| US 7,595,197 B2 | ||
| Automated sample analysis | ||
| Michael Brasseur, Fremont, Calif. (US) | ||
| Assigned to Caliper Life Sciences, Inc., Mountain View, Calif. (US) | ||
| Filed on May 10, 2004, as Appl. No. 10/842,073. | ||
| Claims priority of provisional application 60/469431, filed on May 09, 2003. | ||
| Prior Publication US 2005/0003554 A1, Jan. 06, 2005 | ||
| Int. Cl. G01N 21/76 (2006.01); G01N 1/10 (2006.01); G01N 33/00 (2006.01); G01N 21/64 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 436—172 [436/180; 422/52; 422/68.1; 422/82.07; 422/82.08; 435/287.2] | 7 Claims |
| 1. A method of determining unknown concentrations of an inorganic ion of interest in a recovered sample comprising the steps
of:
providing a microfluidic device comprising a sample well having the recovered sample disposed therein, an indicator well having
a fluorescent indicator disposed therein, a control well having a control disposed therein, the control including a known
quantity of the inorganic ion of interest, a waste well, a detection region, and a light source directed at the detection
region;
wherein the sample well, the indicator well, and the waste well form a first fluidic circuit, the sample well fluidly coupled
to the waste well via a first channel, and the indicator well fluidly connected to the first channel via a second channel;
and wherein the indicator well, the control well, and the waste well form a second fluidic circuit, the indicator well fluidly
coupled to the waste well via a third channel, and the control well fluidly coupled to the third channel via fourth, fifth,
and sixth channels, each of the fourth, fifth, and sixth channels having a different flow resistance;
mixing, in the third channel, the control sample and the fluorescent indicator, wherein flowing the control sample into the
third channel via the fourth, fifth, and sixth channels provides a plurality of relative known ratios of the control sample
in the indicator;
obtaining a signal representative of the concentration of the inorganic ion of interest in each of the ratios, wherein the
signal comprises an intensity of fluorescence;
generating a model representative of the signal and the relative ratio of the control sample in the indicator;
mixing, in the first channel, the recovered sample and the fluorescent indicator, and obtaining a signal representative of
the concentration of the inorganic ion of interest therein, wherein the signal comprises an intensity of fluorescence; and
comparing the signal representative of the inorganic ion of interest for the recovered sample within the model, thereby providing
a determination of the concentration of the inorganic ion of interest present in the recovered sample.
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