Cumulative differential chemical assay identification

Abstract

An apparatus comprising: a value receiver, configured to receive fluorescence values measured during a chemical reaction involving a test sample, each value pertaining to a respective physical parameter value, a difference calculator, configured to calculate differences, each difference being between respective one of the measured fluorescence values and one of reference fluorescence values of a reference sample, each reference fluorescence value pertaining to a respective physical parameter value, a cumulative index calculator, configured to calculate a cumulative index, by selecting a first difference among the calculated differences, and selecting and adding to the first difference differences, each one of the added differences being selected according to a proximity standard applied on each two differences selected in a sequence, the proximity standard being based on proximity of physical parameter values and difference size, and a similarity determiner, configured to determine similarity between the samples, using the calculated cumulative index.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . Apparatus for cumulative differential chemical assay identification, comprising:
 a value receiver, configured to receive a plurality of fluorescence values measured during a chemical reaction involving a test sample, each one of said fluorescence values pertaining to a respective one of a first series of physical parameter values;   a difference calculator, in communicated with said value receiver, configured to calculate a plurality of pairwise differences, each difference being between a respective one of said measured fluorescence values and a respective one of reference fluorescence values of a reference sample, each one of said reference fluorescence values pertaining to a respective one of a second series of physical parameter values;   a cumulative index calculator, in communicated with said difference calculator, configured to calculate a cumulative index, by selecting a first difference among said calculated pairwise differences, and selecting and adding to said first difference a plurality of ones of said pairwise differences, each one of the added differences being selected according to a proximity standard applied on each two differences selected in a sequence, the proximity standard being based on proximity of physical parameter values and on difference size; and   a similarity determiner, in communicated with said cumulative index calculator, configured to determine similarity between said test sample and said reference sample, using said calculated cumulative index.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the two series of the physical parameter values are identical. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said proximity standard is that each selected difference added to the first difference is smallest in a respective group consisting of calculated ones of: a difference between a measured fluorescence value pertaining to a highest among said physical parameter values of said first series lower than a physical parameter value to which a measured fluorescence value of a difference selected immediately before said added selected difference pertains and a reference fluorescence value pertaining to a highest among said physical parameter values of said second series lower than a physical parameter value to which a reference fluorescence value of said difference selected immediately before pertains, a difference between a measured fluorescence value pertaining to said highest among said physical parameter values of said first series lower than said physical parameter value to which said measured fluorescence value of said difference selected immediately before pertains and a reference fluorescence value pertaining to said physical parameter value to which said reference fluorescence value of said difference selected immediately before pertains, and a difference between a measured fluorescence value pertaining to said physical parameter value to which said measured fluorescence value of said difference selected immediately before pertains and a reference fluorescence value pertaining to said highest among said physical parameter values of said second series lower than said physical parameter value to which said reference fluorescence value of said difference selected immediately before pertains. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said proximity standard is that each selected difference added to the first difference is smallest in a respective group consisting of calculated ones of: a difference between a measured fluorescence value pertaining to a lowest among said physical parameter values of said first series higher than a physical parameter value to which a measured fluorescence value of a difference selected immediately before said added selected difference pertains and a reference fluorescence value pertaining to a lowest among said physical parameter values of said second series higher than a physical parameter value to which a reference fluorescence value of said difference selected immediately before pertains, a difference between a measured fluorescence value pertaining to said lowest among said physical parameter values of said first series higher than said physical parameter value to which said measured fluorescence value of said difference selected immediately before pertains and a reference fluorescence value pertaining to said physical parameter value to which said reference fluorescence value of said difference selected immediately before pertains, and a difference between a measured fluorescence value pertaining to said physical parameter value to which said measured fluorescence value of said difference selected immediately before pertains and a reference fluorescence value pertaining to said lowest among said physical parameter values of said second series higher than said physical parameter value to which said reference fluorescence value of said difference selected immediately before pertains. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said physical parameter is temperature. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said chemical reaction is a Linear After The Exponential (LATE) Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said chemical reaction is DNA Melting. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein each of said calculated pairwise differences is a difference between a reference fluorescence value and a measured fluorescence value pertaining to values of said physical parameter within a predefined difference from each other. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein each of said calculated pairwise differences is a difference between a reference fluorescence value and a measured fluorescence value within a predefined difference from each other. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein each of said calculated pairwise differences is a difference between a reference fluorescence value and a measured fluorescence value having a ratio below a predefined limit. 
     
     
         11 . Method for cumulative differential chemical assay identification, comprising:
 receiving a plurality of fluorescence values measured during a chemical reaction involving a test sample, each one of said fluorescence values pertaining to a respective one of a first series of physical parameter values;   calculating a plurality of pairwise differences, each difference being between a respective one of said measured fluorescence values and a respective one of reference fluorescence values of a reference sample, each one of said reference fluorescence values pertaining to a respective one of a second series of physical parameter values;   calculating a cumulative index, by selecting a first difference among said calculated pairwise differences, and selecting and adding to said first difference a plurality of ones of said pairwise differences, each one of the added differences being selected according to a proximity standard applied on each two differences selected in a sequence, the proximity standard being based on proximity of physical parameter values and on difference size; and   determining similarity between said test sample and said reference sample, using said calculated cumulative index.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the two series of the physical parameter values are identical. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein said proximity standard is that each selected difference added to the first difference is smallest in a respective group consisting of calculated ones of: a difference between a measured fluorescence value pertaining to a highest among said physical parameter values of said first series lower than a physical parameter value to which a measured fluorescence value of a difference selected immediately before said added selected difference pertains and a reference fluorescence value pertaining to a highest among said physical parameter values of said second series lower than a physical parameter value to which a reference fluorescence value of said difference selected immediately before pertains, a difference between a measured fluorescence value pertaining to said highest among said physical parameter values of said first series lower than said physical parameter value to which said measured fluorescence value of said difference selected immediately before pertains and a reference fluorescence value pertaining to said physical parameter value to which said reference fluorescence value of said difference selected immediately before pertains, and a difference between a measured fluorescence value pertaining to said physical parameter value to which said measured fluorescence value of said difference selected immediately before pertains and a reference fluorescence value pertaining to said highest among said physical parameter values of said second series lower than said physical parameter value to which said reference fluorescence value of said difference selected immediately before pertains. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein said proximity standard is that each selected difference added to the first difference is smallest in a respective group consisting of calculated ones of: a difference between a measured fluorescence value pertaining to a lowest among said physical parameter values of said first series higher than a physical parameter value to which a measured fluorescence value of a difference selected immediately before said added selected difference pertains and a reference fluorescence value pertaining to a lowest among said physical parameter values of said second series higher than a physical parameter value to which a reference fluorescence value of said difference selected immediately before pertains, a difference between a measured fluorescence value pertaining to said lowest among said physical parameter values of said first series higher than said physical parameter value to which said measured fluorescence value of said difference selected immediately before pertains and a reference fluorescence value pertaining to said physical parameter value to which said reference fluorescence value of said difference selected immediately before pertains, and a difference between a measured fluorescence value pertaining to said physical parameter value to which said measured fluorescence value of said difference selected immediately before pertains and a reference fluorescence value pertaining to said lowest among said physical parameter values of said second series higher than said physical parameter value to which said reference fluorescence value of said difference selected immediately before pertains. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein said physical parameter is temperature. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein said chemical reaction is a Linear After The Exponential (LATE) Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein said chemical reaction is DNA Melting. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein each of said calculated pairwise differences is a difference between a reference fluorescence value and a measured fluorescence value pertaining to values of said physical parameter within a predefined difference from each other. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein each of said calculated pairwise differences is a difference between a reference fluorescence value and a measured fluorescence value within a predefined difference from each other. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein each of said calculated pairwise differences is a difference between a reference fluorescence value and a measured fluorescence value having a ratio below a predefined limit.