Electrophoretic analysis data processing device and electrophoretic analysis data processing program

Abstract

To improve operation property in molar concentration ratio analysis or the like and improve working efficiency.SOLUTION: An electrophoresis data processor is a data processor for processing data acquired by electrophoresis, and comprises: a graph generation part (31, 33) for generating a peak separation image on an electropherogram and / or electrophoretic channel, on the basis of the acquired data; a display processing part (37) for partitioning inside and outside parts of an analysis target range along a shaft of a separation direction, by a boundary line, on an electropherogram and / or separation image, and displaying on a display part, a graph in which the inside and outside parts are drawn in different modes respectively; an analysis condition setting part (34) for receiving movement operation of a boundary line by a user, on the displayed graph, and according to the received operation, setting an analysis target range whose position on the shaft and a size are changed; and an analysis processing part (36, 35) for executing prescribed calculation processing using, all or some of peaks included in the analysis target range, are used.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a data processing device that processes data acquired by an electrophoresis device, and a computer program for the data processing. [Background technology]

[0002] In fields such as drug discovery, medicine, agriculture, livestock, and biochemistry, data collected by electrophoresis equipment is used to determine the proportion (concentration ratio, molar concentration ratio, mass concentration ratio, etc.) of specific molecules (such as nucleic acids or proteins) among the many types of molecules contained in a sample, and this information is used in sample analysis.

[0003] For example, Non-Patent Document 1 describes how the mutation rate of each individual in genome editing can be easily obtained by comparing the molar concentrations of heteroduplexes and homoduplexes using a function that calculates molar concentrations from electropherograms. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-20725 [Non-patent literature]

[0005] [Non-Patent Document 1] "Application News No. B65 Heteroduplex Mobility Assay (HMA) using MultiNA," ​​Shimadzu Corporation, first published September 2017 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] As described in Non-Patent Document 1, the molar concentration is calculated from the area of ​​a peak in an electropherogram. Patent Document 1 discloses an electrophoretic analysis data analyzer having a function of calculating and displaying the abundance ratio based on the area value of a peak present in an analysis range specified by a user in an electropherogram and the area value of a peak present in a range of interest also specified by a user.

[0007] In such data analysis devices, the user, i.e., the operator, must specify the range of analysis or the range of interest. These can be specified numerically, or the range of analysis or the range of interest can be specified on an electropherogram or on an image of the peak separation (virtual gel image) on the electrophoresis flow path.

[0008] The data analysis device described in Patent Document 1 provides a user interface (UI) control for specifying the desired analysis target range, etc. on graphs such as electropherograms and separation images. However, there are problems such as it being difficult for the operator to intuitively grasp which range they have specified, or it being difficult to understand the relationship between the analysis target range and the range of interest.

[0009] The present invention has been made to solve these problems, and its main object is to provide an electrophoretic analysis data processing device and an electrophoretic analysis data processing program that further improve the operability when analyzing data collected by electrophoretic analysis, increase the efficiency of analytical work, and reduce work errors. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] One aspect of the electrophoretic analysis data processing device according to the present invention, which has been made to solve the above problems, is a data processing device that processes data acquired by electrophoretic analysis, comprising: a graph creating unit that creates an electropherogram and / or an image of peak separation on an electrophoresis flow path based on the acquired data; a display processing unit that divides an inside and an outside of an analysis range along an axis of the separation direction on the electropherogram and / or the separation image by a boundary line and displays a graph on a display unit in which the inside and the outside are depicted in different modes; an analysis condition setting unit that receives a user's operation to move the boundary line on the displayed graph, and sets an analysis range whose position and size on the axis are changed in accordance with the received operation; an analysis processing unit that performs predetermined calculation processing using all or some of the peaks included in the analysis target range; Equipped with.

[0011] Furthermore, one aspect of the electrophoretic analysis data processing program according to the present invention, which has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, is a data processing program for processing data acquired by electrophoretic analysis by a computer, the program comprising: a graph creation step of creating an electropherogram and / or a separation image of peaks on an electrophoresis flow path based on the acquired data; a display processing step of dividing an inside and an outside of an analysis range along an axis of the separation direction on the electropherogram and / or the separation image by a boundary line, and displaying a graph depicting the inside and the outside in different modes on a display unit; an analysis condition setting step of accepting a user's operation to move a boundary line on the displayed graph, and setting an analysis range whose position and size on the axis are changed in accordance with the accepted operation; an analysis step of performing a predetermined calculation process using all or some of the peaks included in the analysis range; Execute the following. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] In the above-described aspects of the electrophoretic analysis data processing device and electrophoretic analysis data processing program according to the present invention, an analysis range for calculating the molar concentration of a target component, etc., can be specified by a simple and intuitively understandable operation on an electropherogram or separation image. In particular, the inside and outside of the analysis range can be distinguished at a glance by differences in the display mode, such as the color of the region on the electropherogram or separation image, so that the operator can efficiently and accurately determine, for example, whether a peak of interest is reliably included in the analysis range, or conversely, whether peaks derived from components other than the target component are reliably excluded from the analysis range.

