Multi-spectral microparticle-fluorescence photon cytometry

A measurement system, comprising:

• a light source adapted to direct light to an irradiation spot;
• a spot-traversal system for causing relative motion between a sample and the irradiation spot in a first direction, wherein the relative motion is caused by moving the sample or moving the irradiation spot utilizing one or more of rasterizers, polygons or other movable mirrors, mirror or micromirror arrays, fixed mirrors, rotational, linear, XY, or XYZ stages or drives, lenses, and gratings wherein the sample includes one or more fluorescent markers having respective fluorescence wavelengths, wherein light sourced from the light source incident on the sample generates a resultant light from the sample,
• wherein the sample includes particles including blood cells, human or animal tissue, infectious agents, bacteria, viruses, yeast, protozoa, or a combination thereof;
• a gating system including a beam splitter adapted to split the resultant light into one or more split beams and further including i) corresponding detectors configured to detect each of the one or more split beams and thereby generate a detector-output signal corresponding therefor, and ii) corresponding comparators configured to receive each of the detector-output signals and compare to a predetermined threshold to thereby generate a comparator-output signal corresponding therefor, and wherein the comparator-output signals are configured to provide a gating signal based at least in part on resultant light substantially at a wavelength of the irradiation spot;
• an optical detection system including one or more detectors and one or more comparators and configured to:
• i) detect fluorescent light from at least some of the fluorescent markers irradiated by the irradiation spot;
• and
• ii) provide one or more detection signals representing the fluorescent light detected concurrently with a gate-open condition of the gating signal, and
• a flow system including a vertical flow channel configured to move the sample through the vertical flow channel in a second direction different from the first direction based on vacuum forces established by at least one vacuum port.