Koninklijke Philips Electronics of Eindhoven, The Netherlands, has received US Patent No. 7,048,890, "Sensor and method for measuring the areal density of magnetic nanoparticles on a microarray." The patent claims a method and device for the magnetic detection of binding of biological molecules on a biochip. The patent describes a magneto-resistant device that measures an areal density of magnetic nanoparticles on a microarray that are directly or indirectly coupled to a target sample. The sensor device includes a substrate with binding sites able to selectively bind the target sample, and a sensor for detecting the magnetic field of the nanoparticles coupled to the target sample.
Eppendorf Array Technologies of Namur, Belgium, has received US Patent No. 7,049,064, "Method for obtaining a surface activation of a solid support for building biochip microarrays." The patent claims a method for making microarrays comprising the steps of: 1) submitting the surface of a solid support to an oxidation of chemical groups in order to allow the formation of aldehyde functions upon the surface of the support; 2) covalently binding capture molecules designed for detection to the aldeyde functions; 3) identifying the quantification and/or the recovery of the complementary target biological or chemical molecules of interest.
The University of Chicago has received US Patent No. 7,049,073, "Double stranded nucleic acid biochips." The patent claims a method of constructing double-stranded DNA microarrays based on the use of pre-synthesized or natural DNA duplexes without a stem-loop structure. The complementary oligonucleotide chains are bonded together by a connector that includes a linker for immobilization on a matrix, the patent's abstract states. A non-enzymatic method for synthesizing double-stranded nucleic acids with this novel connector enables the construction of inexpensive and robust dsDNA/dsRNA microarrays.
Agilent Technologies has received US Patent No. 7,049,129, "Electro-optical devices and methods for hybridization and detection." The patent claims an apparatus and method for detection of a target molecule. The apparatus includes a probe labeled with a transition metal-ligand complex that hybridizes with the target to form an initial complex, a metal ion for doping the initial complex and forming a final complex, and a potential means for providing a potential to the final complex to produce a detectable signal indicating the presence of the target after redox reaction, the patent's abstract states. The patented method includes the steps of hybridizing a probe with an attached label to the target to produce an initial complex, adding a metal ion to the initial complex to form a final complex and applying a potential to the final complex to produce a measurable signal.