Hydrogel Cell Mimic Particles for Accurate Flow Cytometry Calibration

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing flow cytometry calibration methods rely on purified cell lines, which are costly, laborious, and prone to batch-to-batch variation, and polystyrene beads are limited in optical properties, making accurate calibration of eukaryotic cells difficult.

Innovation Solution

Hydrogel particles with tunable optical properties are synthesized to mimic specific cell types, allowing for precise calibration of cytometric devices by matching the optical properties of target cells, including side scatter, forward scatter, and fluorescence profiles.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If purified cell lines are used for calibration, then measurement precision is improved, but manufacturing cost and labor requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecalibration accuracyVSAvoidmanufacturing cost

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent creates synthetic hydrogel particles that copy the optical properties of real cells without using actual cells for calibration. These particles are designed to replicate forward scatter, side scatter, and fluorescence characteristics of target cell types, providing accurate calibration references that eliminate the need for costly purified cell lines while maintaining measurement precision.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

Solution Approach 2:

The patent systematically adjusts hydrogel particle parameters including size, refractive index, and optical properties to match specific cell types. By controlling these parameters during synthesis, the particles achieve calibrated optical characteristics that enable accurate flow cytometry measurements without requiring biological materials.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Measurement precision

If purified cell lines are used for calibration, then measurement precision is improved, but batch-to-batch variation increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecalibration accuracyVSAvoidbatch consistency

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses synthetic hydrogel particles with controlled, reproducible optical properties that do not suffer from biological variability. The particles are manufactured through standardized chemical processes that ensure batch-to-batch consistency, eliminating the batch-to-batch variation inherent in using purified cell lines while maintaining calibration accuracy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

3Ease of manufacture

If polystyrene beads are used for calibration, then ease of manufacture is improved, but optical property accuracy deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemanufacturing simplicityVSAvoidoptical property accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent employs hydrogel particles with tunable optical properties that combine the manufacturing advantages of synthetic materials with the optical accuracy needed for cell-type-specific calibration. These particles can be engineered to match the forward scatter, side scatter, and fluorescence characteristics of various cell types, overcoming the optical property limitations of conventional polystyrene beads.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

4Measurement precision

If real cells are used for calibration, then measurement precision is improved, but contamination risk increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecalibration accuracyVSAvoidcontamination risk

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent creates synthetic hydrogel particles that copy the optical properties of real cells without using actual biological material. This approach eliminates contamination risks associated with using real cells for calibration while maintaining the ability to accurately calibrate for specific cell types through controlled optical property matching.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The hydrogel particles provide accurate calibration of cytometric devices, reducing costs and biological variation, while ensuring safety by avoiding contamination risks, and enabling precise cell type identification.

Implementation Method 1

A number of detectors are then aimed at the point where the stream passes through the light beam: one in line with the light beam (Forward Scatter or FSC) and several perpendicular to it (Side Scatter or SSC). FSC correlates with the cell volume and SSC depends on the inner complexity of the particle

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectLight scattering: Scattering

Implementation Method 2

The optical property in one embodiment, is a side scatter profile (SSC), forward scatter profile (FSC), a fluorescence emission profile, or a combination thereof

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectFluorescence emission: Fluorescence

Data Source

PatentUS20250389633A1Synthetic human cell mimic particle for cytometric or coulter device

Publication Date: 2025.12.25 SLINGSHOT BIOSCIENCES INC

AI summary

Synthetic human cell mimic hydrogel particles and their use in cytometric or coulter device applications are described. The synthetic human cell mimic hydrogel particles described herein are selectively tunable to have at least one optical, volumetric, or capacitance property that is substantially similar to a corresponding optical, volumetric, or capacitance property of the human cell mimic hydrogel particle's natural biological cell counterpart.