Compositions and methods for cell-like calibration particles

Inventors

Kim, Jeffrey • Nguyen, Anh Tuan • Miller, Brandon

Assignees

Slingshot Biosciences Inc

Abstract

A method includes calibrating a cytometric device for analysis of a target cell, by inserting, into the cytometric device, a hydrogel particle. The hydrogel particle has at least one of a background fluorescent property or a spectral property that is substantially similar to the at least one of a background fluorescent property or a spectral property of the target cell. The method also includes measuring at least one property of the hydrogel particle using the cytometric device.

Core Innovation

The invention provides a composition comprising a hydrogel particle with a polymer matrix and a background fluorescent property that is substantially similar to a background fluorescent property of a target cell. The hydrogel particle is configured to bind to a conjugated fluorophore via an antibody in one embodiment, so that the hydrogel particle presents a background fluorescence behavior resembling that of the target cell.

The invention addresses limitations associated with using polystyrene beads by providing hydrogel particles whose background fluorescent property is matched to the target cell. The background fluorescent property is characterized using timing-related parameters and/or response-related parameters, including inter-laser delay, fluorescence response, or sort timing, to support fluorescence compensation and spectral analysis.

In another embodiment, the hydrogel particle is configured to bind to at least one of an intercalating nucleic acid labeling reagent or an amine-reactive labeling reagent while maintaining the substantially similar background fluorescent property relative to the target cell. The hydrogel particle is further defined by selectable polymer chemistry and optional constraints on optical and physical properties.

Claims Coverage

The partial content includes two independent claims. Both independent claims center on hydrogel particles with a polymer matrix and a background fluorescent property substantially similar to that of a target cell, with different binding modalities.

Across the independent claims, the core inventive coverage is the combination of a hydrogel particle with a polymer matrix, a background fluorescent property substantially similar to a target cell’s background fluorescent property, and a configurable binding interface to either an antibody-associated conjugated fluorophore or to intercalating or amine-reactive labeling reagents.

Stated Advantages

Documented Applications