Method and apparatus for reading an assay using low resolution detection
OwnerPeter Robrish, Nicholas Sampas +1inventors
InventorsPeter Robrish, Nicholas Sampas, Ian Hardcastle
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Abstract
A method of reading an assay includes illuminating a substrate. The substrate includes a sensitive region. The method also includes detecting whether the substrate was exposed to an analyte of interest. The detecting includes using low resolution detection and a priori data about the sensitive region to determine whether a characteristic of a first portion of the illumination returned from the sensitive region differs from a characteristic of a second portion of the illumination returned from the substrate outside the sensitive region.
Claims28
A method of reading an assay, the method comprising:
- illuminating a substrate, the substrate comprising a sensitive region;
- and
- detecting whether the substrate was exposed to an analyte of interest, the detecting comprising using low resolution detection and a priori data about the sensitive region to determine whether a characteristic of a first portion of the illumination returned from the sensitive region differs from a characteristic of a second portion of the illumination returned from the substrate outside the sensitive region.
An apparatus for reading an assay of a sample deposited on a substrate having a sensitive region to determine whether an analyte of interest was included in the sample, the apparatus comprising:
- an illuminator arranged to illuminate the substrate;
- a low resolution detector arranged to detect illumination returned from the substrate;
- and
- an analyzer coupled to the low resolution detector and operating in response to a priori data about the sensitive region to determine whether the substrate was exposed to the analyte of interest by analyzing the detected illumination to determine whether a characteristic of a first portion of the illumination returned from the sensitive region differs from a characteristic of a second portion of the illumination returned from the substrate outside the sensitive region.
A method of reading an assay, the method comprising:
- illuminating a substrate, the substrate comprising sensitive regions;
- and
- detecting whether the substrate was exposed to analytes of interest, the detecting comprising using low resolution detection and a priori data about the sensitive regions to determine whether one or both of a characteristic of a first portion of the illumination returned from one of the sensitive regions and a characteristic of a second portion of the illumination returned from another of the sensitive regions differs from a characteristic of a third portion of the illumination returned from the substrate outside the sensitive regions.
An apparatus for reading an assay of a sample deposited on a substrate having sensitive regions to determine whether a respective analyte of interest was included in the sample, the apparatus comprising:
- an illuminator arranged to illuminate the substrate;
- a low resolution detector arranged to detect illumination returned from the substrate and comprising an array of detectors;
- and
- an analyzer coupled to the low resolution detector and operating in response to a priori data about the sensitive regions to determine whether at least one of the sensitive regions was exposed to the analyte of interest by analyzing the detected characteristics to determine whether one or both of a characteristic of a first portion of the illumination returned from one of the sensitive regions and a characteristic of a second portion of the illumination returned from another of the sensitive regions differs from a characteristic of a third portion of the illumination returned from the substrate outside the sensitive regions.
An apparatus for reading an assay of a sample deposited on a substrate having a sensitive region to determine whether an analyte of interest was included in the sample, the apparatus comprising:
- an illuminator arranged to illuminate the substrate;
- a low resolution detector arranged to detect illumination returned from the substrate;
- and
- a processor coupled to the low resolution detector and operating in response to a priori data about the sensitive region to determine whether the substrate was exposed to the analyte of interest by executing a statistical pattern recognition function to analyze the detected illumination to determine whether a characteristic of a first portion of the illumination returned from the sensitive region differs from a characteristic of a second portion of the illumination returned from the substrate outside the sensitive region.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.