Seiko Epson of Tokyo has received US Patent No. 8,011,762, "Droplet discharging head and method of manufacturing the same, and droplet discharging device and method of manufacturing the same." The described droplet discharging head includes a cavity substrate, consisting of a chamber having a bottom wall serving as a vibration plate, and an electrode substrate, including an individual electrode that faces the vibration plate with a gap and drives the vibration plate, and a driver integrated circuit that couples with the individual electrode and applies a voltage to the individual electrode. The cavity substrate also includes an opening that penetrates the cavity substrate and serves to house the driver integrated circuit, and an insulation film formed on a wall face of the first opening.
The University of Iowa Research Foundation of Iowa City and Columbia University of New York have received US Patent No. 8,012,683, "Variants in complement regulatory genes predict age-related macular degeneration." The patent provides microarrays for identifying a subject at increased risk for developing AMD. The array probes are capable of hybridizing under stringent conditions to one or more nucleic acid molecules having a protective polymorphism. Examples of such protective polymorphisms include: a) R32Q in BF (rs641153); b) L9H in BF (rs4151667); c) IVS 10 in C2 (rs547154); and d) E318D in C2 (rs9332739). Such arrays can contain probes capable of hybridizing to other nucleic acid molecules having a polymorphism that includes: a) the delTT polymorphism in CFH; b) the R150R polymorphism in BF; and c) the Y402H polymorphism in CFH.
Goodgene of Seoul, Korea, has received US Patent No. 8,012,684, "Mutated AQP, method for detecting cancer using the same, DNA chip having oligonucleotides of said mutated AQP sequence." The patent describes mutations of the aquaporin 5, or AQP5 protein-coding gene, as well as a method for detecting cancer using mutations and expression of AQP5 using a microarray. According to the patent, the array is fabricated by synthesizing oligonucleotide primers so that each base of AQP5 cDNA is analyzed by two different oligonucleotides, so that one is for sense and the other is for antisense; modifying the 5' end of primers with a chemical linker; and spotting the primers onto a slide. The assay consists of preparing target DNAs by PCR amplification of the coding sequence of AQP5 followed by fragmentation of the PCR products into nucleotides of 50 bp to 100 bp in length; adding the fragmented PCR products and four fluorescence-labeled dideoxynucleotides and DNA polymerase onto the chip; mixing them; performing an arrayed primer extension reaction; and analyzing the results of the reaction using a four-color fluorescence DNA scanner.
Ryogen of Suffern, NY, has received US Patent No. 8,012,687, "Isolated genomic polynucleotide fragments from chromosome 19 that encode human resistin and the human syntaxin binding protein 2." The patent describes isolated genomic polynucleotide fragments that encode human resistin and human syntaxin binding protein 2, vectors and hosts containing these fragments, and fragments hybridizing to noncoding regions as well as antisense oligonucleotides to these fragments. Methods of using these fragments to obtain human resistin and human syntaxin binding protein 2 and to diagnose, treat, and prevent a pathological disorder are also claimed. Additionally, an isolated nucleic acid molecule consisting of a sequence segment of between 40 and 800 nucleotides in length consisting of a contiguous coding and non-coding nucleic acid sequence of a specified sequence is claimed. The nucleic acid molecule is labeled with a detectable substance, and an array containing the nucleic acid molecule is provided.
Life Technologies of Carlsbad, Calif., has received US Patent No. 8,012,688, "Gene expression profiling from FFPE samples." A method for global amplification and analysis of expressed RNA from cells of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded sample is described. It includes synthesizing cDNA strands from RNA extracted from an FFPE sample; amplifying the cDNA strands to produce amplified molecules; and hybridizing the amplified molecules to a microarray, where the hybridization produces signals that reflect the RNA expressed in the cells.
Life Technologies has also received US Patent No. 8,012,703, "Microarrays and uses therefor." The patent describes a method of determining gene expression at the protein level by contacting an array of characterized or uncharacterized antibodies on a solid surface with one or more proteins and identifying the antibodies to which the proteins bind. The method can be used to compare the protein expression in two different populations of cells, such as normal cells and cancer cells or resting cells and stimulated cells. In addition, the patent describes a method of determining gene expression at the protein level by contacting a microarray of nucleic acid samples derived from a variety of different sources with one or more nucleic acid probes and then identifying the sample or samples to which the probe binds.
The Agency for Science, Technology and Research of Singapore has received US Patent No. 8,013,129, "Protein separation device." The device includes a chaperone protein immobilized on a substrate. In one embodiment, the chaperone protein is an Hsp60 chaperone, preferably a group one chaperone, preferably GroEL. A method for isolating a protein from a biological sample using the protein separation device is also claimed.
Biometrix Technology of Chuncheon, Korea, has received US Patent No. 8,013,188, "Iminecalixarene derivatives and aminocalixarene derivatives, method of preparation thereof, and self-assembled monolayer prepared by the method, fixing method of oligo-DNA by using the self-assembled monolayer, and oligo-DNA chip prepared by the method." A method of preparing iminecalixarene derivatives, a resulting self-assembled monolayer, and a means to fix DNA to the self-assembled monolayer, are all claimed. Also provided is a method of preparing novel aminocalixarene, a resulting, self-assembled monolayer, and a means to fix DNA to the layer in a liquid phase.
Mitsubishi of Tokyo has received US Patent No. 8,014,958, "Method for confirming positions on which probes are immobilized in nucleic acid array." The method includes defining the number of zones to which the nucleic acid probes immobilized on the nucleic acid array belong and one or more given pieces of identification information; preparing complementary nucleic acid molecules and preparing nucleic acid arrays; contacting each of the nucleic acid arrays with the corresponding group of the nucleic acid samples to detect signals derived from hybrids between the nucleic acid probes immobilized on the nucleic acid arrays and the complementary nucleic acid molecules; matching patterns of expression of the signals detected to patterns of the numerical values allocated; and confirming the immobilization conditions when the patterns of expression match the patterns of the numeric values.
Codexis Mayflower Holdings of Redwood City, Calif., has received US Patent No. 8,014,961, "Integrated systems and methods for diversity generation and screening." The systems use common fluid and array handling components to provide nucleic acid diversification, transcription, translation, product screening and subsequent diversification reactions. Automated devices for performing nucleic acid shuffling and other diversity generating reactions in vitro and in vivo are also claimed. The devices can include modules for generating diversity in nucleic acids, for recombining these nucleic acids, for arraying the nucleic acids, for making or copying arrays of reaction mixtures comprising shuffled mutated or otherwise diversified nucleic acids, and for performing in vitro translation or transcription of diverse libraries of nucleic acids in an array-based format.