Methods and devices for optical monitoring and rapid analysis of drying droplets

Abstract

Abstract of the Disclosure Devices for optical monitoring and rapid analysis of a drying droplet are presented and include a droplet deposition means, an optical recording means, and a computer control and image analysis means. In several preferred embodiments, a pipette is used to deposit one or more droplets in parallel onto a slide, a plate or a film, and a digital microscope is positioned either above or below the droplet to record a timed sequence of images of the process of drying thereof. Various chemical compounds coating the deposition slide can be used to enhance the test further. Image analysis includes data filtering, dividing the image into a plurality of overlapping windows, and analysis of formation and change in patterns over time. If used with biological fluids, the devices and methods of the invention can be used for rapid diagnosis of a variety of conditions and diseases.

1.  A device for optical monitoring and rapid analysis of a drying droplet, said device comprising: 
        a droplet deposition means adapted to accept said droplet, 
       
         an optical recording means positioned about said droplet deposition means and adapted to record a timed sequence of images of said droplet during a process of drying thereof, and 
       
       
         a computer control and image analysis means including data collecting means operably connected to said optical recording means to collect said timed sequence of images of said drying droplet, said computer means also including image analysis and processing means to provide rapid analysis of said droplet. 
       
     
     
         2.   The device as in  claim 1 , wherein said droplet deposition means further comprising: 
       
         a droplet deposition plate means, and 
       
       
         a pipette means adapted to deposit said droplet of said solution onto said droplet deposition plate means, said pipette means positioned above said droplet deposition plate means and in operable relation therewith. 
       
     
     
         3.  The device as in  claim 1 , wherein said droplet deposition means comprising said droplet deposition plate means including a slide supplied by a slide feed from a glass cassette compartment. 
     
     
         4.  The device as in  claim 1 , wherein said droplet deposition means comprising said droplet deposition plate means including a film supported by a first roller and a second roller, said droplet deposition means further including control means to advance said film from said first roller to said second roller. 
     
     
         5.  The device as in  claim 4 , wherein said film is divided into a plurality of parallel lanes, said droplet deposition means further including a pipette having multiple tips adapted to deposit a plurality of droplets one on each lane of said film in parallel. 
     
     
         6.  The device as in  claim 5 , wherein said lanes each coated with a target agent compound to enhance the sensitivity of said analysis. 
     
     
         7.  The device as in  claim 6 , wherein said target agent compound is selected from a group consisting of a salt, a detergent, a surfactant, a cosolvent, a polymer, an agent containing an optical marker, and a denaturant. 
     
     
         8.   The device as in  claim 4 , wherein said droplet deposition plate means further comprising a third roller, said film adapted to be turned around about said second roller to invert thereof and then directed towards said third roller. 
     
     
         9.  The device as in  claim 1 , wherein said optical recording means positioned underneath said droplet deposition means to observe said droplet from below. 
     
     
         10.  The device as in  claim 1 , wherein said optical recording means positioned above said droplet deposition means to observe said droplet from above. 
     
     
         11.  The device as in  claim 1 , wherein said computer control and image analysis means further comprising remote communication means. 
     
     
         12.  The device as in  claim 1 , wherein said droplet is a biological fluid. 
     
     
         13.  The device as in  claim 1 , wherein said optical recording means including a digital microscope and a light source positioned on the opposite side of said droplet deposition means from said digital microscope. 
     
     
         14.  The device as in  claim 1 , wherein said droplet deposition means including a climate control chamber. 
     
     
         15.  A method for optical monitoring and rapid analysis of a drying droplet comprising the steps of: 
       
         providing a droplet deposition means, 
       
       
         depositing a droplet onto said droplet deposition means, 
       
       
         providing an optical recording means, 
       
       
         recording a timed sequence of images of said droplet during a process of drying thereof, and 
       
       
         analyzing said timed sequence of images to provide rapid analysis of said droplet. 
       
     
     
         16.  The method as in  claim 15 , wherein said droplet is a biological fluid and said step “e” includes providing a diagnosis for a patient from which said biological fluid is taken. 
     
     
         17.  The method as in  claim 15 , wherein said step “b” including depositing a plurality of droplets at the same time. 
     
     
         18.  The method as in  claim 15 , wherein said step “e” including a step of data filtering. 
     
     
         19.  The method as in  claim 15 , wherein said step “e” further including a step of dividing each image of said sequence into a plurality of overlapping windows and analyzing each window for formation and change of patterns of said drying droplet over time. 
     
     
         20.  The method as in  claim 19 , wherein said step of dividing each image into a plurality of windows further including a step of measuring informativity of said window. 
     
     
         21.  The method as in  claim 15 , wherein said step “e” further including a step of conducting a multi-scale pass through said timed sequence of images starting with a large step and repeating thereof with smaller steps until a kernel of a change is localized. 
     
     
         22.  The method as in  claim 15 , wherein said step “a” of providing a droplet deposition means further including coating said means with a target agent compound to cause a chemical reaction with at least a portion of said droplet. 
     
     
         23.  The method as in  claim 1 , wherein said step “a” of providing a droplet deposition means further including patterning said droplet deposition means to influence the process of crystallization of said droplet onto said droplet deposition means. 
     
     
         24.  The method as in  claim 23 , wherein said patterning is a geometrical patterning. 
     
     
         25.  The method as in  claim 23 , wherein said patterning is with biological ligands or nucleation centers. 
     
     
         26.  The method as in  claim 15 , wherein said step “a” of providing a droplet deposition means further including providing a light means to illuminate the droplet, and said step “d” further including illuminating the droplet with visible, IR, UV, or fluorescent light of a predetermined wavelength. 
     
     
         27.  The method as in  claim 15 , wherein said step “d” further including at least one step of zooming to slow down the drying process when a sharp structural transition of the droplet is about to occur. 
     
     
         28.  The method as in  claim 27 , wherein said step of zooming is achieved by varying one or more of the parameters affecting the speed of drying of said droplet, these parameters selected from the group comprising temperature, humidity, mechanical agitation, electrical stimuli, magnetic stimuli, sound stimuli, and light stimuli. 
     
     
         29.  The method as in  claim 28 , wherein said droplet deposition means further including a climate controlled chamber surrounding said droplet and said step of zooming including varying a temperature or humidity inside said climate controlled chamber. 
     
     
         30.  The method as in  claim 1 , wherein said step “e” further including a step of determining an end of the drying process of said droplet. 
     
     
         31.  A home-based diagnostic device for optical monitoring of a drying droplet of a biological fluid from a patient, said device comprising: 
        a droplet deposition means adapted to accept said droplet, 
       
         an optical illumination and recording means positioned about said droplet deposition means and adapted to record a timed sequence of images of said droplet during a process of drying thereof, and 
       
       
         a computer control and image analysis means including data collecting means operably connected to said optical recording means to collect said timed sequence of images of said drying droplet, said computer means also including remote communication means to transmit said data to a remote location for further data analysis to provide diagnosis of said patient. 
       
     
     
         32.  The device as in  claim 31 , wherein said droplet deposition means further including a droplet deposition plate and a slide movement means adapted to automatically draw the deposition plate into said device to start the drying process to collect said sequence of images and to discard said deposition plate once said drying process is complete.