[0013] In this way, the above-described aspects of the electrophoretic analysis data processing device and electrophoretic analysis data processing program of the present invention improve the operability when performing various analyses such as molar concentration ratio analysis using data collected by electrophoretic analysis, thereby increasing the efficiency of analytical work and reducing user errors. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an electrophoretic analysis system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a molar concentration ratio analysis screen in the electrophoretic analysis system of the present embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an electropherogram display on a molar concentration ratio analysis screen (when the analysis target range, etc., is not specified). [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an electropherogram display on the molar concentration ratio analysis screen (the state after the analysis range and the like have been specified). [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a separation image displayed on a molar concentration ratio analysis screen (when the analysis target range, etc., is not specified). [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a separation image displayed on the molar concentration ratio analysis screen (after the analysis target range, etc., have been specified). [Figure 7]FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an analysis condition setting dialog for molar concentration ratio analysis. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of the display state when the analysis range is changed on the electropherogram. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] Hereinafter, an embodiment of an electrophoretic analysis system using an electrophoretic analysis data processing device and an electrophoretic analysis data processing program according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0016] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the electrophoretic analysis system of this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the system includes a measurement unit 1, a control unit 2, a data processing unit 3, an operation unit 4, and a display unit 5.

[0017] The measurement unit 1 performs electrophoretic analysis on each of a plurality of provided samples to acquire data, and includes a sample supply unit 10, an electrophoretic separation unit 11, a detection unit 12, an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) 13, etc. As the measurement unit 1, for example, a microchip electrophoresis device for DNA / RNA analysis, "MultiNA" manufactured by Shimadzu Corporation, can be used.

[0018] The data processing unit 3 has the function of processing the data acquired by the measurement unit 1, and includes, as functional blocks, a data storage unit 30, an electropherogram creation unit 31, a peak detection unit 32, a separation image creation unit 33, an analysis condition setting processing unit 34, an analysis target peak identification unit 35, an analysis processing unit 36, a display processing unit 37, etc.

[0019] Generally, the control unit 2 and data processing unit 3 are implemented as hardware in the form of a personal computer (PC) including a CPU, memory, etc., and at least some of their functions can be realized by executing dedicated processing and control software (computer programs) pre-installed on the PC. In this case, the operation unit 4 is a pointing device such as a keyboard or mouse attached to the PC, and the display unit 5 is a display monitor attached to the PC.

[0020] The computer program can be provided to the user by being stored on a computer-readable, non-transitory recording medium such as a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, memory card, or USB memory (dongle). The program can also be provided to the user in the form of data transfer via a communication line such as the Internet. Furthermore, the program can be pre-installed in a computer that is part of the system (strictly speaking, a storage device that is part of the computer) when the user purchases the system.

[0021] When performing DNA analysis, for example, using the electrophoresis analysis system of this embodiment, a well plate containing a large number of samples containing the DNA fragments to be analyzed and predetermined reagents (including buffer solutions) are loaded into the sample supply unit 10. When an operator sets an analysis schedule on the operation unit 4 and then issues an instruction to start measurement, the control unit 2 operates the measurement unit 1 to perform the analysis according to a predetermined program.

[0022] Specifically, in the electrophoretic separation unit 11, a buffer solution is first filled into the flow path of the electrophoretic chip. Then, samples contained in predetermined wells on a well plate loaded in the sample supply unit 10 are injected into predetermined positions in the flow path within the electrophoretic chip. Then, a predetermined electrophoretic voltage is applied to multiple reservoirs in the chip, causing the sample to migrate along the separation flow path, and the components (DNA fragments) in the sample are separated in the direction along the flow path. The detection unit 12 is a fluorescence detector, which sequentially detects the components separated by electrophoresis. The detection signal output from the detection unit 12 is digitized by the AD conversion unit 13, sent to the data processing unit 3, and stored in the data storage unit 30.

[0023] An example of the procedure for molar concentration ratio analysis performed in the data processing unit 3 when data collected by performing the above measurements on one or more samples is stored in the data storage unit 30 will be described.

