US3912929A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Cell-by-cell condition detecting
Assignee: UNITED STATES TRUST Co
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Filing: 1973-12-10
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Granted: 1975-10-14
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Expires: 1993-12-10
Abstract
Abstract A patient population of cells in a tissue sample is treated with a solution containing radioactive gallium to allow the gallium to be absorbed by the cells. The cells are examined to determine amounts of radioactive material absorbed by the cells by passage of the solution through a cell counter and scintillation counter. Outputs of the counters are correlated to produce signals indicative of the gallium absorption of each cell. The amount of gallium absorption by a cell is a function of malignancy. The signals are processed to produce a histogram of the cell population for a patient. The histogram shows the number of cells of each radioactivity level plotted against the radioactivity level per cell. The apparatus and process are also usable in connection with other cytological measurements.
Inventors
- 👤 Carolus M Cobb
- 👤 Martin Annis
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-28 06:28
CPC Classifications
G; G01; G01N; G01N15/00; G01N15/10; G01N33/00; G01N33/48; G01N33/50; G01N33/58; G01N33/60
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 21
Claim 1
Independent Claim
103 words
A method of cell-by-cell cytological examination comprising, forming a test suspension by suspending a cell population of a type having a variable radioactivity level as an indication of cell condition in a liquid, flowing the test suspension under conditions producing a flow series of suspended cells, providing a cell signal representative of cells flowing past a given point, measuring the radioactivity of a portion of the test suspension comprising essentially one cell for a given period of time, and recording the radioactivity during each given period of time to provide an indication of the radioactivity of each cell flowing past said given point.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
103 words
A method of cell-by-cell cytological examination comprising, forming a test suspension by suspending a cell population of a type having a variable radioactivity level as an indication of cell condition in a liquid, flowing the test suspension under conditions producing a flow series of suspended cells, providing a cell signal representative of cells flowing past a given point, measuring the radioactivity of a portion of the test suspension comprising essentially one cell for a given period of time, and recording the radioactivity during each given period of time to provide an indication of the radioactivity of each cell flowing past said given point.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
40 words
A method of cell-by-cell cytological examination in accordance with claim 1 wherein a radioactive form of gallium is dissolved in said liquid, and further comprising, treating the cell population sample in said liquid to enhance gallium uptake by the cells.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
25 words
A method of cell-by-cell cytological examination in accordance with claim 2 and further comprising, treating the solution to increase ionic activity of the test suspension.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
85 words
A method of cell-by-cell cytological examination in accordance with claim 3 wherein said step of treating comprises adjusting the pH of the solution to a range of 2.0 to 4.5 and adding neutral salt thereto to increase ionic activity of the solution, then equilibrating the solution for gallium absorption by cells, then separating out a highly concentrated cell suspension from the solution to isolate cells as substantially the sole radioactive sources in the liquid, and diluting the concentrated cell suspension to form said test suspension.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
22 words
A method of cell-by-cell cytological examination accordance with claim 4 wherein said dilution is provided by a particulate-free, laminarly flowing carrier stream.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
18 words
A method of cell-by-cell cytological examination in accordance with claim 2 wherein the radioactive gallium is gallium-67 isotope.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
23 words
A method of cell-by-cell cytological examination in accordance with claim 2 wherein the gallium is tagged by combination of a radioactive element therewith.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
49 words
A method of cell-by-cell cytological examination in accordance with claim 1 and further comprising, enabling a radioactivity counter after a delay interval corresponding to the transit time of a cell from a first location where cells are counter to a second location where radioactivity of each cell is counted.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
115 words
Apparatus for cell-by-cell cytological examination comprising, means for flowing past a given point a series of suspended cells that may be characterized by radioactivity representative of cell condition, counting means at said given point for providing a cell signal representative of a cell flowing past said given point, means defining a radioactivity counting region for accepting said series of suspended cells after they pass said given point. scintillation counting means adjacent said radioactivity counting region for providing a radioactivity signal representative of the radioactivity in the latter region, and means responsive to said cell signal and said radioactivity signal for providing a signal representing the radioactivity of a cell represented by a particular cell signal.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
115 words
Apparatus for cell-by-cell cytological examination comprising, means for flowing past a given point a series of suspended cells that may be characterized by radioactivity representative of cell condition, counting means at said given point for providing a cell signal representative of a cell flowing past said given point, means defining a radioactivity counting region for accepting said series of suspended cells after they pass said given point. scintillation counting means adjacent said radioactivity counting region for providing a radioactivity signal representative of the radioactivity in the latter region, and means responsive to said cell signal and said radioactivity signal for providing a signal representing the radioactivity of a cell represented by a particular cell signal.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
61 words
Apparatus in accordance with claim 9 and further comprising, electrical data processing means connected to said scintillation counting means for producing a machine readable record of scintillation counts, said data processing means being operatively connected to said signal triggering means to initiate said record production and to correlate cell counting and decay counting in preselected timed relation to said counting steps.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
37 words
Apparatus in accordance with claim 10 further comprising, means for producing in histogram form a statistically correlated output of different measured decay count and corresponding numbers of counted cells which had each of the respective decay counts.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
98 words
A method of cell-by-cell cytological examination in accordance with claim 1 wherein said step of measuring the radioactivity includes the steps of, flowing said test suspension through a radioactivity counting region adjacent to a scintillation counter spaced from said given point, and receiving count signals from said scintillation counter at a predetermined time that is related to the time each cell flows past said given point represented by said cell signal while the cell represented by the latter cell signal is in said radioactivity counting region to provide a signal representative of the radioactivity of the latter cell.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
30 words
A method of cell-by-cell cytological examination in accordance with claim 12 wherein said cells flow past said given point at a rate of one cell per 0.01 to 1 second.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
25 words
A method of cell-by-cell cytological examination in accordance with claim 12 wherein said time interval is within the range of substantially 0.2 to 1 second.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
37 words
A method of cell-by-cell cytological examination in accordance with claim 12 and further including the step of maintaining laminar flow of said test suspension from at least said test point to at least said radioactivity counting region.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
38 words
A method of cell-by-cell cytological examination in accordance with claim 12 and further including the step of establishing the average spacing between cells flowing past said given point as substantially twice the length of said radioactivity counting region.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
52 words
A method of cell-by-cell cytological examination in accordance with claim 12 and further including the step of controlling the introduction of cells into the test suspension flowing past said given point in response to said cell signal to maintain a predetermined cell concentration in said test suspension flowing past said given point.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
52 words
A method of cell-by-cell cytological examination in accordance with claim 12 and further including the steps of classifying said cells into cells of different sizes, and combining said count signals and the cell signal to provide a sequence of said count signals each identified with a cell of a particular size classification.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
46 words
Apparatus for cell-by-cell cytological examination in accordance with claim 9 and further comprising, cell size classifying means in association with said counting means for providing a plurality of said cell signals each representative of a cell of a particular size classification flowing past said given point.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1978-10-13 | 1979-04-14 | 1979-10-14 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1982-10-13 | 1983-04-14 | 1983-10-14 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1986-10-13 | 1987-04-14 | 1987-10-14 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |