Affymetrix of Santa Clara, Calif., has received US Patent No. 8,114,584, "Antireflective coatings for high-resolution photolithographic synthesis of DNA array." Methods are claimed for forming arrays of polymers by providing a substrate that has a layer that includes dielectric coatings on a solid support, and a second layer that includes polymers on the first layer. Methods are also claimed for forming an array of polymers on a substrate using light-directed synthesis by providing a substrate that includes a layer of dielectric coatings on a solid support and derivatizing the layer by contacting it with a silanation reagent. A second layer is disposed on the first layer and includes functional groups protected with a photolabile protecting group.
Affymetrix has also received US Patent No. 8,114,978, "Methods for genotyping selected polymorphism." Methods are claimed for genotyping polymorphisms using a locus-specific primer that is complementary to a region near the selected polymorphism. Methods for synthesizing pools of locus-specific primers that incorporate some degenerate positions are also claimed. Here, a number of different sequence capture probes are synthesized using degenerate oligonucleotide synthesis. The sequences of the locus-specific regions of the capture probes have some bases that are identical and positions that vary from one locus-specific region to another. The sequences are selected based on proximity to a polymorphism of interest and because they conform to a similar sequence pattern.
Affymetrix has also received US Patent No. 8,114,681, "Highly multiplexed particle-based assays." The patent claims methods for detecting and optionally quantitating multiple analytes in various assays, particularly particle-based assays. The methods include capturing an analyte from a sample on a subset of particles; separately capturing a second analyte from a second sample on a second subset of particles, where the particles of the second subset are distinguishable from those of the first subset; combining the first and second subsets of particles; and identifying at least a portion of the particles from each subset and determining whether those particles have captured analytes.
Gamida for Life of Rotterdam, the Netherlands, has received US Patent No. 8,114,589, "Self-addressable self-assembling microelectronic integrated systems, component devices, mechanisms, methods, and procedures for molecular biological analysis and diagnostics." The patent claims a method for electronically stabilizing hybridization of nucleic acids bound at a test site of a microelectronic device. First and second negatively charged nucleic acids are provided, the second nucleic acid being bound to the test site. A zwitterionic buffer is applied to the microelectronic device. A current is applied to the test site to positively bias the test site, so that the first negatively charged nucleic acid is transported to the positively biased test site having the bound second negatively charged nucleic acid. At the test site, the first and second negatively charged nucleic acids hybridize. The zwitterionic buffer acquires a net positive charge under influence of the current, so that the positively charged zwitterionic buffer stabilizes the hybridization by reducing the repulsion between the first and second negatively charged nucleic acids.
The University of Maryland of Baltimore has received US Patent No. 8,114,598, "High-sensitivity assays for pathogen detection using metal enhanced fluorescence." The patent describes a surface to which colloids or islands are attached. Attached to the surface are polynucleotides that are complementary to a target polynucleotide sequence. The assay is performed by adding the target polynucleotide sequence to the assay surface and allowing it to hybridize with the capture polynucleotides. Fluorophore-labeled capture polynucleotides are added and hybridized to the target polynucleotide. Bound target polynucleotides are then detected by metal enhanced fluorescence.
3M of St. Paul, Minn., has received US Patent No. 8,115,920, "Method of making microarrays." The method involves applying a coating over an array of microfeatures to create a new array with microfeatures that are different from the original microfeatures. These different microfeatures can include, for example, spherical, spheroidal, and cylindrical profiles. Also provided is a method of adding a replication material to the vapor-coated microfeatures to form a mold. Microarrays made by this method can be used as substrates for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy. According to the inventors, the approach allows the replication of a master mold.