	US 7,615,376 B2
	Masking background fluorescence and luminescence in the optical analysis of biomedical assays
Thomas Krahn, Hagen (Germany); Wolfgang Paffhausen, Leverkusen (Germany); Andreas Schade, Essen (Germany); Martin Bechem, Wuppertal (Germany); and Delf Schmidt, Wuppertal (Germany)
Assigned to Bayer Schering Pharma Aktiengesellschaft, Leverkusen (Germany)
Filed on Aug. 27, 2008, as Appl. No. 12/199,317.
Application 12/199317 is a division of application No. 09/966552, filed on Sep. 28, 2001.
Application 09/966552 is a continuation of application No. 09/194099, granted, now 6,420,183, previously published as PCT/EP97/02662, filed on May 23, 1997.
Claims priority of application No. 196 21 312 (DE), filed on May 28, 1996.
Prior Publication US 2008/0318270 A1, Dec. 25, 2008
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. G01N 21/00 (2006.01); C12Q 1/02 (2006.01)

U.S. Cl. 436—164 [436/56; 436/63; 436/166; 436/151; 436/169; 436/170; 436/172; 436/517; 436/518; 436/524; 436/528; 436/531; 436/534; 436/535; 436/800; 436/805; 436/823; 435/29; 435/34; 356/317; 356/318; 356/417; 250/458.1; 250/459.1; 250/461.2]

1 Claim

1. A process for the quantitative optical analysis of biological cells labeled with a fluorescent dye, the process comprising the following steps:

a) labeling a coherent layer of biological cells on a transparent support at the bottom of a reaction vessel with a fluorescent dye in a first solution;

b) shining excitation energy through the transparent support to cause the biological cells labeled with said fluorescent dye to exhibit fluorescence in the presence of a second solution comprising said fluorescent dye and a masking dye absorbing at least one of:

i) the excitation energy of said fluorescent dye in the second solution; and

ii) the emission light of said fluorescent dye in the second solution; and

c) detecting the fluorescence of the biological cells labeled with said fluorescent dye through the transparent support.