WO2023172490A1

WO2023172490A1 - Mirrored system for probing and tracking samples

Info

Publication number: WO2023172490A1
Application number: PCT/US2023/014580
Authority: WO
Inventors: Robin Dumas GRIMWOOD
Original assignee: Infinity Biologix Llc
Priority date: 2022-03-11
Filing date: 2023-03-06
Publication date: 2023-09-14

Abstract

A system that contains a camera and one or more reflecting elements is used to capture and to probe information from biologic and chemical samples. By placing a sample that is in a container between a camera and reflecting element, one can efficiently probe the sample.

Description

MIRRORED SYSTEM FOR PROBING AND TRACKING SAMPLES

[0001] Cross Reference to Related Application

[0002] This patent application claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S. provisional patent application serial number 63/318,796, filed March 1 1 , 2022, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by reference.

[0003] Field of the Invention

[0004] The present invention relates to the field of analysis of biologic and chemical samples.

[0005] Background of the Invention

[0006] Researchers and clinicians analyze biologic and chemical samples for many reasons. Among these reasons are to determine the components of blood, serum, buffy coat layers, saliva, plasma, and other body fluids, as well as to determine the composition of other liquid samples. When processing samples, one must both keep track of the information obtained from a particular sample and accurately determine what is contained in that sample.

[0007] In all industries, including but not limited to those that process biologic and chemical samples, there has been a trend to automate processes and to digitize information. However, there is a cost to automation and digitization. Moreover, particularly when the samples relate to human health, the demands of patients and healthcare providers are high. Therefore, there is a need for new systems and methods for probing and tracking samples.

[0008] Summary of the Invention

[0009] The present invention is directed to systems and methods for probing and tracking samples. Through the use of these systems, one can efficiently and effectively obtain information about a sample. [0010] According to a first embodiment, the present invention provides a system for capturing information about a sample. The system comprises: (a) a camera, wherein the camera comprises a lens; (b) a container receiving element, wherein the container receiving element is configured to receive a container that holds the sample; and (c) a reflecting element, wherein the lens is oriented toward the reflecting element. The camera may capture information ascertainable through the visible and/or non- visible light spectrum. In some embodiments, the system does not contain any structures or means for rotating the container while in the container receiving element. In other embodiments, there is a rotation element that is capable of rotating the container while in the container receiving element.

[0011] According to a second embodiment, the present invention provides another system for capturing information about a sample. The system comprises: (a) a camera, wherein the camera comprises a lens; (b) a container receiving element, wherein the container receiving element is configured to receive a container that holds the sample; and (c) a rotation element, wherein the rotation element is capable of rotating the container. The rotation element may be in addition to, or instead of, the reflecting element of the previous embodiment. The rotation element may, for example, be capable of reversibly associating with one or more of the upper, middle or lower portions of a container through clips or other means and, upon activation, cause the container to turn clockwise and/or counterclockwise through the use of gears, discs or other means that are now known, or that come to be known for rotating containers, such as tubes.

[0012] According to a third embodiment, the present invention provides a method for capturing information related to a sample. The method comprises inserting a container that holds the sample into any of the systems of the present invention. The camera may then capture information about the container and about the sample contained therein. The information may then be analyzed by the camera and/or transmitted elsewhere and analyzed or further analyzed.

[0013] Brief Description of the Figures

[0014] Figure 1 is a representation of a sample outside of a housing of the present invention. [0015] Figure 2 is a representation of a sample located between a camera and a plane mirror.

[0016] Figure 3 is a representation of a sample located between a camera and two plane mirrors that are not coplanar with each other.

[0017] Detailed Description of the Invention

[0018] Reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying figures. In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, unless otherwise indicated or implicit from context, the details are intended to be examples and should not be deemed to limit the scope of the invention in any way. Additionally, features described in connection with the various or specific embodiments are not to be construed as not appropriate for use in connection with other embodiments disclosed herein, unless such exclusivity is explicitly stated or implicit from context.

