Patent · US Expired

Detecting cells using tellurapyrylium dihydroxides

US5082771A · kind A · utility

2Cited by
14References
1Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateJun 27, 1989
Grant dateJan 21, 1992
Priority date
Expiry dateJun 27, 2009

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY10S436/903
  • WIPO fieldBiotechnology
  • WIPO sectorChemistry

Abstract

A process for detecting the presence of living cells suspended in an aqueous medium preferably at a nearly neutral pH, which comprises: PA0 (a) reducing a tellurapyrylium Te(IV) dihydroxide (TPDH) with cells, optionally while using a substituted benzoquinone electron transfer agent to assist the reduction, thereby producing a change in light absorbance and PA0 (b) sensing the change in absorbance to detect or quantify the presence of the cells. The light absorbance change comprises the appearance of a new spectral peak from the product formed by reduction of the Te(IV) dihydroxide. The new peak has a high extinction coefficient in the near infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum, i.e., away from the spectral region where some biological components cause spectral interference. Consequently, detection methods provided by this invention have a high degree of sensitivity and are comparatively free from spectral interference caused by materials commonly present in biological materials.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.