[0024] When the operator performs a predetermined operation on the operation unit 4, the display processing unit 37 displays a molar concentration ratio analysis screen 6, an example of which is shown in Fig. 2, on the screen of the display unit 5. The molar concentration ratio analysis screen 6 is roughly divided into four areas: a sample display area 6A, a separation image display area 6B, an electropherogram display area 6C, and an analysis result display area 6D. However, Fig. 2 shows a state after a molar concentration ratio analysis has been performed, or a state in which the results of a molar concentration ratio analysis performed in the past are displayed. When a molar concentration ratio analysis has not been performed, nothing is displayed in the separation image display area 6B and the electropherogram display area 6C, and a table with blank analysis results is displayed in the analysis result display area 6D.

[0025] A well image 60 showing a simulation of a well plate is displayed in the sample display area 6A, and the operator designates the samples to be subjected to molar concentration ratio analysis on the image by clicking on the operation unit 4. In the example of Fig. 2, the samples contained in the four wells indicated by black circles and numbered A1, B1, C1, and D1 are designated as the samples to be subjected to molar concentration ratio analysis.

[0026] When the operator specifies one or more samples on the well image 60 and then commands the start of analysis, the electropherogram creation unit 31 reads out the data file corresponding to the specified sample stored in the data storage unit 30 and creates an electropherogram based on that data.

[0027] When the electropherograms are created, the peak detection unit 32 detects peaks in each electropherogram according to a predetermined algorithm and collects peak information such as the peak top position, peak start position, peak end position, peak top intensity, peak area, etc. The collected peak information is used to calculate the molar concentration ratio, the total peak area, etc., which will be described later.

[0028] Furthermore, the separation image creating unit 33 creates a separation image (so-called gel image) of the peaks on the electrophoresis channel based on the created electropherogram and information on the detected peaks.

[0029] The horizontal axis of the electropherogram and the axis of the separation image are axes of the separation direction by electrophoresis, and here are either "migration time," "migration time index," or "size," from which the operator can select one. Here, "migration time" is the time value when measurement is performed in the measurement unit 1. "Migration time index" is the migration time normalized (expressed as a percentage) based on the migration times of multiple reference substances of known sizes added to the sample. Furthermore, "size" is a substantial conversion of the horizontal axis based on the sizes of multiple reference substances of known sizes.

[0030] The display processing unit 37 displays the created electropherograms and separation images in the electropherogram display area 6C and separation image display area 6B, respectively, of the molar concentration ratio analysis screen 6. FIG. 2 shows four separation images 70 corresponding to four samples selected on the well image 60, and an electropherogram 80 corresponding to one sample selected by the operator. In the well image 60, the selected sample is displayed as a rectangular area corresponding to a well, framed with a bold line and in a different color from the others. In the separation image 70, the frame of the separation image corresponding to the selected sample is displayed with a bold line and in a different color from the others. Note that the electropherogram 80 and separation image 70 shown in FIG. 2 are in a state after the analysis range, etc. for molar concentration ratio calculation has been specified. When the analysis range, etc. has not been specified, the electropherogram 80a shown in FIG. 3 and the separation image 70a shown in FIG. 5 are displayed.

[0031] The example of electropherogram 80a shown in Figure 3 depicts an electrophoretic waveform 81 obtained for one sample, with the horizontal axis representing size. In Figure 3, the peak (peak number 1) observed at the position (size) where the size is "LM" corresponds to a substance with a migration time index of 0%, and the peak (peak number 7) observed at the position where the size is "UM" corresponds to a substance with a migration time index of 100%. The numerical values ​​along the horizontal axis shown within the range of LM to UM represent the sizes of multiple reference substances with known sizes.

[0032] The example of separation image 70a shown in Fig. 5 is an example in which vertically elongated separation images obtained for four samples as described above are displayed side by side in the horizontal direction, with the axis representing size. In Fig. 5, the scale along the axis matches the scale in the electropherogram 80a. As is well known, areas with greater signal intensity in the electropherogram are shown in darker colors (closer to black) in the separation image.

[0033] When the operator performs a predetermined operation on the molar concentration ratio analysis screen 6, the analysis condition setting processing unit 34 pops up an analysis condition setting dialog 100, an example of which is shown in Fig. 7. This analysis condition setting dialog 100 can be moved to any position on the molar concentration ratio analysis screen 6 in accordance with a drag-and-drop operation by the operator.

[0034] The analysis condition setting dialog 100 has three data grids arranged therein: an analysis range specification data grid 101, an exclusion range specification data grid 102, and a fragment of interest specification data grid 103. The analysis range specification data grid 101 specifies an analysis range by specifying the upper and lower limits of the horizontal axis (size in this case) of the electropherogram. Checking "All range" specifies the entire range as the analysis range.

