1475

  Physics · mapped topic