Chemical and biological sensor using an ultra-sensitive force transducer
US5807758A · kind A · utility
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 21, 1995 |
| Grant date | Sep 15, 1998 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 21, 2015 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01N33/54373
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
The present invention is a method and apparatus for detecting a target species. The target molecule may be in liquid phase (in solution) or (for some embodiments of the invention) in vapor phase. A sensor according to the present invention monitors whether a target species has selectively bound to groups on the cantilever surface by monitoring the displacement of the cantilever, and hence the force acting on the cantilever. This force acting on the cantilever arises from the force acting on a structure that moves in electric or magnetic field, and that may be selectively bound to the cantilever. In the case of target species having a sufficiently large net electric charge or dipole moment, the target species itself may serve as the structure that moves in an electric field. More typically however, separate modified structures, such as modified magnetic beads or modified beads having a net charge or a dipole moment, will, when selectively bound to the cantilever, exert a force on the cantilever that relates to the presence of the target species.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.