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US 11,768,194 B2Granted
System and method for imaging and illumination for cell confluence measurement
AssigneeCorning Incorporated
InventorsJoshua Monroe Cobb, Gregory Roger Martin, Robert Raymond Raczkowski, Mark Christian Sanson, Horst Schreiber, Todd Michael Upton
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Abstract
A cell monitoring plate comprises a flat surface on which multiple cell culturing vessels may be stacked. The flats surface has multiple optical imaging systems embedded therein to fully image a cell culture vessels stacked on the plate. Each one of the multiple optical imaging systems provides both illumination and imaging through a single aperture in the surface of the monitoring plate.
Claims16
An apparatus comprising:
- a housing having a flat top surface;
- one or more apertures disposed in the flat top surface;
- one or more optical imaging systems disposed within the housing and configured to image a culture in a cell culture vessel placed on the flat top surface of the housing, the one or more optical imaging systems each comprising an imaging component and an illumination component that share an aperture of the one or more apertures disposed in the flat top surface;
- wherein the illumination component is configured to direct light at an oblique angle to a surface above the culture in the cell culture vessel such that the light is reflected off of the surface such as to illuminate the culture from a side opposite the imaging component, wherein the surface reflecting the light is a bottom surface of a second cell culture vessel stacked on top of the cell culture vessel placed on the flat top surface of the housing;
- and
- wherein the illumination component is configured to vary the oblique angle such as to illuminate cultures located in cell culture vessels stacked on the cell culture vessel placed directly on the top surface of the housing.
3 more elements
A method for determining cell confluence of a cell culture in a cell culture vessel comprising:
- providing one or more optical imaging systems, each optical imaging system comprising an imaging component and illumination component within a housing disposed below the cell culture vessel, wherein the illumination component is configured to direct light at an oblique angle through cell culture in the cell culture vessel such that the light is reflected off of a surface above the cell culture vessel such as to illuminate the cell culture from a side opposite the imaging component, wherein the surface reflecting the light is a bottom surface of a second cell culture vessel stacked on top of the cell culture vessel;
- directing light from the illumination component at an oblique angle to a reflective surface above the cell culture such that the cell culture is illuminated from a side opposite the imaging component;
- capturing an image of the illuminated cell culture with the imaging component;
- and
- varying the oblique angle of the illumination component so as to illuminate cultures located in cell culture vessels stacked on the cell culture vessel placed directly on the top surface of the housing.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.