Instrument for selecting and depositing multicellular organisms and other large objects

An instrument for analyzing and selectively dispensing sample objects greater than about 50 μm in diameter encapsulated in a continuous liquid sample stream in air, the instrument comprising:

• means for aligning the sample objects in a fluid stream, in a direction parallel to a flow direction of the fluid stream;
• means for detecting the presence of the sample objects in the fluid stream, the means for detecting being located downstream from the means for aligning with respect to the fluid stream;
• means for forming a continuous liquid sample stream in air;
• and
• means for selectively disrupting the continuous liquid sample stream in air, the means for selectively disrupting located downstream from the means for detecting with respect to the fluid stream, such disrupting being physically isolated from said means for detecting so that fluidic instabilities cannot be transmitted from the means for selectively disrupting to the means for detecting, and being responsive to the means for detecting so as intermittently to cease disrupting the continuous fluid stream in air thereby allowing undisrupted lengths of said stream in air containing sample objects to pass undisturbed into a container.

An instrument for analyzing and selectively dispensing sample objects encapsulated in a continuous liquid sample stream in air, the instrument comprising:

• a source of objects having an output;
• a sensing zone responsive to sample objects from the output;
• a detector responsive to sample objects in the sensing zone;
• means for forming a continuous liquid sample stream in air;
• and
• a switched source of compressed gas having a gas output directed toward the continuous liquid sample stream in air downstream from the detector so as to disrupt said stream, such disruption physically isolated from the detector to prevent transmissions of fluidic instabilities to the detector, and having a control input responsive to the detector to cease disrupting said stream thereby allowing lengths of the liquid sample stream containing detected objects to pass undisrupted to a sample container.

An instrument for selectively dispensing sample objects encapsulated in a continuous liquid sample stream in air, the instrument comprising:

• means for providing a fluid stream carrying sample objects;
• means for detecting the presence of the sample objects in the fluid stream, the means for detecting being located downstream from the means for providing with respect to the fluid stream;
• means for forming a continuous liquid sample stream in air;
• and
• means for selectively directing a gas stream toward the fluid stream to disrupt portions of the continuous sample stream in air, the means for selectively directing being located downstream from the means for detecting with respect to the fluid stream, physically isolating sample stream in air disruption from the means for detecting so as not to introduce fluidic instabilities to the means for detecting, and being responsive to the means for detecting intermittently to cease sample stream in air disruption thereby allowing lengths of the continuous liquid sample stream in air containing detected objects to pass undisrupted to a sample container.

A method of dispensing sample objects encapsulated in a continuous liquid sample stream in air comprising the steps of:

• centering and orienting the sample objects in a flowing fluid stream;
• passing the fluid stream through a sensing zone with a surrounding sheath fluid;
• detecting the presence of the sample objects in the sensing zone;
• forming the fluid stream into a continuous liquid sample stream in air;
• diverting at least some portion of the sample stream in air with a switched fluid stream , wherein said diverting is physically isolated from the sensing zone so as to not induce fluidic instabilities therein;
• and
• collecting ones of the sample objects by intermittently ceasing to divert at least some portion of the sample stream in air based on the step of detecting so that remaining portions of the sample stream are not diverted by the step of diverting are collected.

An instrument for analyzing and selectively dispensing sample objects encapsulated in a continuous liquid sample stream in air, the instrument comprising:

• a sample source containing sample objects in a fluid suspension for dispensing a fluid suspension of sample objects;
• an alignment chamber having an input in fluidic communication with an output of the sample source for aligning a longitudinal axis of the sample sources with a direction of flow of the fluid suspension;
• a sample object sensing zone having an input in fluidic communication with an output of the alignment chamber;
• a sample detector for detecting sample objects in the sensing zone;
• an orifice downstream from the sensing zone for producing a continuous sample stream in air from the fluid suspension;
• and
• a fluid switch downstream of the orifice, said fluid switch controlling a fluid stream intersecting the continuous liquid stream in air for disrupting said stream, such disrupting physically isolated from the sample object sensing zone and the alignment chamber to prevent introduction of fluidic instabilities therein, said switch responsive to the sample detector to turn off intermittently said intersecting fluid stream thereby allowing lengths of the continuous liquid sample stream in air containing detected objects to pass undisrupted to a sample container.