GE Healthcare of Uppsala, Sweden, has received US Patent No. 8,093,005, "Preparation and use of a reactive solid support surface." The described method calls for providing a solid support having a hydrogel coating with binding elements; coupling a protein-resistant compound to the hydrogel via a first fraction of the binding elements, and coupling at least one binding agent to the hydrogel via a second fraction of the binding elements, where the protein-resistant compound and the binding agent are co-immobilized to the hydrogel. The patent also describes use of the reactive surface in analysis, such as immunogenicity assays.
Stevens Institute of Technology of Hoboken, NJ, has received US Patent No. 8,093,039, "Surfaces differentially adhesive to eukaryotic cells and non-eukaryotic cells." The described surface coating consists of a primer coat that permits adhesion of eukaryotic cells and macromolecular structures . According to the patent, at least some of the macromolecular structures have a cell-resistant character, meaning that cells generally will not adhere to them.
Quest Diagnostics of Wilmington, Del., has received US Patent No. 8,093,063, "Assay for detecting genetic abnormalities in genomic nucleic acids." The patent describes methods of detecting unamplified genomic nucleic acid anchored to a solid support. The methods are useful for detecting genetic abnormalities associated with various diseases, diagnosis, and prognosis, according to the inventors.
Agilent Technologies of Santa Clara, Calif., has received US Patent No. 8,093,186, "Biopolymeric arrays having replicate elements." The patent provides a method for designing an array that includes grouping probes into ranked groups of probes; and designing an array consisting of the ranked groups and containing more replicates of probes in a higher-ranked group as compared to probes of a lower-ranked group. Within each group of probes, the number of probe replicates may be determined by a predetermined criterion, such as the anticipated abundance of target for the probe in a sample, according to the inventors.
Plexera of Woodinville, Wash., has received US Patent No. 8,094,315, "Methods for making and using SPR microarrays." According to the patent, a substrate is covered with a thin metal film onto which a second thin metal film is deposited. The surface of the second thin metal film is converted to the metal oxide which is used to covalently bond organosilanes to the surface. Reactive organosilanes containing terminal bonding groups are then arranged in a plurality of spots that are surrounded by inert organosilanes. Biomolecule attachment to the binding group is subsequently detected or measured from surface plasmon signals from the first thin metal film.
Aperio Technologies of Vista, Calif., has received US Patent No. 8,094,902, "Data management in a linear-array-based microscope slide scanner." The patent provides methods for processing, storing, and viewing extremely large imagery data rapidly produced by a linear-array-based microscope slide scanner. The system receives, processes, and stores imagery data produced by the linear scanner as a series of overlapping image stripes and combines the data into a seamless and contiguous baseline image, according to the patent. The baseline image is logically mapped into regions that are individually addressed to facilitate viewing and manipulation of the baseline image.