[0035] The exclusion range specification data grid 102 specifies the exclusion range within the analysis range that you want to exclude as an analysis target by specifying the upper and lower limit values ​​of the horizontal axis of the electropherogram. Here, multiple exclusion ranges can be specified. The part of the analysis range excluding the exclusion range is called the analysis target range.

[0036] The fragment-of-interest specification data grid 103 specifies a range of interest within the range of analysis, and the range can be specified by a single numerical value and its corresponding width in the upward and downward directions. Multiple ranges of interest can also be specified.

[0037] The operator can specify the analysis range (the range excluding the exclusion range) and the range of interest included in that analysis range by inputting desired values ​​into each of the three data grids 101, 102, and 103. However, specifying appropriate values ​​numerically can be tedious. Therefore, with this system, the analysis range and range of interest can be set as follows:

[0038] The operator inputs appropriate numerical values ​​into each of the three data grids 101, 102, and 103. When numerical values ​​are input into each of the data grids 101, 102, and 103, the analysis condition setting processor 34 reflects information indicating the range corresponding to the input numerical values ​​in the electropherogram and separation image that are currently being displayed.

[0039] Specifically, in the example shown in Fig. 7, there is one exclusion range and two ranges of interest. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 4, the analysis condition setting processor 34, via the display processor 37, displays on the electropherogram 80b two analysis range indication lines 82 corresponding to the upper and lower limit values ​​specified in the analysis range specification data grid 101, two exclusion range indication lines 83 corresponding to the pair of upper and lower limit values ​​specified in the exclusion range specification data grid 102, and four interest range indication lines 84 (however, in Fig. 4, two of these lines are substantially overlapping) corresponding to the two pairs of numerical values ​​specified in the fragment-of-interest specification data grid 103, in an overlapping manner.

[0040] In Figure 4, the range b between each analysis range indication line 82 and the left and right ends of the electropherogram 80b is outside the analysis range and also outside the range to be analyzed (hereinafter referred to as the "outside analysis range region b"). The range a between the two analysis range indication lines 82 is the analysis range, and within that, the range c between the two exclusion range indication lines 83 is the exclusion range. Therefore, the analysis range d within the analysis range a excluding the exclusion range c is the range that is essentially used for analysis. Furthermore, within the analysis range d, the two ranges e and f between the two pairs of interest range indication lines 84 are each the range of interest.

[0041] The analysis condition setting processor 34 overlays the non-analysis range region b and the exclusion range c, i.e., the region outside the analysis range d, with the same predetermined background color (for example, dark blue) via the display processor 37. The two focus ranges e and f are also overlaid with predetermined background colors (for example, red and green) that are different from each other and from the analysis range d. The overlay display allows the electrophoresis waveform 81 to be seen through the display. The portions of the analysis range d other than the focus ranges e and f are not overlaid, and therefore display the background color of the original electropherogram 80b unchanged, typically white or a color close to it.

[0042] This makes it possible to visually clearly distinguish the analysis range d from other ranges (outside analysis range region b and excluded range c) in the electropherogram 80b. In addition, the positions of the target ranges e and f within the analysis range d can be clearly grasped.

[0043] 6, the analysis condition setting processor 34, via the display processor 37, also displays, superimposed on the separated image 70b, two analysis range indication lines 72 corresponding to the upper and lower limit values ​​specified in the analysis range specification data grid 101, and two exclusion range indication lines 73 corresponding to the pair of upper and lower limit values ​​specified in the exclusion range specification data grid 102. Note that, unlike an electropherogram, no attention range indication lines are displayed on the separated image 70b. This is because a separated image is shorter in the size axis direction than an electropherogram, and it is usually difficult to clearly display a narrow attention range. Of course, attention range indication lines may also be displayed superimposed on the separated image 70b.

[0044] Furthermore, the analysis condition setting processor 34 overlays the non-analysis range region b and the excluded range c, i.e., the regions outside the analysis range d, in the same color (here, dark blue) as the background color of the corresponding regions in the electropherogram via the display processor 37. This allows the user to visually clearly distinguish the analysis range d from other ranges (non-analysis range region b and excluded range c) in the separation image 70b as well.

[0045] Once the analysis range and the range of interest are determined as described above, the analysis target peak identifying unit 35 identifies the analysis target peaks present in the analysis range and the peaks of interest present in each range of interest. For example, using the peak information collected as described above, a peak whose top exists within a range of size corresponding to the analysis target range is identified as the analysis target peak. Of course, if the entirety of a peak from its start position to its end position falls within the analysis target range, that peak may be identified as the analysis target peak.

