Abstract:
A particle detection system with a detection mechanism that includes detectors positioned to detect two different ranges of fluorescence produced by particles in the fluid in a flow chamber. Each of the detectors is arranged to generating a trigger signal whenever fluorescence is detected. The system and related method enhance the accuracy and sensitivity of blue-green algae monitoring by utilizing imaging flow cytometry combined with particle analysis and the measurement of the ratio of each particle&#39;s phycocyanin to chlorophyll b detected by using the two detectors configured for detection of two different fluorescence ranges, one associated with the phycocyanin and the other associated with the chlorophyll b. Optionally, captured images may be used in comparison to known images of a library of images.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The present invention relates generally to a flow analysis configuration used in particle analysis instrumentation, and more particularly to a flow analysis system configured to enable the accurate identification of the existence of blue-green algae in a fluid. The system may include an optical imaging capability. 
         [0003]    2. Description of the Prior Art 
         [0004]    The art has seen various optical/flow systems employed for transporting a fluid within an analytical instrument to an imaging and optical analysis area. A liquid sample is typically delivered into the bore of a flow chamber and this sample is interrogated in some way so as to generate analytical information concerning the nature or properties of the sample. For example, a laser beam may excite the sample that is present in the bore of the capillary, with the emitted fluorescence energy representing the signal information. 
         [0005]    In the area of identifying specific particles in a flowing fluid, the closest known relevant technological developments involve bulk measurements or conventional flow cytometry, neither of which is sufficient to enable the detection of blue-green algae early enough to initiate steps to eliminate it within a desired period of time. It would be advantageous to detect with accuracy the existence and density of blue-green algae in a flowing fluid to improve the taste of drinking water. The existing bulk-detection technology requires the existence of a minimum amount of the algae before detection can occur. Unfortunately, that capability is not satisfactory as the blue-green algae cannot be detected before it becomes a noticeable problem. 
         [0006]    The inefficiencies of detecting blue-green algae with existing bulk monitoring and conventional flow cytometry systems produce inconclusive resolution resulting from less than optimum collection of fluorescence emissions from a fluid sample passing through the bore of the flow chamber. Conventional flow cytometers involve the use of flow nozzles that limit the size of particles passing into the flow chamber for detection. For example, particles greater than 60 micrometers (μm) in cross section will clog the nozzle. Blue-green algae clumps and, as a result, particle sizes of 100 μm to 2000 μm in cross section are common. They also exceed the maximum internal dimensions of the nozzle. To date, therefore, the particle detection art, including the imaging and/or flow cytometry art, has not disclosed utilizing sufficient arrangements for optimizing particle delivery, particle resolution and fluorescence emission collection suitable to produce accurate blue-green algae detection at low concentration levels. There is therefore a need in the art for a system and related method to improve blue-green algae detection, including in a flowing fluid and with or without imaging of the algae. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    It is an object of the present invention to provide a system arranged to detect with reliable accuracy the existence of blue-green algae in a fluid. It is also an object of the present invention to provide such a system that may be incorporated into, or operate in a similar manner as that of, existing detection system including, but not limited to, imaging flow cytometers. 
         [0008]    These and other objects are achieved with the present invention, which is a cytometer system with a detection mechanism that includes detectors configured to detect two different ranges of fluorescence produced by particles, including blue-green algae particles, in the fluid flowing through the flow chamber. Each of the detectors is arranged to generate a trigger signal whenever fluorescence is detected. Also, the system includes an arrangement that permits particles much larger in size to pass through the field of view than permitted by current flow cytometry systems. This ensures more accurate blue-green algae detection as more particles actually in the fluid under evaluation will be delivered into the field of view. It is to be noted that the length and width of the channel of the chamber are preferably selected to roughly match the field of view of the imaging and fluorescence optics used to detect the particles. The system further optionally includes a video system arranged to image particles in the fluid in the flow chamber in response to the trigger signals. Images captured by the video system are of high resolution and may be used in comparison to known blue-green algae images of a library of images. Computer programming is created to operate a computing device of the system to distinguish particles in the fluid based on different fluorescence emission characteristics. Further, the programming may optionally be configured to match (or recognize non-matching) of captured images with known particles, including blue-green algae particle images of the library. Identification of blue-green algae in the fluid may then be made. 