[0019] Headers are provided herein for the convenience of the reader and do not limit the scope of any of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0020] Definitions

[0021] Unless otherwise stated or implicit from context, the following terms and phrases have the meanings provided below.

[0022] The indefinite articles “a” and “an” and the definite article “the” include plural as well as singular referents, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

[0023] The terms “about” and “approximately” mean an acceptable error for a particular value as determined by one of ordinary skill in the art, which depends in part on how the value is measured or determined. In certain embodiments, the terms “about” and “approximately” mean within 1, 2, 3 or 4 standard deviations. In certain embodiments, the terms “about” and “approximately” mean within 30%, 20%, 15%, 10%, 9%, 8%, 7%, 6%, 5%, 4%, 3%, 2%, 1%, 0.5%, 0.1%, or 0.05% of a given value or range. [0024] The term “subject” is defined herein to include animals such as mammals, including, but not limited to, primates (e.g., humans), cows, sheep, goats, horses, dogs, cats, rabbits, rats, mice and the like. In various embodiments, the subject is a human.

[0025] Samples

[0026] The present invention is directed to probing and tracking samples. A sample may be a biologic sample or a chemical sample or a combination thereof. The term “sample” refers to the material to be analyzed. In some embodiments, the sample comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of a liquid. In some embodiments, the liquid is a homogenous mixture, or a heterogenous mixture or a colloid. In some embodiments, the sample contains undissolved solid components. In some embodiments, the sample is a saturated solution or a supersaturated solution. In some embodiments, the sample comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of a gas.

[0027] In some embodiments, within the sample, two or more of the components have been separated. Separation may, for example, have occurred because certain components are not soluble in the sample’s solvent and have precipitated out or two or more liquid layers have formed because the liquids are not soluble in each other or in one another and/or have different densities.

[0028] The various embodiments of the present invention are not limited by the components of the samples. Examples of components of the sample include, but are not limited to, sugars, lipids, proteins, amino acids, RNA, DNA, viral particles, algae, bacteria, mammalian cells, plasmids, cellular organelles, cells such as red bloods cells and white blood cells, water and water samples from rivers, ponds, streams, oceans, lakes and/or seas and combinations thereof.

[0029] Containers and Sealing Elements

[0030] The samples that may be probed and tracked under various embodiments of the present invention may be located within a container. In some embodiments, the container is a tube. The container may, for example, be transparent or translucent or the container may have portions that are translucent and/or transparent. In some embodiments, the container is made of, or contains, portions that are made of glass, plastic or a combination thereof. The combination of the container and a sealing element may, e.g., be a vacutainer.

[0031] As shown in figure 1, the container may, for example, be a tube 100, and the sample 120 is located within the tube. The sample may fill the tube or the sample may take up less than the complete volume of the tube, leaving air or another gas or set of gasses filling the remainder of the tube. At the top of the container, there may be a sealing element, for example, a cap or stopper 110. Although the present invention is not limited to any size container, as persons of ordinary skill in the art are aware, common sizes of tubes of biologic samples typically hold between about 1 ml and about 10 ml, and are on the order of about 40 mm to about 120 mm tall, or about 60 mm to about 100 mm tall.

[0032] The container may also contain a tracking element. The tracking element may, for example, be a barcode 130, a QR code, an RFID tag, words, numbers, symbols or combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the tracking element is located on the outside of the container. The tracking element may be used to correlate the sample contained in a container with a particular subject. In some embodiments, there may be a plurality of containers, each of which contains a sample from a different subject. In some embodiments, there may be a plurality of containers, each of which contains a sample from the same subject. If there are a plurality of containers from the same subject, two or more of the different containers may have caps or stoppers that differ by at least one feature, e.g., color.

[0033] Container Receiving Element

[0034] The system of the present invention may also comprise a container receiving element 400 that is optionally contained in a housing 300. The container receiving element is configured to receive the container, and thus, is of a size and a shape that enables the container to be received and held in place.

