ANALYZER

Abstract: An analyzer for the measurement of the properties of reaction mixtures contained in the cuvettes (10) in a set of cuvettes (7) simultaneously out of several cuvettes by means of one or several sources of radiation (9) placed above or underneath the cuvettes and by means of a detector (11) receiving radiation and placed underneath or above each cuvette. The beam of measurement passes substantially in the direction of the vertical axis of the cuvette and the set of cuvettes (7) can be fitted to the apparatus detachably between the source or sources of radiation (9) and the detectors (11), either above the source or sources of radiation or above the detectors. The detectors (11) or the source or sources of radiation (9), respectively, can be shifted or fitted detachably or pivotably to the position of measurement above the set of cuvettes (7).

Description: Analyzer The present invention is concerned with an analyzer for the measurement of the properties of reaction mixtures contained in the cuvettes in a set of cuvettes simultaneously out of several cuvettes by means of one or several sources of radiation placed above or underneath the cuvettes and by means of a detector receiving radia¬ tion and placed underneath or above each cuvette, the beam of measurement passing substantially in the direc- tion of the vertical axis of the cuvette and the set of cuvettes being fitted to the apparatus detachably between the source or sources of radiation and the detectors, either above the source, or sources of radiation or above the detectors. The objective of the invention is to provid a compact and simple construction of an analyzer. The analyzer in accordance with the invention is characterized in that either the detectors or the source or sources of radiation, respectively, can be fitted detachably or pivotably to the position of measurement above the set of cuvettes. By means of the analyzer in accordance with the invention the reaction results can be measured in one wide matrix, e.g., in a cuvette-set matrix (cuvette set) in accordance with two Finnish patent applications "Set of cuvettes" filed simultaneously with the present application, or in any other matrix. The measurement radiation or any other measurable signal, produced for each sample, is passed to each cuvette in the matrix and further to the corresponding detector in the vertical direction by, manually or automatically, first shifting the cuvette-set matrix and then the detector matrix or, when the corresponding detectors are placed underneath the cuvette-set matrix, the measurement-beam matrix cor¬ responding the cuvette-set matrix onto the cuvette-set matrix. The present invention is particularly well suited for the measurement of a very high number of reac- tion results under circumstances wherein the volumes of the reaction mixtures are little (e.g., 10 to 50 ul) , and under these circumstances the cuvettes in the cuvette-set matrixes must also be of a small volume and placed close to each other. Under these circumstances, e.g., photo¬ metric measurement is successful only by using the method of vertical measurement applied in the FP-9, FP-901 and Titertek Multiscan analyzers (Suovaniemi, Os o: "Performance and Properties of the Finnpipette Analyzer System", Proceedings of the Second National Meeting on Biophysics and Biotechnology in Finland, 183, 197β). The analyzer to be described now is suitable for methods in which measurements based, e.g., on photo¬ metry, spectrophotometry, fluorometry, or turbidometry * are used. The analyzer is highly suitable, e.g., in EIA (enzyme immuno assay) reactions, blood-grouυ serology (e.g. ABO * and Rh) , in HLA (human leucocyte antigen) sero¬ logy, in MIC (minimum inhibitory concentration) determi- nations, like also in other types of ascertaining of the growth or inhibition of growth of micro-organisms, and further in all methods based on the CF (complement fixation) phenomenon. The following list includes some of the advan- tages of the present analyzer invention. 1. simple construction 2. quick and easy to operate 3. output in accordance with desired programs 4. small reaction-mixture volumes mean econo- mies both in reagents and in samples 5. electronic control of mechanical components (cuvette and detector matrixes) is not necessarily required 6. application of the principle of vertical measurement eliminates, e.g., drawbacks resulting from evaporation of the reaction mixture (Suovaniemi, Osmo: "Method for the improvement of the dosage and measurement results of chemical analyses", U.S. Patent No. 4,144,030). According to the present invention, in the analyzer it is possible to measure the cuvette-set matrixes (cuvette sets) in accordance with the two Finnish patent applications "Set of cuvettes" filed simultaneously with the present application in the