[0046] Once the analysis target peaks and peaks of interest are identified, the analysis processing unit 36 ​​calculates, based on the area values ​​of the peaks included in the peak information, the molar concentration of each DNA fragment corresponding to the peak, the ratio of the molar concentration corresponding to each peak of interest to the total molar concentrations corresponding to all peaks of interest (molar concentration / total molar concentration), and the ratio of the molar concentrations corresponding to all peaks of interest to the total molar concentrations corresponding to all peaks of interest (molar concentration of all fragments of interest / total molar concentration). Other appropriate values ​​can be calculated based on the peak information, such as the average size, size distribution, and size ratio of all peaks of interest. The display processing unit 37 displays the various values ​​calculated by the analysis processing unit 36 ​​in an analysis result table 90 displayed in the analysis result display area 6D.

[0047] However, as described above, the values ​​entered by the operator in the analysis condition setting dialog 100 do not necessarily take into account the positions of the peaks, etc., and therefore the analysis range and the range of interest displayed in the electropherogram 80b and the separation image 70b do not initially cover the appropriate range, that is, the range that the operator actually intends to analyze. Therefore, the operator appropriately adjusts the position and size of the analysis range d and the ranges of interest e and f by graphically manipulating the displayed electropherogram 80b or the separation image 70b.

[0048] That is, the operator uses the operation unit 4 to select the analysis range indication line 82 on the electropherogram 80b by clicking or otherwise and then dragging it, as indicated by the arrow S in FIG. 8, to move the analysis range indication line 82 to any desired position. The exclusion range indication line 83 and the focus range indication line 84 can also be moved by similar operations. At this time, the analysis condition setting processor 34, via the display processor 37, lightens the display color of the area bounded by the line while the drag operation of each line is being executed. In other words, the transparency of the colored area displayed as an overlay is increased. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, when the analysis range indication line 82 is moved, the color of the outside-analysis-range area b is lightened (here, dark blue is changed to light blue).

[0049] As shown in FIG. 4, the colored area indicating the outside of the analysis range is a relatively dark color, which reduces the visibility of the electrophoresis waveform 81 below it. This is because the electrophoresis waveform outside the analysis range d is not subject to analysis in the first place. In contrast, when the operator drags the analysis range indication line 82 or the exclusion range indication line 83, the color of the area outside the analysis range d becomes lighter, as shown in FIG. 8. This makes the electrophoresis waveform 81 below more visible, making it easier for the operator to move the analysis range indication line 82 or the exclusion range indication line 83 to the intended position. In this way, the analysis range d and the ranges of interest e and f can be easily adjusted graphically.

[0050] In response to the above-described operations, the analysis condition setting processing unit 34 updates the size of each line according to the new position of each of the lines 82, 83, and 84. In addition, as the positions of the lines 82, 83, and 84 change, the colored areas displayed as an overlay are changed, and when the movement of each line is complete, the temporarily lightened color is restored to its original color.

[0051] Additionally, in electropherogram 80b, below the range-of-interest indication line 84 on the left side of each range of interest, a range-of-interest indication tag 85 indicating an alphabetical number ("A" or "B" in FIGS. 4 and 8) that identifies the range of interest is attached. When the operator clicks on a range-of-interest indication tag 85, analysis condition setting processor 34 activates the range of interest associated with that range-of-interest indication tag 85. In this state, when the range-of-interest indication tag 85 is dragged left or right, analysis condition setting processor 34 responds by moving the active range of interest left or right overall while maintaining its width. This allows the position of the range of interest to be changed while keeping the width of the range of interest constant.

[0052] As described above, the positions and widths of the analysis range d and the ranges of interest e and f can be freely adjusted on the electropherogram 80b by either dragging the lines, such as the analysis range indication line 82, or by dragging the range of interest indication tag 85. The lines displayed on the electropherogram 80b and the colored areas determined by those lines are linked to the lines displayed on the separation image 70b, and the analysis condition setting processor 34 immediately reflects the above-described operations on the electropherogram 80b in the separation image 70b. Conversely, when the analysis range indication line 72 is moved on the separation image 70b by dragging, the operation is immediately reflected on the electropherogram 80b.

[0053] Furthermore, when the analysis range indication line 72 is moved by dragging on the separation image 70b, the analysis condition setting processor 34 also lightens the color of the colored area indicating the outside of the analysis range. This allows the operator to easily visually identify the positions of peaks on the separation image 70b when moving the analysis range indication line 72 or the exclusion range indication line 73.

[0054] As described above, the results of changes to the analysis range, etc., made by graphical operations on the electropherogram 80b or separation image 70b are immediately reflected in the numerical values ​​in the analysis condition setting dialog 100. In other words, the electropherogram 80b, separation image 70b, and analysis condition setting dialog 100 are linked to one another, and the analysis range, exclusion range, and range of interest can be specified or changed from any of them, allowing the latest status to be confirmed at that time.