         [0009]    The system and related method of the present invention enhances the accuracy and sensitivity of blue-green algae monitoring by utilizing particle analysis and the measurement of the ratio of each particle&#39;s phycocyanin to chlorophyll b. For the blue-green algae as an example, an individual blue-green algae particle&#39;s phycocyanin to chlorophyll b content may be determined using the two detectors configured for detection of two different fluorescence ranges, one associated with the phycocyanin and the other associated with the chlorophyll b. The system and related method may also be utilized to image the particle and additional particle analysis may be performed by comparison of the captured images with the library of known images. 
         [0010]    The advantages gained by the invention compared to the state of the art of currently available particle-in-fluid detection systems are: 1) greater certainty of total particle transfer to the field of view; 2) more accurate particle identification, including blue-green algae particle detection from individual cell fluorescence ratios and, optionally, image matching to image libraries of known particles; and 3) better ability to detect smaller or weaker fluorescent particles versus conventional bulk fluorescence techniques. These and other advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent upon review of the following detailed description, the accompanying drawings and the appended claims. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0011]      FIG. 1  schematically illustrates a system for studying particles in a fluid according to one embodiment of the invention. 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  is an enlarged perspective view of the flow chamber of the system of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  is a detailed schematic illustration of the plurality of detectors and associated filters for capturing distinct fluorescence characteristics of captured images of particles within a flowing fluid. 
           [0014]      FIG. 4  is a flow diagram representing steps to be carried out in a method of the present invention using the computing device and associated programming described. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0015]    A system  10  of the present invention suitable for high quality automated counting and imaging of particles that exist in a fluid is shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . The system  10  of the present invention is similar in manner to the flow cytometer described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,115,119 entitled “Device And Method For Studying Particles In A Fluid,” issued Sep. 5, 2000, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference. The system  10  includes a flow chamber  15 , a light source  30 , imaging and fluorescence optics  35 , an image detection system  40 , a backlighting generator  50 , an optional image capturing system  60  and a computing device  65 . The combination of these components of the system  10  arranged and configured as described herein enable a user to detect particles in the fluid, including blue-green algae particles in the fluid and, specifically, to enhance the accuracy and sensitivity of such detection. 
         [0016]    The flow chamber  15  includes an inlet  20  for receiving the particle-containing fluid to be observed, and an outlet  25  through which the fluid passes out of the flow chamber  15  after imaging functions have been performed. (For the purpose of describing an example of the present invention, the fluid is a flowing fluid. The system  10  may alternatively be used for particle detection in a non-flowing fluid.) The flow chamber  15  is a low fluorescence structure. That is, it may be fabricated of a material that does not readily fluoresce, including, for example, but not limited to, microscope glass or rectangular glass extrusions. The flow chamber  15  may be circular or rectangular in shape. The flow chamber  15  defines a channel  15   a  through which the fluid flows at a predetermined selectable rate. The channel  15   a  may be of rectangular configuration. The length and width of channel  15   a  are selected to roughly match the field of view of the imaging and fluorescence optics  35 . This keeps all of the particles in the fluid in the flow chamber  15  in focus, removing the need for a focusing sheath flow, and thereby enabling accurate counting of cells while retaining imaging capability. This arrangement of the flow chamber  15  and the flow channel  15   a  also eliminates the problems of particle size limitations associated with convention flow cytometer nozzles. The inlet  20  of the flow chamber  15  is connectable to a fluid source and the outlet  25  is connectable to a downstream means for transferring the fluid away from the flow chamber  15 . It is to be understood that the specific design of the flow chamber  15  may vary from the particular example design described herein without deviating from the applicable features of the present invention. 
