Automated Microdissection Instrument

Abstract

Systems and methods for automated laser microdissection are disclosed including automatic slide detection, position detection of cutting and capture lasers, focus optimization for cutting and capture lasers, energy and duration optimization for cutting and capture lasers, inspection and second phase capture and/or ablation in a quality control station and tracking information for linking substrate carrier or output microdissected regions with input sample or slide.

1 - 17 . (canceled) 
     
     
         18 . A method for automatically determining the location of a laser beam projection on a worksurface area of a laser microdissection instrument that is operatively coupled to a microprocessing device and a digital image acquisition system containing a digital image sensor, the method comprising the steps of:
 emitting the laser beam at an intensity at a level sufficient to be detected by the digital image sensor;   detecting the light intensity of the laser beam by the digital image sensor;   determining the pixel location of the increased light intensity on the digital image sensor;   converting the pixel location of the increased light intensity on the digital image sensor to a coordinate location corresponding to the worksurface area; and   assigning the coordinate location to the location of the laser beam.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18  further including the step of turning off background illumination. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 18  further including the step of moving the laser beam from the assigned coordinate location to a target location. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 18  further including the step of increasing the intensity of the laser beam. 
     
     
         22 - 27 . (canceled) 
     
     
         28 . A method for laser microdissection instrument comprising the steps of:
 providing a first substrate having a transfer film attached;   providing a second substrate having biological material;   introducing the second substrate with the biological material into the laser microdissection instrument;   identifying at least one targeted portion of biological material on the second substrate;   bringing the first substrate into juxtaposition with the second substrate on the side of the biological material in the location of the at least one targeted portion of biological material;   providing a first laser source;   activating the first laser source to activate at least one region of the transfer film to adhere at least one portion of biological material to the transfer film;   transferring at least one portion of biological material from the second substrate to the transfer film and first substrate; and   recording at least one tracking information associated with the first substrate.   
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 28  further outputting the at least one tracking information upon user request. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 28  wherein the at least one tracking information includes information related to the historical location of the cap. 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 28 —wherein the at least one tracking information includes information related the biological material. 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 28  wherein the step of recording at least one tracking information includes recording at least one tracking information associated with the first substrate linking the first substrate, the biological material, and the at least one second substrate from which the biological material was removed. 
     
     
         33 . A digital microscope for observing a sample, comprising:
 a worksurface for receiving a sample; the worksurface intersecting a primary optical axis of the microscope;   a substrate receiving location on the worksurface for receiving a sample-bearing substrate; the worksurface having a first opening in the substrate receiving location for alignment with the primary optical axis to permit pathing of light through the first opening in the worksurface;   a digital image acquisition system including an image sensor configured to automatically detect the presence of the substrate in the substrate-receiving location.   
     
     
         34 . The digital microscope of  claim 33  further including a quality control station. 
     
     
         35 . The digital microscope of  claim 34  wherein the quality control station is located on the worksurface: the worksurface having a second opening in the location of the quality control station permitting the pathing of light through the second opening in the worksurface. 
     
     
         36 . The digital microscope of  claim 33  further including at least one laser source optically coupled to the microscope to path laser light along the primary optical axis for laser microdissection of the sample introduced on the sample-bearing substrate. 
     
     
         37 . The digital microscope of  claim 33  wherein the digital image acquisition system is configured to automatically detect the presence of the substrate in the substrate-receiving location by detecting a light intensity differential when a sample-bearing substrate is placed in the substrate receiving-location. 
     
     
         38 . The digital microscope of  claim 33  wherein the digital image acquisition system is configured to capture an image of the sample after the presence of a sample-bearing surface is detected in the substrate-receiving location.