Canon of Tokyo has received US Patent No. 7,827,982, "Ejection liquid and ejection method." The patent describes a method of ejecting a liquid from an inkjet printer, where the liquid contains proteins, peptides, a benzalkonium chloride, and a liquid medium containing water. The patent also claims a liquid-ejection device that includes a liquid-ejection head for ejecting a liquid by a thermal inkjet system, a tank for holding a liquid, and a liquid-feeding path for supplying the liquid held in the tank to the liquid-ejection head. According to the patent, the proteins and peptides ejected may include carcitonins, insulins, glucagons, interferons, protease inhibitors, cytokines, growth hormones, hematopoietic factor proteins, and antibodies.
Sandia of Livermore, Calif., has received US Patent No. 7,828,948, "Preconcentration and separation of analytes in microchannels." The patent claims a method for preconcentrating and separating analytes such as proteins and polynucleotides in microchannels. The patent also claims a device where at least one size-exclusion polymeric element is adjacent to a processing area or an assay area in a microchannel, which may be a porous polymeric element. According to the patent, the size-exclusion polymeric element may be used to manipulate analytes in a sample prior to assaying in the area.
Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique of Paris and BioMérieux of Marcy l'Etoile, France, have received US Patent No. 7,829,271, "Process for distributing drops of a liquid of interest onto a surface." The patent describes a process for the localized distribution of drops of a liquid of interest on an active surface. The process includes: introducing a liquid of interest into a box containing the active surface, and extracting the liquid of interest from the box. The patent also claims processes for the electrochemical and optical detection of at least one analyte in a liquid of interest, and to an electropolymerization process.
North Carolina State University of Raleigh has received US Patent No. 7,829,275, "Light addressable electrochemical detection of duplex structures." The patent claims a method of detecting the presence of an analyte, such as a target nucleic acid sequence, protein sequence, or small molecule, which can also be used to detect the formation of duplex structures. More specifically, the method can be employed to detect hybridization on an array and can be employed in sequencing, mutational analysis, and for monitoring gene expression. Additionally, the method is applicable to the detection of antibody binding or other protein binding for analyte detection in an array format.
Corning of Corning, NY, has received US Patent No. 7,829,290, "Method and device for protein delivery into cells." The patent claims methods for performing surface-mediated protein delivery into living cells, as well as fabricating protein-transfected cell cluster arrays. The method includes providing a protein-containing mixture; depositing the protein-containing mixture onto a surface at defined locations; affixing the protein-containing mixture to the surface as microspots; and plating cells onto the surface in sufficient density and under conditions for the proteins to be delivered into the cells. According to the patent, protein-transfected cell arrays may then be used to screen protein or enzymatic functions in the natural environment of a living cell, as well as for high-throughput screening of other biological and chemical analytes.
Eppendorf Array Technologies of Namur, Belgium, has received US Patent No. 7,829,313, "Identification and quantification of a plurality of biological (micro)organisms or their components." The patent claims a method for conducting real-time PCR, where capture molecules are immobilized on a solid support, and contacted with amplicons produced in one or more PCR cycles. Detection of the amplicons may take place during or between the PCR cycles while the solid support is in fluidic contact with the PCR solution, the patent states. According to the inventors, the method is suitable for the simultaneous detection and quantification of closely homologous target molecules.
SurModics of Eden Prairie, Minn., has received US Patent No. 7,829,317, "Attachment of molecules to surfaces." The patent provides methods, reagents, and substrates coated with a described polymer that can be used for immobilizing biomolecules, such as nucleic acids and proteins. Methods for thermochemically or photochemically attaching molecules to the surface at a high density are also claimed.
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research of New Delhi, India, has received US Patent No. 7,829,505, "Method for construction of oligonucleotide microarrays." The patent describes a process for the construction of oligonucleotide microarrays on glass or other polymer surfaces. It includes: a) reacting 3'- or 5'-phosphorylated oligonucleotides with glycidyloxyropyltriethoxysilane at an elevated temperature to form a conjugate immobilized on a surface; b) removing any unreacted components from the surface; and c) labeling the conjugate by hybridizing it with a labeled complementary oligomer sequence and visualizing the labeled conjugate with a laser scanner.
The Japan Science and Technology Agency of Saitama has received US Patent No. 7,829,546, "Method for immobilizing self-organizing material or fine particle on substrate, and substrate manufactured by using such method." The patent claims a method for arranging fine particles on a substrate of metal-oxide. According to the patent, the method includes: a) applying an acid solution to the substrate; b) obtaining a mixed solution by mixing a solution containing the fine particles with a solution containing a self-organizing material; c) applying the mixed solution to the substrate after removing the acid solution from the substrate; and d) drying the mixed solution applied to the substrate with the self-organizing material still present on the substrate.
The University of Chicago has received US Patent No. 7,829,644, "Gel-forming reagents and uses thereof for preparing microarrays." The patent claims gel-forming reagents, including monomers and cross-linkers, which can be applied to gel-drop microarray manufacturing by use of co-polymerization approaches. Methods for the preparation of co-polymerization mixtures with new gel-forming monomers and cross-linker reagents are also described.
Illumina has received US Patent No. 7,830,575, "Optical scanner with improved scan time." The patent claims a method for scanning an object by scanning an incident beam in a substantially curved scan pattern; and moving an object at a predetermined rate along an axis substantially orthogonal to a plane of the curved scan pattern so that a two-dimensional image can be formed by successive passes of a circularly scanned spot. Specifically, a laser beam scans around an objective lens at a fixed radius with a fixed input angle. When scanned in this manner, the laser beam before the objective lens forms a cone of directions. Scanning in this fashion, according to the patent, produces the curved scan pattern at the object. By moving the substrate at the predetermined rate along the axis orthogonal to the plane of the curved scan pattern, the two-dimensional image can be formed by successive passes of the circularly scanned spot, the inventors claim.