Northwestern University of Evanston, Ill., has received US Patent No. 7,951,334, "Direct write nanolithographic deposition of nucleic acids from nanoscopic tips." The patent describes the use of direct-write nanolithography to generate anchored, nanoscale patterns of nucleic acid on different substrates. Modification of nucleic acid, including oligonucleotides, with reactive groups such as thiol groups provides for patterning with use of scanning probe microscopic tips. The reactive groups provide for chemisorption or covalent bonding to the substrate surface. The resulting nucleic acid features can be hybridized with complementary nucleic acids and probed accordingly with use of nanoparticles functionalized with nucleic acids.
Northwestern University has also received US Patent No. 7,954,166, "Independently-addressable, self-correcting inking for cantilever arrays." A method of patterning is described that includes providing at least one array of tips; providing patterning compositions; ink-jet printing some of the patterning compositions onto the tips; and depositing the patterning compositions onto a substrate surface; where the ink-jet printing is adapted to prevent cross-contamination of the patterning composition on the tips.
Panomics of Fremont, Calif., now part of Affymetrix, has received US Patent No. 7,951,539, "Two-stage nucleic acid amplification using an amplification oligomer." A system to detect nucleic acids of interest is claimed. A branched DNA amplification reaction is carried out using a first solid support capable of capturing the nucleic acids of interest, followed by another bDNA amplification. Detection of the amplification oligomers used in the reaction by the second bDNA amplification reaction indicates the presence of the one or more nucleic acids of interest in the first bDNA amplification reaction, according to the patent.
Affymetrix of Santa Clara, Calif., has received US Patent No. 7,951,601, "Oxide layers on silicon substrates for effective confocal laser microscopy." Methods of performing confocal laser microscopy on a polymer array disposed on a silicon wafer substrate are claimed. The method includes providing a silicon wafer substrate having a top side and a bottom side; coating the top side of the silicon wafer with an oxide coating to provide an oxide-coated wafer; covalently coupling probes to the top side of the coated wafer to provide a fixed polymer array; hybridizing the fixed polymer array with labeled ligands; and assaying for the hybridized ligands using confocal laser fluorescence microscopy to detect hybridization.
The Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique of Paris has received US Patent No. 7,951,926, "Method for the synthesis of oligonucleotide derivatives." The patent claims a method for the synthesis of nucleotide derivatives, where molecules of interest are grafted on the oligonucleotide with the help of a click chemistry reaction between an azide function on the molecule of interest and an alkyne function on the oligonucleotide, or between an alkyne function on the molecule of interest and an azide function on the oligonucleotide. Intermediate molecules, such as alkyne functionalized oligonucleotides, grafted oligonucleotides, azide functionalized oligonucleotides, oligonucleotide microarrays containing them, and the use of those grafted oligonucleotides for biological investigation and for cell targeting, are also claimed.