US 12,078,632 B2
Process for carrying out an allergy test, process for determining degranulation in cells, device for carrying out an allergy test and microfluidic chip
Sander van den Driesche, Bremen (DE); Michael Vellekoop, Bremen (DE); Claas Falldorf, Bremen (DE); Christine Hafner, Vienna (AT); and Heimo Breiteneder, Vienna (AT)
Assigned to UNIVERSITÄT BREMEN, Bremen (DE); and MEDIZINISCHE UNIVERSITÄT WIEN, Vienna (AT)
Appl. No. 16/333,404
Filed by Universität Bremen, Bremen (DE); and Medizinische Universität Wien, Vienna (AT)
PCT Filed Sep. 14, 2017, PCT No. PCT/EP2017/073144
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Mar. 14, 2019,
PCT Pub. No. WO2018/050749, PCT Pub. Date Mar. 22, 2018.
Claims priority of application No. 10 2016 117 421.1 (DE), filed on Sep. 15, 2016.
Prior Publication US 2019/0250146 A1, Aug. 15, 2019
Int. Cl. G01N 33/50 (2006.01); B01L 3/00 (2006.01); G02B 21/08 (2006.01)
CPC G01N 33/5047 (2013.01) [B01L 3/502761 (2013.01); G01N 33/5076 (2013.01); G02B 21/086 (2013.01); G01N 2800/24 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A process for carrying out an allergy test, the process comprising:
contacting a blood sample with at least one allergen in vitro; and
detecting in vitro at least one allergic reaction or an absence of the at least one allergic reaction directly optically by means of a microscope comprising detecting a position of granules of cells by means of the microscope, wherein the cells comprise immunocytes, wherein the immunocytes of the blood sample are arranged in an at least one reaction chamber of a microfluidic chip, the at least one reaction chamber having an at least partially transparent configuration, wherein the granules are detected in a plurality of planes within the at least one reaction chamber, wherein degranulation of the immunocytes of the blood sample is detected with the microscope in case of the at least one allergic reaction, wherein the position of the granules in the immunocytes, a motion of the granules and/or the degranulation is detected within the at least one reaction chamber for an observation time, the observation time being one of about 1 minute to 10 minutes and about 60 seconds to 300 seconds, wherein one of: each of the plurality of planes is different from each other; and each of the planes is a horizontal plane.
 
16. A process for carrying out an allergy test, the process comprising:
contacting the blood sample with at least one allergen in vitro; and
determining in vitro at least one allergic reaction or an absence of the at least one allergic reaction by monitoring a position of granules of cells in a plurality of planes within an at least one reaction chamber of a microfluidic chip during an observation period via a microscope, each of the planes being different from one another and each of the planes being a horizontal plane, the cells comprising immunocytes, wherein the immunocytes of the blood sample are arranged in the at least one reaction chamber of the microfluidic chip, the at least one reaction chamber having an at least partially transparent configuration, the observation time being one of about 1 minute to 10 minutes and about 60 seconds to 300 seconds, wherein the at least one allergic reaction is determined when a degranulation of the immunocytes of the blood sample is detected and the absence of the at least one allergic reaction is determined when no degranulation of the immunocytes of the blood sample is detected.