Coulter International Corp.

Beckman Coulter, Inc.

Christopher W Snow

Todd Pendleton Lary

John Riley

Robert C Burr

An optical illumination and monitoring subsystem controls the operation of a flow cytometer having a carrier fluid that flows along a channel coupled to a droplet generator, which controls a point at which droplets break off from the carrier fluid, and a droplet sorter that is operative to cause selected droplets to be sorted along one or more droplet travel paths. The subsystem is operative to illuminate a respective droplet monitoring location along each of one or more droplet travel paths with a respective beam of light, such as that sourced from a common laser. In response to backscatter reflection from a droplet passing through the respective beam of light at a respective droplet monitoring location, the amplitude of the beam of light is increased. Then the droplet is monitored for the presence of a particle therein exhibiting detectable fluorescence as a result of the increase in the amplitude of the respective beam of light.

Multiple sorter monitor and control subsystem for flow cytometer

A stellar icon for representing multivariate data includes finger members corresponding to constituents of a sample with a length corresponding to an expression of an attribute of the constituent. The finger members are positioned on the base member so that the finger members corresponding to a constituent with an expression of attribute within a certain range are on the upper portion of the base member, and the finger members corresponding to a constituent with an expression of an attribute that is not in the range are positioned on the lower portion of the base member. A method and system for forming the stellar icon include forming a transformation table including data regarding the range and constituents and attributes to be represented. The transformation table is used to determine the relative position of each finger member on the base member and to determine the length of the finger member so that the length corresponds to the expression of the attribute.

Stellar icon for data representation and system and method forming the stellar icon

Methods, systems and apparatus are provided for sorting particles in a stream of a sample in a flow cytometer by producing from a stable sort having desirable sort characteristics multiple images of a portion of the stream; generating from the multiple images an averaged numerical reference standard representative of the stable sort; continuously collecting during the sorting multiple running images of the portion of the stream; generating from the multiple running images at least one numerical sample average representative of the sample sort of each collection of the multiple running images; and comparing each numerical sample average to the numerical reference standard and determining whether a sample average exhibits a deviation from the reference standard that requires an adjustment of the sort. The sort may then be adjusted to eliminate or reduce the deviation and maintain the stable sort of the reference histogram. A novel imaging apparatus may be employed in a flow cytometer performing this method.

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Homestead, FL, United States of America

Christopher W Snow