Patent ID: 11906432
Assignee: ESSENLIX CORPORATION
Field: Measurement (Instruments)
Classification: CPC G | IPC G

Claim 81:
82. A method of a homogenous detection of a Gram positive cell or Gram negative cell in a sample, comprising:
(a) providing a first plate and a second plate, each has a sample contact area on its surface, wherein the sample contact surfaces contact a sample that contains or is suspected of containing a Gram positive cell or Gram negative cell;
(b) depositing, on at least one of the sample contact areas, a Gram positive stain, a Gram negative stain, or both, wherein the Gram positive and Gram negative stains have two distinguishable colors; wherein the Gram positive stain stains only Gram positive cells while the Gram negative stain stains both Gram positive and negative cells; wherein, in a Gram positive cell that is stained by both Gram positive and negative stains, the Gram positive stain is distinguishable from the Gram negative stain;
(c) sandwiching the sample between the two sample contact areas of the two plates to make the sample forming a thin layer of a thickness of 150 microns (um) or less; and
(d) imaging using an imager, after the step (c) and without using any washing step, the thin layer to detect cells that are stained by (i) Gram negative stain only, (ii) Gram positive stain; and (iii) both;
wherein the thin layer sample thickness is configured so that for a given concentration of the cell in the sample, each individual cell does not substantially overlap other cells in the imaging;
wherein a Gram positive cells displays Gram positive stain color, and a Gram negative cell displays Gram negative stain color only;
wherein the thickness of the thin layer, the concentration of the detection probe in the sample, or the concentration of the optical enhancer in the sample is configured to make, in the step (e) of imaging, in the thin layer, the location having the bound detection probe is distinguishable from the locations not having the bound detection probe, wherein the bound detection probe is the detection probe bound to the analyte in the sample.