Patent ID: 7447340

Claim:
A device ( 10 ) for automatically eliciting a thermal avoidance response in nematodes, comprising: a bearing surface ( 12 ) for supporting one or more sample containers ( 14 ) that serve to accept the nematodes ( 16 ) to be investigated, a laser ( 18 ), a selective laser-beam interrupter, a scanner ( 22 ) disposed in a beam path of the laser for projecting and focussing an emitted laser beam ( 19 ) onto at least a region of a sample container ( 14 ) in contact with the bearing surface ( 12 ) and for controlled deflection of the emitted laser beam ( 19 ) in said region, a laser source ( 28 ) that illuminates the sample container ( 14 ) to be investigated with light, the light effecting a contrast in the nematodes located in the container, a light source ( 29 ) that illuminates the container ( 14 ) to be investigated with light that excites fluorescence-labeled regions of the nematode to emit fluorescent light, a beam splitter ( 20 ) in the beam path of laser ( 18 ), which separates the emitted laser beam from one of the light used for contrasting the nematodes and the fluorescent light emitted by the fluorescence-labeled regions of the nematodes, an electronic camera ( 30 ) cooperating with the beam splitter ( 20 ) and sensitive to light emitted from the nematodes, a real-time image processing device connected with the electronic camera ( 30 ) that determines a current position for each of the nematodes, and a controller ( 32 ) connected to the laser ( 18 ), the selective laser-beam interrupter, and the scanner ( 22 ), wherein the controller, by means of the scanner ( 22 ), directs the beam path of the laser ( 18 ) at various nematodes one after another and controls the selective laser-beam interrupter to emit a laser beam when the laser beam path points at a relevant region of each nematode for a laser shot.