Abstract: This invention concerns a spectroscopic method, apparatus for determining whether a component is present in a sample. In one aspect, the method includes resolving a model of the spectral data separately for candidates from a set of predetermined component reference spectra, and determining whether a component is present in the sample based upon a figure of merit quantifying an effect of including the candidate reference spectrum corresponding to that component in the model.

Abstract: A method of measuring the performance of a spectroscopy system including obtaining a plurality of component spectra for each component of a set of components that are to be identified by the system, the component spectra obtained for variations of at least one factor that affects the component spectrum. Sample spectra and then simulated, each sample spectrum simulated for a corresponding potential sample using at least one different component spectrum and/or a different amount of at least one of the component spectra to that used to simulate the other sample spectra. The sample spectra are analysed to obtain, for each sample spectrum, a measured quantity and/or quality for a characteristic of the corresponding potential sample and a measure of performance generated based upon the measured quantities and/or qualities. The invention also concerns apparatus for carrying out this method.

Abstract: A kit for use in a multiplex assay, the kit including a dye set consisting essentially of a plurality of dyes and an association of each dye to a reference concentration. The dye set has been selected such that, using surface enhanced resonant Raman spectroscopy, each dye of the set is identifiable at better than 90% sensitivity and 90% specificity in the presence of any other dye of the set throughout a range of concentrations of each of the two dyes from 0.6 to 1.5 of the respective dye's reference concentration. In one embodiment, the dye set consists of 10 of the following dyes: JOE, Rhodamine Green, ATTO520, BODIPY FL, BODIPY TMR-X, FAM, HEX, Cy3, Cy3.5, TAMRA and TYE563. The invention also concerns a multiplex assay including the set of dyes, apparatus for carrying out the multiplex assay and a method of selecting the set of dyes.