Instrumentation Laboratory Company

Acousort Ab

Ethan Schonbrun

Gert Blankenstein

Josef Kerimo

Lara Adib

Hansong Zeng, Jr

Per Augustsson

Hansong Zeng

Paul McCormack

Ola Jakobsson

Pelle Ohlsson

Christopher Francis Farren

Klara Andersson

Luisa Andruzzi

Pelle Daniel Ohlsson

Klara Petersson

Cuvette

The invention relates to a method of performing an optical or electrical measurement in a sample of a disperse fluid, the sample comprising particles and a fluid. The method comprises the steps of: a) positioning the sample in a microfluidic cavity having a resonance frequency, b) subjecting the sample, in the cavity, to an acoustic standing wave configured for causing the particles to congregate in at least one first region of the cavity, thereby causing the fluid to occupy at least one second region of the cavity, wherein the frequency of the acoustic standing wave is varied between a frequency below the resonance frequency and a frequency above the resonance frequency, and c) performing an optical or electrical measurement in the fluid in at least one of the at least one second region of the cavity. Varying the frequency ensures reproducible results. The invention also relates to a system therefore and a method and system for measuring hematocrit.

Method and system for optical or electrical measurements in disperse fluids

Analyte content in a cell free portion of a body fluid, such as blood, is optically determined without centrifugation or other preliminary steps for separating the cell free portion from the body fluid. A channel is configured for containing a flowing sample of the body fluid along an optical boundary. The channel is configured so that a cell free layer of the fluid naturally forms along the boundary of the channel which coincides with the optical boundary. A light source is directed onto the optical boundary at an angle selected to generate total reflection from the boundary and to generate an evanescent field across the boundary in the cell free layer of fluid. A light detector is configured to detect absorption of the light in the evanescent field. The light source and light detector are matched to the wavelength range of an absorption peak of the analyte being detected.

Evanescent hemolysis detection

An optical system and method for quantifying total protein in whole blood or other multi-phase liquids and colloidal suspensions uses refractometry without preliminary steps such as cell separation or centrifugation. A refractometer is integrated with a flow cell to enable the refractive index of a flowing sample to be measured based on a substantially cell free boundary layer of the sample that is present under certain flow conditions. Dimensions of the flow cell are selected to produce a cell-free layer in a flow of whole blood in which the cell free layer is thick enough to reduce scattering of light from the refractometer light source. A numerical method is used to compensate for scattering artifacts. The numerical compensation method is based on the slope and width of a peak in the derivative curve of an angular spectrum image of the flowing sample produced by refractometry.

Total protein measurement using whole blood refractometry

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Newton, MA, United States of America

Ethan Schonbrun