Reactor, test apparatus, and test method
Inventors
Kim, Kui Hyun • PARK, Sang Bum • PARK, Joo Hee
Assignees
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Publication Number
US-9891174-B2
Publication Date
2018-02-13
Expiration Date
Abstract
Disclosed herein are a reactor, a test apparatus, and a test method, which measure, when a material included in a sample acts as an interfering material with respect to estimating a concentration of a target material, a concentration of the interfering material, and correct an estimated concentration of the target material based on the concentration of the interfering material, thereby improving the reliability and accuracy of the concentration of the target material. The reactor includes: a target material detecting chamber in which a first reagent that includes a first material that is activated by a target material is contained; a first material detecting chamber in which a second reagent that includes the target material is contained; an inlet hole into which a sample is injected; and a channel configured to connect the inlet hole, the target material detecting chamber, and the first material detecting chamber to each other.
Core Innovation
A test apparatus measures a concentration of a target material included in a sample using a detector comprising a light emitter and a light receiver, and a controller programmed to control light radiated to a target material detecting chamber and to detect light propagated through or reflected from the chamber. The target material detecting chamber contains a first reagent that includes a first material activated by the target material, and the detector output signals include information obtained using light of a first predetermined wavelength. The controller is also programmed to measure a concentration of the first material based on at least one output signal provided by the detector.
The test apparatus further uses a first material detecting chamber containing a second reagent that includes the target material, such that light propagated through or reflected from the target material detecting chamber and the first material detecting chamber is detected by the light receiver. The controller adjusts the measurement of the concentration of the target material based on the measured concentration of the first material, thereby correcting the target-material measurement with a measured value corresponding to the first material. Stored influence factors are used to determine the adjustment, including cases expressed as a relationship between a corrected target concentration and measured concentrations.
The described microfluidic reactor/test apparatus includes one or more interfering-material detecting chambers and measures optical characteristics using selected light wavelengths, and determines concentrations of the target and interfering material(s). The correction is performed using stored influence factors that represent how interfering-material concentrations affect the target concentration measurement, including an expression where a corrected target concentration is obtained by adding influence-weighted contributions from one or two interfering materials. Examples described include calcium/amylase interference using Ca2+ and Cl−, and potassium/pyruvate kinase interference using K+ and a reaction producing ATP.
Claims Coverage
The document includes one independent claim (clm-00001). The independent claim covers a detector/controller architecture that measures a target-material concentration while concurrently measuring a material concentration from an additional chamber and adjusting the target measurement using the measured material concentration and stored influence factors, including signed positive or negative factors.
Detector-controlled wavelength measurement with activated first material
A detector comprising a light emitter and a light receiver, and a controller programmed to control the light emitter to radiate light of a first predetermined wavelength to a target material detecting chamber containing a first reagent that includes a first material that is activated by the target material, and to control the light receiver to detect light that has propagated through or been reflected from the target material detecting chamber and the first material detecting chamber.
Target concentration adjustment based on measured first-material concentration
A controller programmed to measure a concentration of the first material based on at least one output signal provided by the detector, and to adjust the measurement of the concentration of the target material based on the measured concentration of the first material.
Stored influence factor correction using measured material concentration
The controller adjusts the target-material measurement using stored influence factors representing the degree to which a concentration of a first material affects the measurement, including correction using signed positive or negative factors applied to the measured concentrations to obtain an adjusted/corrected target concentration.
Overall, the claim coverage centers on using a light-emitter/light-receiver detector with a controller that measures target-related optical signals from a target material detecting chamber and a first material detecting chamber, measures the concentration of an activated first material (and, in further refinements, additional materials), and corrects the target concentration using stored influence factors and measured material concentrations.
Stated Advantages
Improves correlation for the measured target concentration using a stored influence factor correction (correlation coefficient R increases from 0.82 to 0.88 using K = −25 in an example).
Documented Applications
A microfluidic reactor/test apparatus for enzyme-based concentration sensing that corrects target-material measurements when sample constituents act as interfering materials.
Calcium/amylase interference example using Ca2+ to activate amylase and a correction approach to address chlorine/amylase interference.
Potassium/pyruvate kinase interference example using K+ to activate pyruvate kinase and correct measurements related to the described interference context.
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