Flow fluorometric method
US6177277A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | May 13, 1997 |
| Grant date | Jan 23, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 13, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01N15/1459
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
This invention is related to a flow fluorometric device and method employing a two-photon excitation and/or confocal optical set-up. The optical set-up of this invention is optimal for counting small fluorescent biological particles. The active focal volume is diffraction-limited and consequently much smaller than the volume of the flow channel. The excitation and detection concept has been found very efficient for rejection of the background signal. An objective lens with large numerical aperture for focusing the laser and for collecting the fluorescence is used and this restricts the active volume of measurement to a diffraction-limited volume which approximately corresponds to a volume of femtoliter. This volume is significantly smaller than the detection volume of ordinary flow cytometry.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.