Patent ID: 8660332

Claim:
An imaging system configured to acquire and analyze image data separately collected from a first population of cells and a second population of cells, where the image data for each of the first and the second population of cells include a plurality of images of individual cells that are acquired simultaneously, to enable differences between the first population and the second population of cells to be quantified, comprising: (a) a collection lens disposed so that light traveling from an individual cell passes through the collection lens and travels along a collection path; (b) a light dispersing element disposed in the collection path so as to disperse the light that has passed through the collection lens into a plurality of light beams, thereby producing dispersed light; (c) an imaging lens disposed to focus the dispersed light, producing focused dispersed light; (d) a detector disposed to receive the focused dispersed light, such that the focused dispersed light incident on the detector simultaneously produces a plurality of images of the individual cell, the plurality of images comprising the image data, wherein the plurality of images includes at least one type of image selected from the group consisting of: (i) darkfield images; (ii) brightfield images; and (iii) fluorescent images; and (e) a processor configured to analyze the image data for the plurality of images collected from individual cells in the first and second population of cells, to quantify at least one difference between the first population of cells and the second population of cells.