         [0017]    With reference to  FIGS. 1 and 3 , the light source  30  is used to generate fluorescence and scatter excitation light which is passed through the imaging and fluorescence optics  35  to the flow chamber  15 , resulting in particle fluorescence and/or light scatter. The light source  30  may be a LASER  30  with an excitation filter  33 . The LASER  30  may be, but is not limited to being, a  532  nanometer (nm) solid state model laser available from an array of manufacturers known to those of skill in the art. The excitation filter  33  should at least have the characteristic of being able to transmit light at the wavelength of light generated by the LASER  30 ±30 nm. An example of a suitable form of the excitation filter  33  is a D532/10X filter of the type that can be used with a 532 nm LASER available from Chroma Technologies of Rockingham, Vt. US; those of skill in the art will recognize that other suitable filters may be employed for the excitation filter  33 . Emission filter  80  should at least have the characteristic of being able to transmit light at wavelengths longer than the wavelengths of light generated by the LASER  30 . An example of a suitable form of the emission filter  80  is a 545DCLP longpass filter of the type that can be used with a 532 nm LASER. A filter such as emission filter  80  can also be obtained from Chroma Technologies. 
         [0018]    With continuing reference to  FIG. 3 , any particle fluorescence emissions from the flow chamber  15  that have a wavelength of 545 to 900 nm are detected by the detection system  40 . The imaging optics  35  include a microscope objective  75  to image the particle flow onto the image capturing system  60 , focus fluorescence excitation light from the LASER  30  onto the flow chamber  15  and focus the resulting particle fluorescence onto dichroic mirror  42  of the detection system  40 . The dichroic mirror  42  is selected and arranged to pass light longer than approximately 675 nm to first emission filter  44 , which further filters the light and passes light wavelengths of approximately 700 nm±20 nm to first fluorescence detector  46 . Light of wavelengths shorter than approximately 675 nm, which is reflected off of the dichroic mirror  42 , is further filtered by second emission filter  52  to 645 nm±20 nm and then passes to second fluorescence detector  54 . 
         [0019]    Each of the first fluorescence detector  46  and the second fluorescence detector  54  preferably includes a high sensitivity photomultiplier tube (PMT). The PMTs should at least have the characteristic of being sensitive to the fluorescence emissions desired. An example of a suitable form of a PMT is the H9656-20 model available from the Hammamatsu company of Bridgewater, N.J. US. Those of skill in the art will recognize that other equivalent PMTs may be employed for the detectors  46 / 54 . An example of a suitable form of the first emission filter  44  and the second emission filter  52  is a 570/40 phycoerithyn emission filter available from Chroma Technologies of Rockingham, Vt. US. Those of skill in the art will recognize that other suitable filters may be employed for the emission filters  44 / 52 . 
         [0020]    With reference to  FIG. 1 , output from the detectors  46 / 54  is processed by detection electronics  45 . Preferably, the detection electronics  45  includes user-adjusted gain and threshold settings which determine the amount of fluorescence or scatter required for the system  10  to acknowledge a passing particle. The detection electronics  45  may be configured to receive input signals and produce output information compatible with the specific needs of the user of the system  10 . An example of a suitable electronics system capable of performing the signal activation and output information associated with the detection electronics  45  of the system  10  is the detection electronics described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,115,119, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference. Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the specific electronics system described therein may be modified, such as through suitable programming for example, to trigger desired signal activation and/or to manipulate received signals for desired output information. 
         [0021]    If a sufficiently fluorescent particle passes through the flow chamber  15  a fluorescence signal from each of the detectors  46 / 54  at their respective detection wavelengths is sent to the detection electronics  45 , which then generate one or more trigger signals that are transmitted to the computing device  65 . The computing device  65  is programmed to store the information received from the detection electronics  45  and to make calculations associated with the particles detected. For example, but not limited thereto, the computing device  65  may be programmed to provide specific information regarding the fluorescence of the detected particles, the shape of the particles, dimensions of the particles, and specific features of the particles. The computing device  65  may be any sort of computing system suitable for receiving information, running software programs on its one or more processors, and producing output of information, including, but not limited to images and data, that may be observed on a user interface. 
