Biosensor for coagulation testing
AssigneeZomedica Biotechnologies LLC
InventorsFlorian Bell, Bruce Murdock
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Sensors employing bulk acoustic wave (BAW) resonators are used to assay characteristics of blood. The BAW sensors may be used to sense viscosity of a sample comprising blood to determine coagulation properties of the blood. The viscosity of the blood may be evaluated in the presence of agents that inhibit coagulation or that promote coagulation. The change in viscosity of the sample in the presence of such agents may provide information regarding whether the blood suffers from a coagulation disorder.
Claims20
A method of measuring coagulation properties of blood in a sample over a period of time, the method comprising:
- driving a first bulk acoustic wave (BAW) resonator, a second bulk acoustic wave (BAW) resonator, and a third bulk acoustic wave (BAW) resonator, each comprising a sensing surface, into an oscillating motion;
- flowing the sample through a flow path comprising the first, second, and third bulk acoustic wave (BAW) resonators, wherein the flow path comprises two or more branches arranged in parallel with one another, wherein at least two of the two or more branches each include at least one BAW resonator;
- and
- detecting a resonance characteristic of each oscillating BAW resonator while the sample is in contact with the sensing surface, wherein the resonance characteristic of the first BAW resonator is detected at a first time point, and the second BAW resonator detects a resonance characteristic at a second time point in sequence after the first time point.
The method of 2, further comprising:
- converting the resonance characteristic of the first BAW resonator into a value indicating the viscosity of the sample;
- converting the resonance characteristic of the second BAW resonator (i) into a value indicating the viscosity of the sample or (ii) into a concentration of the component or molecule of the blood in the sample;
- detecting a resonance characteristic at the third BAW resonator, and converting the resonance characteristic of the third BAW resonator (i) into a value indicating the viscosity of the sample or (ii) into a concentration of the component or molecule of the blood in the sample;
- and
- using the value indicating the viscosity of the sample and the concentration of the component or molecule of the blood in the sample to measure the coagulation properties of the blood in the sample.
A method of measuring coagulation properties of blood in a sample, the method comprising:
- driving a first bulk acoustic wave (BAW) resonator, a second bulk acoustic wave (BAW) resonator, and a third bulk acoustic wave (BAW) resonator, each comprising a sensing surface, into an oscillating motion;
- flowing the sample through a flow path comprising the first, second, and third bulk acoustic wave (BAW) resonators;
- detecting a resonance characteristic of each oscillating BAW resonator while the sample is in contact with the sensing surface;
- and
- agitating at least a portion of the sample, wherein:
- a first portion of the sample is not agitated before flowing the first portion of the sample across the sensing surface of the first BAW resonator;
- a second portion of the sample is agitated before flowing the second portion of the sample across the sensing surface of the second BAW resonator;
- and
- a third portion of the sample is agitated before flowing the third portion of the sample across the sensing surface of the third BAW resonator.
A method of measuring coagulation properties of blood in a sample, the method comprising:
- driving a first bulk acoustic wave (BAW) resonator, a second bulk acoustic wave (BAW) resonator, and a third bulk acoustic wave (BAW) resonator, each comprising a sensing surface, into an oscillating motion;
- flowing the sample through a flow path comprising the first, second, and third bulk acoustic wave (BAW) resonators, wherein the flow path comprises two or more branches arranged in parallel with one another, wherein at least two of the two or more branches each include at least one BAW resonator;
- and
- detecting a resonance characteristic of each oscillating BAW resonator while the sample is in contact with the sensing surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.