A micro bead having a digitally coded structure that is partially transmissive and opaque to light. The pattern of
transmitted light is determined by to decode the bead. The coded bead may be structured a series of alternating light transmissive and opaque sections, with relative positions, widths and spacing resembling a 1D or 2D bar code image. To decode the image, the alternating transmissive and opaque sections of the body are scanned in analogous fashion to bar code scanning. The coded bead may be coated or immobilized with a capture or probe to effect a desired
bioassay. The coded bead may include a paramagnetic material. A
bioanalysis system conducts high
throughput bioanalysis using the coded bead, including a reaction detection zone and a decoding zone. Alternative method for
barcode determination is based on
barcode pattern image processes. Microbeads can also be settled down to the bottom of the well in a microplate, so the
barcode can be decoded by image processed directly. Therefore, multiple-
analyte tests can be performed in one single well. Microplate is a standard format; each plate can have 96, 384, or 1536 patient samples. The bead image is taken with a conventional
microscope and
optical detector from the bottom of an optically clear microplate, and barcode pattern can be decoded by image
software. Therefore, the whole bead experiment can be performed in the microplate without taking the beads out.