         [0022]    The detection electronics  45  may also be coupled, directly or indirectly through the computing device  65  to the backlighting generator  50 . In particular, the detection electronics  45  and/or the computing device  65  may include an arrangement whereby a user of the system  10  may alternatively select a setting to automatically generate a trigger signal at a selectable time interval. The trigger signal generated produces a signal to activate the operation of the backlighting generator  50  so that a light flash is generated. Specifically, the backlighting generator  50  may be a Light Emitting Diode (LED) or other suitable light generating means that produces a light of sufficient intensity to backlight the flow chamber  15  and image the passing particles. The very high intensity LED flash may be a 670 nm LED flash, or a flash of another other suitable wavelength, which is flashed on one side of the flow chamber  15  for 200 μsec (or less). At the same time, if it is desired, the optional image capturing system  60  positioned on the opposing side of the flow chamber  15  may be activated to capture an instantaneous image of the particles in the fluid as “frozen” when the high intensity flash occurs. 
         [0023]    The optional image capturing system  60  is arranged to either retain the captured image, transfer it to the computing device  65 , or a combination of the two. The image capturing system  60  includes characteristics of a digital camera or an analog camera with a framegrabber or other means for retaining images. For example, but in no way limiting what this particular component of the system may be, the image capturing system  60  may be, but is not limited to being, a CCD firewire, a CCD USB-based camera, or other suitable device that can be used to capture images and that further preferably includes computing means or that may be coupled to computing means for the purpose of retaining images and to manipulate those images as desired. The computing device  65  may be programmed to measure the size and shape of the particle captured by the image capturing system  60  and/or store the data for later analysis. 
         [0024]    The images captured by the image capturing system  60  and stored with the computing device  65  may be used to analyze the particles in the fluid and compare them to known images of particles including, specifically, blue-green algae. When a trigger is generated (i.e., a fluorescent or light scattering particle is detected), software scans the resulting image, separating the different particle sub-images in it. The area of each particle is measured by summing the number of pixels in each particle image below a software selected threshold and multiplying the result by the equivalent physical area of a pixel. This computed area of the particle is stored in a spreadsheet-compatible file along with other properties of the particle, e.g., its measured peak fluorescence, time of particle passage, and the location of the particle in the image. The sub-image of each particle is copied from the chamber image and saved with other sub-images in a collage file. Several of these collage files may be generated for each system experiment. A special system file is generated, containing the collage file location of each particle sub-image, particle size, fluorescence and time of particle passage. 
         [0025]    The software is written to generate two data review modes: (1) image collage and (2) interactive scattergram. In the image collage mode, the user may review a series of selectable sub-images in a collage file. Reviewing these files allows the user to identify particle types, count particles, or study other features. In interactive scattergram mode, data are presented to the user as a dot-plot; e.g., a graph of particle size vs. particle fluorescence or light scatter. If the user selects a region of the scattergram, images of particles having the characteristics plotted in that region are displayed on a display of the computing device  65 , allowing the user to study particle populations and to examine images of particles with specific sizes or fluorescence, such as cells of a specific type. Because a spreadsheet compatible file is generated for each review, the user may also review the data with a spreadsheet program. This information allows the user to readily generate cell counts and fluorescence or scatter and size distribution histograms for each sample. This file also contains the location of each particle in the original image which is used to remove redundant data from particles that have become attached to the flow chamber  15 . 