[0035] By way of a non-limiting example, the container receiving element is a regular or irregular opening such as a hole or a bore and the container is a tube. The tube may have a cross-section with an outer dimeter and an inner diameter. The difference between the inner diameter and the outer diameter corresponds to the thickness of the walls of the tube, which may be uniform or not uniform.

[0036] In some embodiments, the container receiving element has a circular crosssection and a diameter that is larger than the outer diameter of the tube. In some embodiments, the hole has a circular cross-section and a diameter that is the same size as the outer diameter of the tube. In some embodiments, the hole has a circular crosssection and a diameter that is smaller than the outer diameter of the tube, but has walls that are compressible when a tube is inserted, so that there is a force between the walls of the hole and the walls of the tube that facilitate holding the tube in place. Further, when the inner walls of the hole are compressible (e.g., made of compressible rubber), the container receiving element will be able to accommodate tubes of different sizes. In another embodiment, the walls of the container receiving element may comprise a mechanical iris that, by either manual operation or automation e.g., through the use of a sensor that determines the outer diameter of a container, allows the container receiving element to move between a minimum opening and a maximum opening and thereby facilitates holding a tube in place.

[0037] As noted above, the tube may have a stopper 110. The stopper may have a first region that fits within the tube and a second region that has a diameter that is larger than the outer diameter of the tube and that is larger than the hole of the container receiving element. When the second region is larger than the diameter of the hole, the tube will be held in place and prevented from falling through the hole.

[0038] The container receiving element may, for example, be a bore in a housing that is on any size or shape. For illustrative purposes, figure 1 shows the container receiving element 400 in the top side of a housing 300 that is in the shape of a box. The housing may, for example, contain one or more doors or sides that can be opened and closed to allow access to the interior of the housing. When the container receiving element holds a container, the container may at least partially extend into the interior of the housing. In some embodiments, the top wall of the housing is thinner than the height of the sealing element, and at least a portion of the sealing element extends into the cavity defined by the housing.

[0039] In some embodiments, one or a plurality of side(s) of the housing is/are open. In some embodiments, the housing comprises a top wall, a left side wall, a right side wall and a rear side wall. Optionally, the housing may also comprise one or both of a base that forms a bottom wall and a completely or partially openable front wall. In some embodiments, none, one, or a plurality of the walls is/are translucent. In some embodiments, none, one, or a plurality of the walls is/are transparent. In some embodiments, none, one, or a plurality of the walls is/are opaque or capable of reducing or eliminating ambient light.

[0040] In some embodiments, when all doors or sides that are capable of being opened and closed are closed (if there are any) and a tube is in the container receiving element, no external light can enter the interior of the housing. In some embodiments, within the housing is one or more light sources. The light may, for example, be in the visual spectrum, for example, white light or certain colored lights, e.g., blue light. Additionally, or alternatively, the light may, for example, be outside of the visual spectrum, e.g., for example, ultra-violet light or infra-red light. When the system comprises an artificial light source, the system may further comprise a battery and/or a plug for connection to an external power source.

[0041 ] Optionally, the container receiving element may also comprise one or more stabilization elements. The stabilization elements, such as clips or rails, may extend vertically downward from a hole described above.

[0042] In some embodiments, within the housing, there is a stand that contains a concave region. The concave region may be located at a position that corresponds to where the bottom of a container will be when within the container receiving element. If present, this concave region may have an adjustable height, thereby allowing the system to accommodate tubes of different heights.

[0043] Reflecting Elements

[0044] In some embodiments, the systems also comprise one or more reflecting elements. A reflecting element may, for example, be a mirror. In some embodiments, the reflecting element is longer (the dimension along the same axis as the container) than the height of the container. In some embodiments, the reflecting element is shorter than the height of the container. In some embodiments, the reflecting element is longer than the height of the housing in which it is contained. In some embodiments, the reflecting element is shorter than the height of a housing in which it is contained. In some embodiments, the reflecting element is the same length as the height of a housing in which it is contained.

