System for analyzing biological sample

Abstract

A system (200) for analyzing a biological sample is provided. The system (200) includes a reaction ring (202) including a plurality of retainers (204). Each holder (204) of the plurality of holders (204) is configured to accommodate a sample container (206) holding a biological sample for analysis. At least one light source (208), in particular a light emitting diode (LED), is positioned within the reaction ring (202) to emit light towards the biological sample. The system (200) also includes at least one multispectral optical sensor (210) positioned outside the reaction ring (202) to capture light passing through the biological sample for determining one or more characteristics of the biological sample.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This embodiment generally relates to medical devices. More specifically, this embodiment relates to a system for performing biochemical tests for medical purposes. Background Technology

[0002] The topics discussed in the Background section should not be considered prior art simply because they are mentioned therein. Similarly, problems mentioned in or related to the topics in the Background section should not be considered as having been previously identified in the prior art. The topics in the Background section merely represent different methods, which themselves may correspond to implementations of the claimed technology.

[0003] Many medical conditions can be diagnosed using sophisticated systems, such as chemical (CH) analyzers. Such systems provide one or more parameters relevant to a human biological sample, such as plasma levels, metabolite levels, electrolyte levels, drug levels, and protein levels, aided by optical analysis of the biological sample.

[0004] Figure 1 A conventional spectrophotometer 100 for analyzing biological samples according to the prior art is shown. The conventional spectrophotometer 100 includes a reaction loop 102 having multiple retainers (not shown). Each of the multiple retainers contains a sample container carrying the biological sample to be analyzed.

[0005] The conventional spectrophotometer 100 also includes a lamp 104 for emitting light toward a sample container carrying a biological sample. The light is incident on the biological sample and onto the photometer 106. The photometer 106 includes a plurality of lenses 108 for directing the light toward a photodetector assembly 110.

[0006] The photodetector assembly 110 includes dichroic beam splitters 112-1 to 112-n that reflect light having a specified wavelength and transmit light having wavelengths other than the specified wavelength. For example, dichroic beam splitter 112-1 reflects light having a wavelength of 805 nm and transmits light with wavelengths other than 805 nm. Similarly, dichroic beam splitter 112-n reflects light having a wavelength of 658 nm and transmits light with wavelengths other than 658 nm. The photodetector assembly 110 also includes bandpass filters 114-1 to 114-n that allow light having a selected frequency range and block light having frequencies other than the selected frequency range. The photodetector assembly 110 also includes photodiodes 116-1 to 116-n for detecting light passing through bandpass filters 114-1 to 114-n.

[0007] As discussed above, a conventional spectrophotometer 100 utilizes multiple components, such as a dichroic spectrometer, a photodiode, and a bandpass filter. The use of multiple components leads to an increase in the overall size, manufacturing cost, and complexity of the photometer.

[0008] Furthermore, the lamp 104 of the conventional spectrophotometer 100 requires liquid coolant for cooling purposes. To properly cool the lamp 100, the liquid coolant must be frequently and manually refilled. The problem of frequent refilling of the liquid coolant in the conventional spectrophotometer 100 has not yet been resolved. Moreover, the use of liquid coolant in the lamp 104 increases the operating cost of the conventional spectrophotometer 100.

[0009] Therefore, there is a need for a system for the analysis of biological samples that addresses the aforementioned drawbacks of conventional spectrophotometers. Summary of the Invention

[0010] The scope of this invention is defined only by the appended claims and is not affected to any extent by the statements within the scope of this invention.

[0011] This embodiment can eliminate one or more of the disadvantages or limitations in related technologies. For example, a system for analyzing biological samples is provided.

[0012] As another example, the characteristics of multiple biological samples were analyzed simultaneously.

[0013] As yet another example, the size of the illumination unit used in systems for analyzing biological samples has been reduced.

[0014] As another example, complexity is reduced by minimizing the hardware in systems used for analyzing biological samples.

[0015] As yet another example, this reduces the power consumption of systems used for analyzing biological samples.

[0016] As another example, this allows for portable or mobile chemical analyzers used in point-of-care or point-of-demand settings. This will provide low power consumption, low cost, reduced complexity, and robustness for compact chemical analyzers.

