National Taiwan University of Taipei has received US Patent No. 7,919,048, "Cellular microarray and its microfabrication method." The patent describes a cellular microarray that includes a substrate, multiple first conductive lines, multiple second conductive lines, and multiple planar interdigitated ring electrodes, or PIREs, arranged on the surface of the substrate in an array pattern. According to the patent, the cellular microarray can "adhere [to] the cells rapidly and uniformly, increase the output of manufacturing, and reduce the cost for manufacturing and application."
NanoString Technologies of Seattle has received US Patent No. 7,919,237, "Methods for detection and quantification of analytes in complex mixtures." The patent provides a diverse population of uniquely labeled probes, containing about thirty or more target specific nucleic acid probes each attached to a unique label bound to a nucleic acid. Also provided is a method of producing a population of uniquely labeled nucleic acid probes by synthesizing a population of target specific nucleic acid probes each having a different specifier; synthesizing a corresponding population of anti-gene digits each having a unique label; and hybridizing the populations of target nucleic acid probes to the anti-gene digits to produce a population in which each of the target specific probes is uniquely labeled.
Agilent Technologies of Santa Clara, Calif., has received US Patent No. 7,919,239, "Increasing hybridization efficiencies." The patent claims a method for selectively hybridizing a probe to a polynucleotide, by contacting a sample containing a first and second polynucleotide with a probe. The probe includes a number of nucleotides complementary to the first or second polynucleotide in the region of mismatch between the first and second polynucleotides. Arrays including the discussed probes and methods of using the arrays and the probes are also claimed.
Asuragen of Austin, Tex., has received US Patent No. 7,919,245, "Methods and compositions involving microRNA." The patent claims a method for identifying a patient as having a marker correlated with lung cancer based on an increase in miR-21 expression. The claimed approach includes analyzing miR-21 expression in a lung sample from a patient suspected of having lung cancer using a microRNA array; and identifying the patient as having a marker correlated with lung cancer if an increase in miR-21 expression compared to a noncancerous lung sample is detected in the lung sample or as not having a marker correlated with lung cancer if the increase fails to be detected.
The Children's Hospital & Research Center of Oakland, Calif., has received US Patent No. 7,919,279, "Methods and compositions for KIR genotyping." Methods for SNP-based killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor gene cluster genotyping using a matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight, or MALDI-TOF mass spectrometer are claimed. The methods involve amplifying target sequences of KIR genes, and detecting the presence or absence of SNPs of the KIR genes by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. Arrays of capture primers and extension primers are also claimed.
Corning of Corning, NY, has received US Patent No. 7,919,328, "Fluorescent ion doped glass and method for using the fluorescent ion doped glass to enhance fluorescence imaging techniques." In one embodiment, the fluorescent ion doped glass is used as a calibration standard to check the uniformity of an intensity profile of an excitation source. In another embodiment, the fluorescent ion doped glass is used as an offline calibration standard to normalize a native fluorescence image of one or more test samples such as a protein array.
Advanced Liquid Logic of Research Triangle Park, NC, has received US Patent No. 7,919,330, "Method of improving sensor detection of target molecules in a sample within a fluidic system." The patent claims a method for improving sensor detection of target molecules in a sample within a fluidic system. The method includes breaking the sample into a series of discrete droplets; moving each discrete droplet over a sensing site of a sensor to improve detection by furnishing multiple signals from the sensor; and washing the sensing site by moving at least one droplet of a wash solution over the sensing site.
Health Discovery of Savannah, Ga., has received US Patent No. 7,921,068, "Data mining platform for knowledge discovery from heterogeneous data types and/or heterogeneous data sources." The described data-mining platform consists of a number of system modules. Each module has an input data component, a data analysis engine for processing the input data, an output data component for outputting the results of the data analysis, and a web server to access and monitor the other modules within the unit and to provide communication to other units. Each module is capable of processing a different type of data, according to the inventors. For example, a first module processes microarray gene-expression data, while a second module processes biomedical literature on the Internet for information supporting relationships between genes and diseases and gene functionality.