Patent ID: 7371347
Filing Date: 2008-05-13
Classification: G01N

Abstract:
1. An arrangement for dispensing and observing the luminescence of individual specimens in multi-specimen arrangements with high specimen throughput, particularly for the examination of biological, chemical or cytobiological assays comprising: a microplate with a plurality of wells having transparent bottoms for observation of the luminescence and being arranged in rows and columns; a dispensing unit with a fixed quantity of dispensing nozzles which is arranged over the microplate, wherein said quantity of dispensing nozzles of the dispensing unit being arranged in at least one linear dispensing comb with a number of dispensing nozzles representing an integral divisor of the number of wells along one dimension of the microplate and said at least one dispensing comb being displaceable orthogonal to its longitudinal dimension in order to progressively dispense into successively arranged columns or rows of wells of the microplate; a table system for moving the microplate and the dispensing unit relative to one another; an optical system by which the luminescent light that is excited in the wells of the microplate due to the dispensing is transferred to an imaging camera for observation of a large-area rectangular field of the microplate, wherein said large-area rectangular field is defined by the linear dimension of said at least one linear dispensing comb due to said number of nozzles of the comb in relation to the well pitch in one dimension of the microplate and, in the other dimension, by at least one microplate column; and said imaging camera for receiving an image of said large-area rectangular field provided by said imaging optical system the imaging camera and said optical system provided in a camera block being directed to the underside of the microplate across from the dispensing unit, the imaging camera being a CCD camera for repeatedly receiving and storing a plurality of images over time, each image including all wells of the large-area rectangular field of the microplate, so that a course of luminescence over time for each individual specimen in all wells of the large-area rectangular field is measurable while simultaneously ongoing dispensing occurs successively column by column; said above-mentioned components being located in a light-tight housing.