[0045] In some embodiments, there is a single plane mirror or a single mirror that is concave or partially concave. In other embodiments, the reflecting element comprises a plurality of plane mirrors, e.g., two plane mirrors that are the same or different sizes. The plane mirrors are not coplanar, and the angle between them, which may be referred to as a dihedral angle, may be between 0 degrees and 180 degrees, or between 30 degrees and 150 degrees, or between 45 degrees and 135 degrees, or between 60 degrees and 120 degrees or between 80 degrees and 100 degrees. In some embodiments, the angle is about 30 degrees, or about 45 degrees, or about 60 degrees or about 90 degrees.

[0046] In some embodiments, the planes of the mirrors abut. In other embodiments, there is a space or filler or 1 mm to 10 mm between the closest edges of the plane mirrors. The filler, if present, may for example, comprise, consist essentially of, or consist of plastic, rubber, metal, a metal oxide or a combination thereof.

[0047] In some embodiments, each plane mirror has a length (corresponding to the dimension perpendicular to the base or parallel to a container, such as a tube, when inserted in the container receiving element) of, for example, about 0.5 cm to about 20 cm, or about 1 cm to about 15 cm, or about 8 cm to about 12 cm. In some embodiments, each plane mirror has a width (corresponding to the dimension parallel to the base or perpendicular to a container, such as a tube, when inserted in the container receiving element) of for example, about 0.5 cm to about 20 cm, or about 1 cm to about 15 cm, or about 8 cm to about 12 cm.

[0048] Camera

[0049] The systems of the present invention also comprise a camera. The camera may be digital and/or analog and is oriented toward the reflecting element, if present, and oriented toward the container when the container is in the system. If the camera is analog, it may also comprise an analog to digital converter that is capable of digitizing images that the camera captures. As shown in figure 2, between the camera 200 and a reflecting element that is a plane mirror 600, a tube 100 that contains a sample 120 is located. Within the field of the lens of this camera is the tracking element 130, which can be recorded.

[0050] At the top of the container is a stopper 110. As shown, the camera is not focusing on the stopper. However, in some embodiments, the field of the camera lens is large enough to capture a portion of the stopper and record the color of that stopper, as well of the contents of the tube, i.e., the sample.

[0051] The camera may directly record images of the container and the sample itself, as well as images of the container and the sample that are created by the reflecting element. By recording the images created by the reflecting element, the camera can probe the sample from all sides without the system needing to rotate the container. The images of the sample and those from the reflecting element may be recorded simultaneously or sequentially.

[0052] The camera may store and/or transmit the images. In some embodiments, the camera may have a central processing unit and a transmitter. Processing of the images may, for example, be accomplished by the central processing unit of the camera through software located on the camera, or it may be done in the cloud or on a remote device.

[0053] Methods of Use

[0054] In some embodiments, the present invention provides a method for capturing information. According to this method, one may take container 100, in which a sample is located 120, and insert it into a container receiving element 400. By way of non-limiting examples, the sample may comprise, consist essentially of, or consist of blood, serum, buffy coat layers, saliva or plasma.

[0055] Movement in and out of the container may be manual or automated through e.g., robotic arms or a combination thereof. Optionally, the container with the sample may be processed prior to inserting it into the container receiving element, by for example, filtration, centrifugation, or precipitation or a combination thereof.

[0056] A camera 200 that is oriented toward the container may then be activated to record images of the container 100 and its contents. As shown in figure 3, the field of the lens is wide enough to capture images of both the container, such as a bar code and color of a sealing element, and its contents as well as images created by the two plane mirrors 610, 620 that form the reflecting element. Other pieces of information that may be captured include, but are not limited to, human readable notes and annotations, container shape, container size and container height. Thus, information can be collected through the lens of the camera without turning the container or moving the sample. The camera may contain a scanner functionality for reading the tracking element or may use optical character recognition to obtain information contained in the tracking element.

