Optical specimen analysis system and method

Abstract

A method and system for automatically analyzing the presence of an analyte in a liquid specimen of biological origin are described. The liquid specimen is added to a testing substrate that has a receptor immobilized on a portion of its surface. If analyte is present in the specimen, it will specifically bind to the receptor. A labeled reagent is added to the testing substrate which will bind to the analyte, if present, and generate a color on the testing substrate. The testing substrate is then illuminated and, using electronic equipment, a digital image of its surface is acquired and automatically scanned to locate an area that has the highest color density, which corresponds to the presence of labeled reagent. A measurement of color density, corresponding to pixels per unit area, is generated. An area peripheral to the area of highest color density, which represents background density, is also located and a measured. The presence or absence of analyte in the liquid sample is determined by adjusting the measurement of labeled reagent with the background density measurement in accordance with a predefined mathematical function. In some cases, the result of the test will be interpreted as a binary, positive/negative result according to whether the measurement taken is above or below a given threshold. In other cases, a continuous range of values may be generated from different samples that correspond to the concentration of the analyte present in each tested sample.