[0055] When the analysis range d or the ranges of interest e and f are changed by an operator, the analysis peak identifying unit 35 correspondingly re-identifies the analysis peak and the peak of interest as necessary, and the analysis processing unit 36 ​​performs recalculation based on the changed peak information. The display processing unit 37 then updates the display according to the recalculation results. Therefore, when the operator moves the analysis range indication line 82 on the electropherogram 80b, the analysis result table 80b is displayed in accordance with the operation. 90 The numerical values, such as the molar concentration ratio, in the analysis result are updated to the latest values. This allows the operator to graphically change the analysis range, etc., on the electropherogram 80b or separation image 70b, while immediately checking the analysis results corresponding to the analysis range and range of interest that are being changed.

[0056] In the above explanation, analysis range indication lines and the like are displayed on the electropherogram or separation image by inputting numerical values ​​in the analysis condition setting dialog 100. However, analysis range indication lines and the like can also be displayed by performing a predetermined operation on the electropherogram or separation image. For example, in addition to specifying a range of interest in the analysis condition setting dialog 100, it is also possible to add it appropriately on the electropherogram 80b. That is, by performing a predetermined operation such as double-clicking near a peak detected in the electrophoresis waveform 81, a new set of range of interest indication lines 84 and a range of interest sandwiched between the lines 84 can be added so as to include that peak. This allows the analysis range or range of interest to be set without having to open the analysis condition setting dialog 100.

[0057] 2 and 4, only the electrophoretic waveform corresponding to one sample is displayed in the electropherogram display area 6C, but it is also possible to display electrophoretic waveforms corresponding to multiple samples in the electropherogram display area 6C. In this case, multiple electrophoretic waveforms may be overlaid in one electropherogram with a common vertical axis, or multiple electropherograms with aligned horizontal axes may be arranged vertically in a stack.

[0058] Furthermore, in the electrophoretic analysis system of the above embodiment, a range of interest is specified to determine the molar concentration ratio between the peak to be analyzed and the peak of interest, but it is also possible to specify only an exclusion range, or both an analysis range and an exclusion range, without specifying a range of interest. For example, if many noise peaks are observed and it is desired to calculate the area values ​​of all peaks and the concentration values ​​obtained therefrom, the noise peaks can be excluded from the calculation by specifying the noise peaks as an exclusion range.

[0059] Furthermore, in the electrophoretic analysis system of the above embodiment, both a separation image and an electropherogram are displayed, and the analysis range, etc. can be graphically specified in either graph, but it is also possible to configure the system to display only either the separation image or the electropherogram.

[0060] Furthermore, the above embodiment is merely an example of the present invention, and it goes without saying that any appropriate modifications, alterations, additions, etc. made within the spirit of the present invention will also fall within the scope of the claims of the present application.

[0061] [Various aspects] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the exemplary embodiments described above are examples of the following aspects.

[0062] (Item 1) One aspect of the electrophoretic analysis data processing device according to the present invention is a data processing device that processes data acquired by electrophoretic analysis, comprising: a graph creating unit that creates an electropherogram and / or an image of peak separation on an electrophoresis flow path based on the acquired data; a display processing unit that divides an inside and an outside of an analysis range along an axis of the separation direction on the electropherogram and / or the separation image by a boundary line and displays a graph on a display unit in which the inside and the outside are depicted in different modes; an analysis condition setting unit that receives a user's operation to move the boundary line on the displayed graph, and sets an analysis range whose position and size on the axis are changed in accordance with the received operation; an analysis processing unit that performs predetermined calculation processing using all or some of the peaks included in the analysis target range; Equipped with.

[0063] (Item 6) One aspect of the data processing program for electrophoretic analysis according to the present invention is a data processing program for processing data obtained by electrophoretic analysis using a computer, the program comprising: a graph creation step of creating an electropherogram and / or a separation image of peaks on an electrophoresis flow path based on the acquired data; a display processing step of dividing an inside and an outside of an analysis range along an axis of the separation direction on the electropherogram and / or the separation image by a boundary line, and displaying a graph depicting the inside and the outside in different modes on a display unit; On the displayed graph, the user The aforementioned an analysis condition setting step of accepting a boundary line movement operation and setting an analysis range whose position and size on the axis are changed in accordance with the accepted operation; an analysis step of performing a predetermined calculation process using all or some of the peaks included in the analysis range; Execute the following.

