Coulter International Corp.

Robert Stewart Frank

James L Wyatt

Carlos M Rodriguez

Robert Cary Leif

Weiyan Gong

The present invention provides an apparatus and method to determine individual red blood cell shape within a flow cytometric aperture. Cell shape is determined by measuring the asymmetry of a light scatter pattern produced by laser illumination of the cell within the aperture by light scatter detectors which collect light from specific angular regions of light scatter, and analyzing the asymmetry of the light scatter patters to determine the individual red blood cell shape. Embodiments of the invention further provide for the determination of red blood cell shape by measuring the asymmetry of a light scatter pattern and measuring electrical resistance of the red blood cell.

Apparatus and method for determination of individual red blood cell shape

This invention is related to an apparatus and method to determine the hemoglobin concentration of individual red blood cells by measuring the radio frequency resistance (RF) and direct current (DC) resistance resulting during the flow of the cells through a measurement aperture. The hemoglobin concentration of the cell is determined using the ratio of these two resistances. This determination can be made using a focused flow cell and a non-focused flow cell. In addition, the determination can be made with red blood cells which are either in their native, deformable state or with red blood cells that have been isovolumetrically sphered.

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Pembroke Pines, FL, United States of America

Robert Stewart Frank