         [0026]    As represented in  FIG. 4 , a method  200  of the present invention embodied in one or more computer programs, includes steps associated with storing and analyzing information captured with the system  10  of the present invention. In the first step, step  202 , the LASER  30  and imaging and fluorescence optics  35  generate fluorescence and scatter excitation light, which is directed to the flow chamber  15  within which a fluid to be monitored passes, step  204 . The detection system  40  including the detection electronics  45  is used to detect fluorescence information and, separately, signals associated with the light waveforms scattered from particles in the flow chamber  15  at two distinct wavelengths, steps  206  and  208 . The detected signal data, including distinct fluorescence information any optional imaging data that may be acquired, are transferred to the computing device  65  for storage and analysis, step  210 . The captured signal data are characterized based on intensities at the respective designated wavelengths, in addition to other information of interest, step  212 . The ratio of fluorescence intensities for a given particle at the distinct wavelengths is then calculated as a means of distinguishing the phycocyanin and chlorophyll b features represented of blue-green algae particles in the fluid and that information may be reported in a visual manner, step  214 . For example, the information may be presented in graphic representations, spreadsheet lists, or combinations thereof. Optionally, the acquired image information may be used to count the number of particles in the fluid sample observed and reported, step  216 , and/or the captured images may be compared to known images of particles of interest and reported, step  218 . 
         [0027]    It is to be understood that the computing device  65  used to gather the captured image information and to perform calculations and observe features of the captured image information may be associated with local or remote computing means, such as one or more central computers, in a local area network, a metropolitan area network, a wide area network, or through intranet and internet connections. The computing device  65  may include one or more discrete computer processor devices. The computing device may include computer devices operated by a centralized administrative entity or by a plurality of users located at one or more locations. 
         [0028]    The computing device  65  may be programmed to include one or more of the functions of the system  10 . The computing device  65  may include one or more databases including information related to the use of the system  10 . For example, such a database may include known images of example particles of interest. The database may be populated and updated with information provided by the user and others. 
         [0029]    The steps of the method  200  described herein and additional steps not specifically described with respect to  FIG. 4  but related to the use of the system  10  may be carried out as electronic functions performed through the computing device  65  based on computer programming steps. The functions configured to perform the steps described herein may be implemented in hardware and/or software. For example, particular software, firmware, or microcode functions executing on the computing device  65  can provide the trigger, image capturing and image analysis and fluorescence or scatter signal analysis functions. Alternatively, or in addition, hardware modules, such as programmable arrays, can be used in the devices to provide some or all of those functions, provided they are programmed to perform the steps described. 
         [0030]    The steps of the method  200  of the present invention, individually or in combination, may be implemented as a computer program product tangibly as computer-readable signals on a computer-readable medium, for example, a non-volatile recording medium, an integrated circuit memory element, or a combination thereof. Such computer program product may include computer-readable signals tangibly embodied on the computer-readable medium, where such signals define instructions, for example, as part of one or more programs that, as a result of being executed by a computer, instruct the computer to perform one or more processes or acts described herein, and/or various examples, variations and combinations thereof. Such instructions may be written in any of a plurality of programming languages, for example, Java, Visual Basic, C, or C++, Fortran, Pascal, Eiffel, Basic, COBOL, and the like, or any of a variety of combinations thereof. The computer-readable medium on which such instructions are stored may reside on one or more of the components of system  10  described above and may be distributed across one or more such components. Further, the steps of the method represented in  FIG. 4 , may be performed in alternative orders, in parallel and serially. 
         [0031]    The system  10  of the present invention allows much greater sensitivity to particles, including particles of blue-green algae due to multiple fluorescence measurements for individual particles, and the optional verification of particles with image capture. One important use for this invention is the monitoring of drinking water that would otherwise become foul tasting due to the presence of blue-green algae. As previously described, the invention is carried out by installing a phycocyanin and chlorophyll b fluorescence filter set, first filter  44  and second filter  52 , respectively, into a detection system such as, but not limited to, an imaging flow cytometer system, and configuring the computing device, through software to compute the ratio of the two channels of fluorescence and then using known imaging capabilities to count the blue-green algae particles, if desired. 
         [0032]    One or more example embodiments to help illustrate the invention have been described. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, other embodiments are within the scope of the claims appended hereto.