simplest way so that into the analyzer first the cuvette-set matrix is placed onto a stationary radiation-source matrix and then the detector matrix is either shifted from elsewhere or pivoted onto the cuvette-set matrix. The invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the attached drawing, wherein * Figure 1 is a schematical presentation of an embodiment of the invention and Figure 2 shows one cuvette and the source of radiation and the detector placed underneath and above the cuvette, respectively. In Figure 1 an exemplifying embodiment of the invention is shown. The analyzer comprises a base 1, a frame 2, and a measurement head 8 permanently fixed to the frame, the said measurement head being provided with several optical fibres 9 functioning as sources of radiation. The detector matrix 3 is by means of the cable 4 connected to the apparatus. When the apparatus is not in use, the detector matrix 3 is fitted into a recess 18 in the frame placed at the side of the measurement head. The measurement takes place so that the cuvette set 7 is placed onto the measurement head 8 and that the detector matrix 3 is thereupon shifted onto the cuvette set. The detector matrix 3 may also be provided with hinges 5 , which pivot in corresponding pieces 6 fitted to the ame. The detector matrix is in such a case pivoted around the hinges 5 onto the cuvette-set matrix 7, placed into the measurement head 8, for the time of the measurement and off the cuvette-set matrix after the measurement. During OMPI the measurement, in this exemplifying embodiment, the beam of measurement comes vertically from the optical fibre 9 of each cuvette, placed in the measurement head, and passes through the corresponding cuvettes 10 placed in the cuvette-set matrix 7 to the detectors 11 in the detector matrix 5, the said detectors corresponding the said' optical fibres 9 and cuvettes 10. Figure 2 shows an optical fibre 9 and the bunch of measurement beams 13 departing from same and passing through the cuvette 10 in the cuvette-set matrix, corres¬ ponding the said optical fibre, vertically to the detector 11 in the detector matrix, corresponding both the said optical fibre and the cuvette. The optical window Iβ of the cuvette 10 is placed in a plane different from the " plane of the bottom 17 of the cuvette-set matrix, the optical window Iβ placed higher than the bottom plane being retained as protected from fingerprints, scratches, and rom dirt. The invention is not confined to the above embodiment alone, but it may show even considerable vari¬ ation within the scope of the patent claims. It is evident that, according to the present invention, the cuvette-set matrix may also be measured in an analyzer embodiment in which the detector matrix is stationary or in which some component of the detector matrix moves ' in the measurement head. The cuvette-set matrix can be placed onto the detector matrix, and the measurement-beam matrix is shifted or pivoted onto the cuvette-set matrix, in which measurement-beam matrix there is a source of measurement signal of its own for each cuvette. Besides the possibility that the cuvette-set matrix and the detector matrix or the measurement-beam matrix can be shifted manually, in the present invention the said shiftings and any other manipulations can also be performed automatically in the way most appropriate in each particular case. The measurement radiation may also be produced by means of some appropriate wide source of radiation so that one or, at the maximum, few sources of radiation are required.

Claims: WHAT IS CLAIMED IS: 1. An analyzer for the measurement of the properties of reaction mixtures contained in the cuvettes (10) in a set of cuvettes (7) simultaneously out of several cuvettes by means of one or several sources of radiation (9) placed above or underneath the cuvettes and 'by means of a detector (11) receiving radiation and placed underneath or above each cuvette, the beam of measurement passing substantially in the direction of the vertical axis of the cuvette and the set of cuvettes (7) being fitted to the apparatus detachably between the source or sources of radiation (9) and the detectors (11), either above the source or sources of radiation or above the detectors, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that either " the detectors (11) or the source or sources of radiation (9), respectively, can be shifted or fitted detachably or pivotably to the position of measurement above the set of cuvettes (7) . 2. An analyzer as claimed in claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that all the detectors (11) or the source or sources of radiation (9), respectively, can be fitted into the analyzer as one unit.

Inventors: SUOVANIEMI O
Applicants: LABSYSTEMS OY
Application year: 1981
Main classification: G01N21
IPC codes: G01N21