Monitoring multiple reactions simultaneously and analyzing same

Claim 2

An apparatus according to claim 1 characterized in that it further comprises a light source optically coupled to said thermal cycler and arranged to distribute light over a portion of said heat conducting member having a plurality of said recesses formed therein.

Claim 3

An apparatus according to claim 1 characterized in that it further comprises means for generating an average value for light detected by said sensor with respect to each light emitting recess.

Claim 4

An apparatus according to claim 1 characterized in that it further comprises means for cycling the temperature of said heat conducting member according to a preselected temperature versus time profile for multiple cycles and multiple nucleic acid amplification reaction mixtures, each comprising a fluorescent binding agent, each mixture being disposed in a different one of said recesses; and in that said light source provides an essentially uniform light flux over a portion of said heat conducting member and a number of said reaction mixtures; and said sensor is optically coupled to said heat conducting member for detecting fluorescence emitted from each amplification reaction mixture excited by said light flux, simultaneously.

Claim 5

An apparatus according to claim 4 characterized in that it further comprises means for generating an average fluorescence intensity value for each excited reaction mixture based on the detected fluorescence therefor.

Claim 6

An apparatus according to claim 5 characterized in that it further comprises means for generating normalized fluorescence intensity values from said average fluorescence intensity values.

Claim 7

An apparatus according to claim 1 characterized in that said recesses of the heat conducting member of the thermal cycler are formed through a surface thereof for receiving reaction vessels containing a nucleic acid amplification reaction mixtures; and in that said sensor is an imaging device optically coupled to said heat conducting member for generating an image of said surface and reaction vessels when said vessels are disposed in said recesses of the heat conducting member.

Claim 8

An apparatus according to claim 7 including a light source arranged to provide light over said heat conducting member surface.

Claim 9

An apparatus according to claim 8 wherein said light source is arranged to distribute light essentially uniformly along said heat conducting member surface.

Claim 10

An apparatus according to claim 8 wherein said light source comprises a UV lamp.

Claim 11

An apparatus according to claim 7 wherein said imaging device comprises a CCD-imaging array.

Claim 12

An apparatus according to claim 1 characterized in that said heat conducting member of the thermal cycler has multiple recesses formed therein and adapted for receiving nucleic acid amplification reaction mixtures, and in that said apparatus further comprises a housing positioned over said heat conducting member and coupled to said thermal cycler; a light source arranged to emit light in said housing and toward said recesses; and a dichroic mirror positioned in said housing and above said recesses, said dichroic mirror being transmissive to light having a first wavelength and reflective to fight having a second wavelength that differs from said first wavelength; and said sensor being arranged to receive light reflected from said second surface of said dichroic mirror.

Claim 13

An apparatus according to claim 12 wherein said dichroic mirror is transmissive to light having a wavelength corresponding to the wavelength of light generated by the excitation light source and reflective to light having a wavelength corresponding to the wavelength of fluorescence emitted from a nucleic acid amplification mixture when that mixture is disposed in one of said recesses and exposed to light from the light source.

Claim 14

An apparatus according to claim 12 wherein said dichroic mirror is transmissive to light having a wavelength in the range of about 200-550 nm.

Claim 15

An apparatus according to claim 12 wherein said housing comprises opaque material and is constructed to form a light-tight chamber in which said dichroic mirror and sensor are arranged.

Claim 16

An apparatus according to claim 12 wherein said heat conducting member has an upper surface and said dichroic mirror forms an angle of about 45° with said upper surface.

Claim 17

An apparatus according to claim 12 wherein said sensor comprises a charge coupled device.

Claim 18

An apparatus according to claim 12 further including a shutter coupled to one of said light source and housing for permitting said recesses to be exposed to said light source at preselected intervals.

Claim 19

An apparatus according to claim 12 farther including a window comprising transparent material and a heating element coupled thereto, said window being disposed above said recesses and below said dichroic mirror.

Claim 20

An apparatus according to claim 12 further including a field lens arranged between said dichroic mirror and said sensor.

Claim 21

An apparatus according to claim 12 further including a filter wheel that is coupled to said sensor.

Claim 22

An apparatus according to claim 1 characterized in that said heat conducting member of the thermal cycler has multiple recesses formed therein and adapted for receiving nucleic acid amplification reaction mixtures including a nucleic acid sequence and a fluorescent binding agent and in that said apparatus further comprises a housing positioned over said heat conducting member and being coupled to said thermal cycler; a light source arranged to emit light in said housing; a sensor arranged in said housing; and a dichroic mirror positioned in said housing and above said recesses, said dichroic mirror being transmissive to light having a wavelength corresponding to the wavelength of light generated by the excitation light source and reflective to fight having a wavelength corresponding to the wavelength of fluorescence emitted from a nucleic acid amplification mixture, including a fluorescent binding agent, when that mixture is disposed in one of the recesses formed in the heat conducting member and exposed to light from the excitation light source, said mirror be oriented to form an optical path between said recesses and said sensor.

Claim 23

An apparatus according to claim 22 wherein said dichroic mirror includes a first surface and a second surface, said first surface generally facing said light source and said second surface generally facing said recesses and sensor.