[0017] This invention summary is provided to describe aspects related to a system for analyzing biological samples. The system is used to measure the concentration of a specific substance in a given sample, and these aspects are further described below in a detailed description. This invention summary is not intended to identify essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to define or limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0018] In one embodiment, a system for analyzing biological samples is disclosed. The system includes a reaction loop comprising a plurality of holders. Each of the holders is configured to contain a sample container holding a biological sample for analysis. The system also includes at least one light source positioned within the reaction loop to emit light toward the biological sample. At least one multispectral optical sensor is positioned outside the reaction loop to capture light passing through the biological sample for determining one or more parameters of the biological sample.

[0019] In one aspect, at least one light source is a light-emitting diode (LED) that emits white light.

[0020] On the other hand, multiple multispectral digital sensors are positioned at various locations outside the reaction loop to capture light passing through the biological sample, thereby increasing the accuracy of light detection.

[0021] On the other hand, multispectral optical sensors are capable of operating across the entire spectral range.

[0022] In another context, biological samples include blood, urine, fluid bone marrow, and amniotic fluid. One or more parameters of a biological sample can be determined, including plasma levels, metabolite levels, electrolyte levels, drug levels, and protein levels.

[0023] On the other hand, multispectral optical sensors are developed using standard CMOS silicon via nano-optical deposition interferometric filter technology.

[0024] In another aspect, each of the multiple multispectral optical sensors is positioned to capture light passing through a biological sample preserved in a corresponding sample container.

[0025] Other aspects and advantages of this embodiment will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the principles of this embodiment by way of example. Attached Figure Description

[0026] The accompanying drawings form part of the description and are used to provide a further understanding of the invention.

[0027] Figure 1 A conventional spectrophotometer for analyzing biological samples according to existing technology is shown.

[0028] Figure 2 A block diagram of a system for analyzing biological samples according to an embodiment is shown.

[0029] Figure 3 A block diagram of a system for simultaneously analyzing multiple biological samples, according to an embodiment, is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0030] The detailed description set forth below with reference to the accompanying drawings is intended as a description of various embodiments and is not intended to represent only the embodiments in which the invention can be practiced. Each embodiment described in this disclosure is provided merely as an example or illustration of the invention and should not be construed as being preferred or advantageous over other embodiments. The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understanding of the embodiments. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the embodiments can be practiced without these specific details.

[0031] This embodiment relates to a system for analyzing biological samples by calculating the concentration of certain substances in the biological sample. The biological sample may be blood, urine, fluid bone marrow, or amniotic fluid.

[0032] Figure 2 A block diagram of a system 200 for analyzing biological samples according to an embodiment is shown. System 200 may include a reaction loop 202, which includes a holder 204. The holder 204 may contain a sample container 206 containing a biological sample for analysis. The sample container may be a test tube or beaker made of a transparent material. The sample container may have a cylindrical or cubic shape. The holder 204 may be configured to minimize interference with the transmission of light through the sample container 206. The holder 204 may have a shape that effectively holds the sample container 206. System 200 may also include a light source 208 for emitting light toward the biological sample. The light source 208 may be positioned anywhere within the reaction loop 202, such as at the center of the reaction loop 202. The light source 208 may be a light-emitting diode (LED) emitting white light.

[0033] System 200 may also include a multispectral optical sensor 210 for detecting light passing through a biological sample. The multispectral optical sensor 210 is capable of operating in one or more of the infrared, visible, and ultraviolet regions. The multispectral optical sensor 210 can be developed using semiconductor technology that integrates filters into standard complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) silicon via nano-optical deposition interferometry. Comparative analysis of white light and light passing through the biological sample indicates one or more components of the white light absorbed by the biological sample. One or more components of the white light absorbed by the biological sample indicate one or more parameters associated with the biological sample. One or more parameters of the biological sample may include plasma levels, metabolite levels, electrolyte levels, drug levels, and protein levels.

[0034] In one implementation, multiple multispectral optical sensors 210 can be used to detect light passing through a biological sample. Such an arrangement increases the accuracy of light detection passing through the biological sample and is beneficial in the event of failure of any multispectral optical sensor or if the calibration of any multispectral optical sensor is affected.

