Patent ID: 8691584
Filing Date: 2014-04-08
Classification: A01N,C12N,C12Q,G01N,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A method of analyzing chromosomal DNA characteristics of animal sperm cells in a fluid stream having a direction of flow, each sperm cell having a head with a nucleus comprising a localized chromosome region containing at least one chromosome, said nucleus having a length in the direction of stream flow, said method comprising: focusing a pulsed beam of electromagnetic radiation on the fluid stream as a generally elliptical spot having a length along a major axis extending generally at right angles to the direction of stream flow and a width along a minor axis extending generally parallel to the direction of stream flow, the width of the beam spot being less than the length of said nucleus, said sperm cells, when passing through said spot, emit electromagnetic radiation, including emissions from said chromosome regions indicative of chromosomal DNA characteristics of the regions, said pulsed beam of electromagnetic radiation being emitted at a frequency to impinge on the sperm cells multiple times as they pass through the beam spot; detecting and converting at least some of said emissions from the chromosome regions into time-varying analog electrical signals indicative of said chromosomal DNA characteristics; digitally sampling the time-varying analog signal and providing an output including digital information corresponding to said time-varying analog signal; analyzing the digital information to extract information indicative of a characteristic of the time-varying analog signals; and classifying at least some of the sperm cells as having a particular chromosomal DNA characteristic based at least in part on said extracted information.