[0057] In some embodiments, the system further comprises software that is on the camera or accessible to the camera, on a remote device to which recorded information from the camera is sent or in the cloud. The software may have one or more or all of the following functionalities: reading a barcode; optical character recognition; liquid level detection (e.g., volume); liquid boundary level detection; cap color detection; determination of color of the sample; and determination of turbidity of the sample. Through the software, the systems produce one or more data files that contain the information pertaining to the results of the analysis by the software. These results may be stored, further processed and/or transmitted to designated location or recipient.

[0058] Information may be transmitted from the camera through wired or wireless connections that are now known, or that come to be known, and that a person of ordinary skill in this technology would appreciate as being of use in connection with the present invention. Examples of these technologies include, but are not limited to, Wi-Fi and USB connections.

[0059] Optionally, the software may have one or more modules that, based on the images, permits determination of the components of the sample and predicts a physiologic state of a subject from whom the sample was obtained. Thus, interrogation is performed by analyzing images that the camera takes. The physiologic state may, for example, be infection, anemia or sepsis. Software that may be used in connection with the systems and methods of present invention are commercially available.

Claims

Claims I claim:

1. A system for capturing information about a sample, said system comprising:

(a) a camera, wherein the camera comprises a lens;

(b) a container receiving element, wherein the container receiving element is configured to receive a container that holds the sample; and

(c) a reflecting element, wherein the lens is oriented toward the reflecting element.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the reflecting element comprises a mirror.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the reflecting element comprises a first plane mirror and a second plane mirror, wherein the first plane mirror and the second plane mirror form an angle of about 30 degrees to about 150 degrees relative to each other.

4. The system of claim 4, wherein the first plane mirror and the second plane mirror abut each other.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the first plane mirror and the second plane mirror form an angle of about 45 degrees relative to each other.

6. The system of any of claim 3, wherein the system further comprises a housing, and the container receiving element comprises an opening in the housing.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the housing comprises a top side, and the opening is located in the top side of the housing.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the housing further comprises a left side wall, a right side wall and a rear side wall, wherein the left side wall, the right side wall and the rear side wall are not transparent.

9. The system of any of claims 1 - 8 further comprising the container and the sample, wherein the sample is located in the container.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the sample is located between the camera and the reflecting element.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the container is a tube.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the tube has an upper end, wherein the upper end of the tube forms an opening and the tube has an inner diameter and an outer diameter, and the system further comprises a sealing element, wherein the sealing element seals the opening of the tube.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the sealing element has a first diameter and a second diameter, wherein the first diameter is larger than the opening, the opening is larger than or the same size as the outer diameter of the tube, and the second diameter is the same size or smaller than the inner diameter of the tube.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the camera is capable of recording information by: (a) capturing images of the container and/or the sample; and (b) capturing images of a reflection of the container and/or the sample from the reflecting element.

15. The system of claim 14 further comprising imaging software, wherein the imaging software provides the system with at least one of the following functionalities: reading a barcode; optical character recognition; liquid level detection; liquid boundary level detection; cap color detection; determination of color of the sample; and turbidity of the sample.

16. The system of any of claims 1 -8 further comprising a rotation element, wherein the rotation element is capable of causing the container to rotate clockwise or counter-clockwise or both clockwise and counter-clockwise.

17. A method for capturing information related to a sample comprising inserting a container that holds the sample into the system of any of claims 1 -8, and causing the camera to: (a) capture images of the container and/or the sample; and (b) capture images of a reflection of the container and/or the sample from the reflecting element.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the information comprises at least one of the following: a barcode; human readable text; liquid level; liquid boundary level; cap color; color of the sample; and turbidity of the sample.

19. A system comprising: (a) a camera, wherein the camera comprises a lens; (b) a container receiving element, wherein the container receiving element is configured to receive a container that holds the sample; and (c) a rotation element, wherein the rotation element is capable of rotating the container. 0. The system of claim 19, wherein there is an absence of a reflecting element.