[0064] With the device described in paragraph 1 and the program described in paragraph 6, an analysis range for calculating the molar concentration of a target component, for example, a DNA fragment, can be specified by simple and intuitive operations on an electropherogram or separation image. In particular, the inside and outside of the analysis range can be distinguished at a glance by differences in the display mode, such as the color of the region on the electropherogram or separation image, so the operator can efficiently and accurately determine, for example, whether a peak of interest is reliably included in the analysis range, or conversely, whether peaks derived from components other than the target component are reliably excluded from the analysis range.

[0065] In this way, the device described in paragraph 1 and the program described in paragraph 6 can improve operability when performing various analyses such as molar concentration ratio analysis using data collected by electrophoretic analysis, thereby increasing the efficiency of analytical work and reducing user errors.

[0066] (Item 2) In the electrophoretic analysis data processing device described in item 1, the display processing unit can overlay the area outside the analysis range in a predetermined color different from the area inside, and the analysis condition setting unit can increase the transparency of the overlay display in the area outside the analysis range while the user is moving the boundary line.

[0067] (Item 7) In addition, in the electrophoretic analysis data processing program described in Item 6, the display processing step can overlay the area outside the analysis range in a predetermined color different from the area inside, and the analysis condition setting step can increase the transparency of the overlay display in the area outside the analysis range while the user is moving the boundary line.

[0068] In the device described in paragraph 2 and the program described in paragraph 7, transparency can be increased by lightening the color of the overlay display in the area outside the analysis range. This makes it easier for the user to see the electrophoresis waveform and peaks on the separation image that are outside the analysis range, allowing the user to set the analysis range more appropriately.

[0069] (Item 3) In the electrophoresis analysis data processing device according to item 1 or 2, the analysis condition setting unit sets one or more focus areas inside the analysis target range in addition to the analysis target range. range The analysis processing unit determines the area values ​​of the peaks included in the analysis range and the target peaks. range The concentration ratio can be calculated based on the area value of the peak included in

[0070] (Item 8) In the electrophoresis analysis data processing program according to item 6 or 7, in the analysis condition setting step, in addition to the analysis range, one or more focus areas inside the analysis range are set. range Specify the solution Analysis In this step, the area values ​​of the peaks included in the analysis range and the target peaks are calculated. range The concentration ratio can be calculated based on the area value of the peak included in

[0071] The concentration ratio referred to here includes molar concentration ratio and mass concentration ratio. By using the device described in paragraph 3 and the program described in paragraph 8, a desired concentration ratio can be obtained with high accuracy based on a peak of interest or a peak to be analyzed that is appropriately set by the user.

[0072] (Item 4) In the electrophoretic analysis data processing device described in any one of Items 1 to 3, the display processing unit can display both an electropherogram and a separation image on the same screen, and the analysis condition setting unit can move the positions of the boundary lines displayed superimposed on the electropherogram and the separation image in conjunction with each other.

[0073] (Item 9) In the electrophoretic analysis data processing program described in any one of Items 6 to 8, the display processing step can display both an electropherogram and a separation image on the same screen, and the analysis condition setting step can move the positions of the boundary lines displayed superimposed on the electropherogram and the separation image in conjunction with each other.

[0074] According to the apparatus described in paragraph 4 and the program described in paragraph 9, a user can identify an object to be analyzed using both an electropherogram and a separation image. range and attention range It is also possible to check whether the settings are appropriate. In addition, it is possible to use either the electropherogram or the separation image, whichever allows for a clearer observation of the target components, etc., to determine whether the target components are being analyzed. range and attention range can be set graphically.

[0075] (Item 5) In the electrophoretic analysis data processing device described in Item 4, the analysis condition setting unit can display a dialog for inputting numerical information indicating the position of the analysis range, and can change the numerical values ​​in the dialog and the positions of the boundary lines displayed superimposed on the electropherogram and separation image in conjunction with each other.

[0076] (Item 10) In the electrophoretic analysis data processing program described in Item 9, the analysis condition setting step can display a dialog for inputting numerical information indicating the position of the analysis range, and the numerical values ​​in the dialog and the positions of the boundary lines displayed superimposed on the electropherogram and separation image can be changed in conjunction with each other.

