Force discrimination assay
US6180418A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 20, 1998 |
| Grant date | Jan 30, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 20, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01N33/585
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A sensor for a selected target species has (a) a substrate which has been chemically modified by attachment of substrate modifiers; (b) one or more magnetically active beads which have been chemically modified by attachment of bead modifiers, where these bead modifiers will have a binding affinity for the substrate modifiers in the presence of the target species, and a measurably different binding affinity for the substrate modifiers in the absence of the target species; (c) an adjustable source of a magnetic field for exerting a force on the beads; and (d) an imaging system, for observing and counting beads bound to the substrate. In a preferred embodiment, the invention further has a system for identifying clusters of beads, and for removing the effect of such clusters from measurements of the target analyte. As with other assays, the sensor relies on the ability of certain molecules to bind with specific target (analyte) molecules. By coating the beads and the substrate with appropriate molecules, the beads will (or will not) bind specifically to the substrate in the presence (or absence) of the target molecule. When a magnetic field is applied to the substrate, the magnetic bea…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.