Patent ID: 7776571

Claim:
An analytical device comprising: a housing at least partially enclosing a multi-substrate chip, wherein the multi-substrate chip includes a gel matrix that comprises a light-blocking material, wherein at least two positional markers and a plurality of substrates are coupled to the gel matrix, and wherein the gel matrix comprises a material selected from the group consisting of agarose, gelatin, and polyacrylamide; wherein the housing is configured to allow illumination of the at least two positional markers from a first position above the gel matrix by a first light source at a first angle such that two reference signals are produced; wherein the housing is further configured to allow illumination of a labeled analyte bound to at least one of the plurality of substrates from a second position above the matrix by a second light source at a second angle such that an analyte signal is produced, wherein the first angle and the second angle are not identical; wherein the positional markers are configured to produce first fluorescence signals and wherein the labeled analyte is configured to produce a second fluorescence signal; wherein the at least two reference markers and each of the plurality of substrates are disposed on the multi-substrate chip in predetermined spatial relationships to each other to allow determination of a correct focal plane for each of the plurality of substrates; wherein the housing is still further configured to allow acquisition of the reference signals and the analyte signal when the multi-substrate chip is in a substantially horizontal position; wherein the multi-substrate chip is disposed within an open cavity that is at least partially formed by the housing, and wherein the cavity has a predetermined volume of between 0.01 ml and 10 ml; and wherein the open cavity is configured to allow reagent addition and illumination of at least one of the plurality of substrates from a point outside the housing without passing through a wall of the housing or without passing through a channel that connects the open cavity with an outside of the housing.