Life Technologies Corporation

Applied Biosystems, LLC

Siemens Medical Systems, Inc.

Francis T Cheng

Jacob K Freudenthal

Thomas Wessel

Casey R McFarland

Jeffrey A Marks

Woon Liang Soh

Ming Shen

David Fortescue

Kevin Albert Maher

Gary Lim

Kuan Moon Boo

Chee Kiong Lim

Jorge Fonseca

William F Collins

Soo Yong Lau

Ronald Danehy

Gary A Chappell

Ming Song Chen

Woon Liang Terence Soh

Ruoyun Wu

Chengyong Yang

Geoffrey Dahlhoff

Thiam Chye Lee

Ying Wang

Jeff Dere

Ted Straub

A biological analysis system is provided. The system comprises an interchangeable assembly configured to accommodate any one of a plurality of sample holders, each respective sample holder configured to receive a plurality of samples. The system also includes a control system configured to cycle the plurality of samples through a series of temperatures. The system further includes an optical system configured to detect fluorescent signals emitted from the plurality of samples. The optical system, in particular, can comprise a single field lens, an excitation source, an optical sensor, and a plurality of filter components. The excitation source can be one or more light emitting diodes. The field lends can be a bi-convex lens.

Systems and methods for biological analysis

Systems and methods are provided for processing a melting or dissociation curve of a DNA or other sample, for example, during PCR processing. In some embodiments, detection of the melting point and melting curve behavior can be enhanced by taking a derivative of the curve, and detecting peaks in the differential dissociation curve. In some embodiments, the derivative operation can comprise the use of edge-processing, or other detection algorithms. In some embodiments, the dissociation analysis can comprise removing low-frequency (or pedestal) components of the differential dissociation curve. In some embodiments, the differential dissociation curve can exhibit a smoothed or more regular appearance than the raw detected data.

Differential dissociation and melting curve peak detection

The present application provides for various embodiments of methods for the analysis of high resolution melt (HRM) curve data; where statistical assay variations in melt curve data may result from system noise in an analysis system. Such system noise may arise from various sources, such as the thermal non-uniformity of a thermocycler block in a thermal cycler apparatus, a detection system, etc. Additionally, various methods for the analysis of HRM curve data may provide an identification of a sample without the need for a user inputted information.

Methods for the analysis of high resolution melt curve data

Methods are provided that operate on raw dissociation data and dissociation curves to generate calibrations of the detected data and to further improve analysis of the data. The data can be taken from each support region of a multi-region platform, for example, from each well of a multi-well plate. Each support region can be loaded with portions of the same sample. In some embodiments, a dissociation curve correction can be calibrated for the sample, prior to a run of an experiment using such sample. In some embodiments, a method is provided for generating a melting transition region of dissociation curves that show the melting characteristics of the sample. In some embodiments, dye temperature dependence correction can be performed on the dissociation curve data to further improve analysis. In some embodiments, a feature vector can be derived from the melt data, and the feature vector can be used to further improve genotyping analysis of the dissociation curves.

Methods for the analysis of dissociation melt curve data

A method for calibrating a biological instrument is provided. The method comprises the steps of acquiring an image of at least one biological sample array, determining a first region of interest within the image, wherein the first region of interest comprises a first plurality of locations on the at least one biological array; and identifying within the first region of interest, a plurality of image elements associated with each of the first plurality of locations on the at least one biological array.

Methods and systems for streamlining optical calibration

A method for improving image quality is provided. The method includes receiving image data of a substrate, wherein the image data is generated by imaging the substrate, and an image is generated from the image data. The method further includes generating a background representation from a background noise portion of the image, wherein the background portion includes signal information undesired for further processing and generating a background subtracted image by subtracting the background representation from the image. In this way, a separate background image is not needed to subtract the background from the image including the regions-of-interest to improve image quality.

Methods and systems for background subtraction in an image

A computer-implemented method for identifying a first object-of-interest is provided. The first object-of-interest includes two identifiers and a sample portion. The method includes imaging the first object-of-interest including the two identifiers. The imaging generates a first set of image data. The method further includes determining a position of the first object-of-interest in the field-of-view of an optical sensor and determining the two identifiers from the first set of image data. The method includes identifying the first object-of-interest based on the two identifiers.

Methods and systems for image analysis identification

Method and system aspects for integrated automatic exposure control for portal imaging in radiotherapy are described. In an exemplary method aspect, the method includes controlling scanning and blanking of a target of a camera pick-up tube to capture an initial image, and analyzing the initial image to establish an initial image intensity. The method further includes utilizing the initial image intensity to determine a time for scanning a next image, and combining a scan of the next image with the initial image to produce a portal image with a maximized signal to noise ratio.

Integrated automatic exposure control for portal imaging in radiotherapy

A robust histogram analysis algorithm is used in accordance with the present invention to control the electronic portal image analog to digital (A/D) window such that the acquired images will have sufficient contrast for their uses in radiotherapy. The algorithm includes setting an initial estimate of a region of interest within a histogram, the histogram including pixel counts and pixel values related to the pixel counts, and determining two dominant peaks inside the region of interest. One of the two dominant peaks is below a predetermined value and the other of the two dominant peaks is between the predetermined value and a second predetermined value. If the one dominant peak is more than two times the standard deviation of the other dominant peak, then a first local minimum to the right of the one dominant peak will be the revised boundary. If the other dominant peak is more than two times the standard deviation of the one dominant peak, then a first local minimum to the left of the other dominant peak will be the revised boundary. Otherwise the average value of the two dominant peaks will be the revised boundary. The algorithm also includes counting the number of pixels outside the revised boundary and determining a mean pixel value outside the revised boundary based upon the pixel count. Furthermore, the algorithm includes accumulating pixel counts in one direction until a predetermined percentage of the pixel counts outside revised estimate of dark region is reached to determine the lower cutoff and accumulating pixel counts in an opposite direction until a predetermined percentage is reached to determine the upper cutoff. Finally, the algorithm includes utilizing the upper and lower cutoffs to set the A/D window.

Algorithm for A/D window control for electronic portal image acquisition

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Palo Alto, CA, United States of America

Francis T Cheng