[0035] In one implementation, system 300 can be used to analyze multiple biological samples simultaneously, such as Figure 3 As shown in the diagram. System 300 may include a reaction loop 302, which includes a plurality of holders 304. Each of the plurality of holders 304 contains a sample container containing a biological sample for analysis. System 300 may also include a plurality of LEDs 306 positioned within the reaction loop 302. The plurality of LEDs 306 simultaneously emit light toward the plurality of biological samples held in the plurality of holders 304.

[0036] System 300 may also include multiple multispectral optical sensors 308 positioned outside reaction loop 302. The multiple multispectral optical sensors 308 simultaneously detect light passing through corresponding biological samples positioned near the multiple multispectral optical sensors 308. The light detected by the multiple multispectral optical sensors 308 can be used to determine one or more parameters associated with each of the multiple biological samples. Simultaneous analysis of multiple biological samples increases the throughput of system 300.

[0037] The embodiments described above provide several technological advancements, as mentioned below. The system for analyzing biological samples utilizes LEDs for illumination and a multispectral optical sensor for detecting the light emitted by the LEDs. LEDs require no coolant because they have low heat distribution. Furthermore, the multispectral optical sensor incorporates multiple filters integrated into standard CMOS silicon via nano-optical deposition interferometric filter technology. Therefore, the multispectral optical sensor can detect light of multiple wavelengths without requiring bulky hardware such as dichroic spectrometers, photodiodes, and bandpass filters. Moreover, the compact and economical multispectral optical sensor enables simultaneous analysis of multiple biological samples. This reduces system readout time and increases system throughput.

[0038] In view of the present disclosure describing this embodiment, all changes, modifications, and variations within the meaning and scope of equivalents are considered to be within the scope and spirit of the invention. It should be understood that the aspects and embodiments of the disclosure described above can be used in any combination of each other. Multiple aspects and embodiments can be combined to form further embodiments of the disclosure.

[0039] The elements and features recited in the appended claims can be combined in different ways to produce new claims that also fall within the scope of this invention. Therefore, although the dependent claims appended below depend only on a single independent or dependent claim, it should be understood that these dependent claims can alternatively depend on alternatives to either the independent or dependent of any of the preceding claims or the following claims. Such new combinations should be understood to form part of this specification.

[0040] Although the invention has been described above with reference to various embodiments, it should be understood that many changes and modifications can be made to the described embodiments. Therefore, the foregoing description is intended to be illustrative rather than restrictive, and it should be understood that all equivalents and / or combinations of embodiments are intended to be included in this description.

Claims

1. A system (200) for analyzing biological samples, said system comprising: The reaction loop (202) includes a plurality of retainers (204), each of which is configured to contain a sample container (206) for storing biological samples for analysis. At least one light source (208) is positioned within the reaction loop (202), the at least one light source (208) being configured to emit light toward the biological sample; as well as A multispectral optical sensor (210) positioned outside the reaction loop (202) is configured to capture light passing through the biological sample to determine one or more parameters of the biological sample.

2. The system (200) of claim 1, wherein, The at least one light source (208) is a light-emitting diode (LED).

3. The system (200) of claim 1 further includes a plurality of multispectral optical sensors (210) located at a plurality of locations outside the reaction loop (202), the plurality of multispectral optical sensors (210) being configured to capture light passing through the biological sample to increase the detection accuracy of the light, the plurality of multispectral optical sensors (210) including the multispectral optical sensor (210).

4. The system (200) of claim 1, wherein, The biological samples include blood, urine, fluid bone marrow, and amniotic fluid.

5. The system (200) of claim 1, wherein, One or more parameters of the biological sample include plasma levels, metabolite levels, electrolyte levels, drug levels, and protein levels.

6. The system (200) of claim 1, wherein, The multispectral optical sensor (210) is capable of operating in the infrared region, the visible light region, the ultraviolet region, or any combination thereof.

7. The system (200) of claim 1, wherein, The multispectral optical sensor (210) is developed using standard CMOS silicon via nano-optical deposition interference filter technology.

8. The system (200) according to claim 1 further includes a plurality of multispectral optical sensors (210), each of the plurality of multispectral optical sensors (210) being positioned to capture light passing through a biological sample stored in a corresponding sample container (206).

9. The system of claim 2, wherein, The light transmitted by the LED is white light.

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