Siemens of Munich, Germany, has received US Patent No. 7,488,578, “Method for detecting DNA point mutations (single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analysis) and associated arrangement.” The patent claims the following method. A liquid DNA sample to be analyzed is guided over a DNA chip in a defined time course. After successful hybridization, the temperature is modified in a defined manner under low stringency conditions so that scavenger/target DNA hybrids are melted. The melting of the scavenger/target DNA hybrids is detected and evaluated according to the temperature. In addition to the DNA chip, at least one device is provided that controls and regulates the temperature, and another device is provided that controls a lateral flow of liquid against the surface of the DNA chip.
BioChain Institute of Hayward, Calif., has received US Patent No. 7,488,579, “Methods and compositions to extract DNA, RNA and protein simultaneously from biological samples.” This patent claims a set of methods to extract DNA, RNA and protein simultaneously from biomaterials by reagents with high pH. DNA and RNA can be extracted from an upper aqueous phase simultaneously either together as a DNA and RNA mixture or separated DNA and RNA. Protein can be extracted from lower organic phase. The DNA and RNA mixture can be used either as DNA or RNA directly depending on applications without further separation, or as resource for the separated DNA and RNA that can be selected from the DNA and RNA mixture by selective precipitation and/or by selective enzyme digestions.
Agilent Technologies has received US Patent No. 7,488,607, “Electronically readable microarray with electronic addressing function.” The patent claims methods and an apparatus for electronically addressing and interrogating microarrays. The described microarrays include a plurality of features disposed on a substrate. Each of the features has a first electrode disposed on the substrate, a second electrode disposed on the substrate, and a probe disposed between the first electrode and second electrode. The substrate also includes addressing circuitry in operable relation to the features. The method of using the microarrays is also described.
The University of California of Oakland has received US Patent No. 7,488,576, “Methods for diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric disorders.” The patent provides convergent functional genomics methods for the identification of candidate genes associated with psychiatric disorders such as mania and psychosis, as well as other multi-faceted diseases and syndromes. The methods involve determining changes in gene expression between treated and untreated tissues by using a quantitative hybridization assay and oligonucleotide microarrays.