[0077] According to the device described in paragraph 5 and the program described in paragraph 10, when an analysis range or a range of interest is graphically specified or changed on an electropherogram or separation image, the state of the specified or changed range can be immediately confirmed numerically. This reduces operational errors such as input errors and operational mistakes, and enables accurate range setting to obtain the desired analysis results. [Explanation of symbols]

[0078] 1...Measuring part 10...Sample supply section 11...Electrophoretic separation section 12...Detection unit 13...AD conversion section 2...Control unit 3...Data processing section 30...Data storage section 31...Electropherogram creation section 32...Peak detector 33…Separated image creation section 34...Analysis condition setting processing section 35...Analysis target peak identification section 36...Analysis processing unit 37...Display processing unit 4...Operation unit 5...Display section 6...Molar concentration ratio analysis screen 6A...Sample display area 6B…Separate image display area 6C...Electropherogram display area 6D…Analysis result display area 60...Well Image 70, 70a, 70b...Separated image 72...Analysis range indication line 73...Exclusion range indication line 80, 80a, 80b...Electropherogram 81...Electrophoresis waveform 82...Analysis range indication line 83...Exclusion range indication line 84...Focus range indication line 85...Focus range indication tag 90...Analysis result table a...Analysis range b...Area outside the analysis range c...Exclusion range d...Analysis range e, f...Area of ​​interest 100...Analysis condition setting dialog 101...Analysis range specification data grid 102...Exclusion Range Data Grid 103...Focused fragment specification data grid

Claims

1. A data processing device for processing data obtained by electrophoretic analysis, comprising: a graph creating unit that creates an electropherogram and / or an image of peak separation on an electrophoresis flow path based on the acquired data; a display processing unit that divides an inside and an outside of an analysis range along an axis of the separation direction on the electropherogram and / or the separation image by a boundary line and displays a graph on a display unit in which the inside and the outside are depicted in different modes; an analysis condition setting unit that receives a user's operation to move the boundary line on the displayed graph, and sets an analysis range whose position and size on the axis are changed in accordance with the received operation; an analysis processing unit that performs predetermined calculation processing using all or some of the peaks included in the analysis target range; An electrophoresis analysis data processing device comprising:

2. the display processing unit overlays and displays an area outside the analysis target range in a predetermined color different from an area inside the analysis target range; The electrophoretic analysis data processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the analysis condition setting unit increases the transparency of the overlay display in the area outside the analysis target range while the user is moving the boundary line.

3. 3. The electrophoretic analysis data processing device according to claim 1, wherein the analysis condition setting unit specifies one or more ranges of interest within the analysis range in addition to the analysis range, and the analysis processing unit calculates a concentration ratio based on an area value of a peak included in the analysis range and an area value of a peak included in the range of interest.

4. the display processing unit displays both the electropherogram and the separation image on the same screen, 4. The electrophoretic analysis data processing device according to claim 1, wherein the analysis condition setting unit moves the positions of the boundary lines displayed on the electropherogram and the separation image in a mutually linked manner.

5. 5. The electrophoretic analysis data processing device according to claim 4, wherein the analysis condition setting unit displays a dialog for inputting numerical information indicating the position of the analysis range, and changes the numerical value in the dialog and the position of the boundary line displayed superimposed on each of the electropherogram and the separation image in conjunction with each other.

6. A data processing program for processing data obtained by electrophoretic analysis by a computer, the program comprising: a graph creation step of creating an electropherogram and / or a separation image of peaks on an electrophoresis flow path based on the acquired data; a display processing step of dividing an inside and an outside of an analysis range along an axis of the separation direction on the electropherogram and / or the separation image by a boundary line, and displaying a graph depicting the inside and the outside in different modes on a display unit; an analysis condition setting step of accepting a user's operation to move the boundary line on the displayed graph, and setting an analysis range whose position and size on the axis are changed in accordance with the accepted operation; an analysis step of performing a predetermined calculation process using all or some of the peaks included in the analysis range; An electrophoresis analysis data processing program that executes the above.

7. In the display processing step, an area outside the analysis target range is overlaid and displayed in a predetermined color different from an area inside the analysis target range, 7. The electrophoretic analysis data processing program according to claim 6, wherein in the analysis condition setting step, the transparency of the overlay display in the area outside the analysis range is increased while the user is moving the boundary line.

8. 8. The electrophoretic analysis data processing program according to claim 6, wherein in the analysis condition setting step, in addition to the analysis range, one or more ranges of interest are specified inside the analysis range, and in the analysis step, a concentration ratio is calculated based on an area value of a peak included in the analysis range and an area value of a peak included in the range of interest.

9. In the display processing step, the electropherogram and the separation image are displayed together on the same screen, 9. The electrophoretic analysis data processing program according to claim 6, wherein in the analysis condition setting step, positions of the boundary lines displayed superimposed on the electropherogram and the separation image are moved in conjunction with each other.

10. 10. The electrophoretic analysis data processing program according to claim 9, wherein the analysis condition setting step displays a dialog for inputting numerical information indicating the position of the analysis range, and the numerical values ​​in the dialog and the positions of the boundary lines displayed superimposed on the electropherogram and the separation image are changed in conjunction with each other.

Images