Patent ID: 9234884
Filing Date: 2016-01-12
CPC Classification: B01L,G01N,Y10T

Claim Text:
1. A method for analyzing cells, the method comprising: a) introducing a blood sample comprising fluorescently labeled cells and fluorescently labeled control beads to an inlet of a first microfluidic channel that gradually narrows, wherein the fluorescently labeled cells are labeled with a fluorophore different than a fluorophore label of the control beads; b) flowing the blood sample from the inlet of the first microfluidic channel to an outlet of a second microfluidic channel, wherein the second microfluidic channel is directly coupled to the first microfluidic channel; c) exciting the fluorophores of the fluorescently labeled cells and of the fluorescently labeled control beads using an excitation source; d) detecting fluorescence of the fluorescently labeled cells and fluorescence of the fluorescently labeled control beads as they pass through a detection zone in the second microfluidic channel, wherein the detection is performed on individual cells; e) measuring the fluorescence of the fluorescently labeled cells and of the fluorescently labeled beads using a light sensor; and f) using the measured fluorescence to thereby provide a result concerning the blood sample.