HandyLab (Becton Dickinson) has been awarded US Patent No. 8,088,616, "Heater unit for microfluidic diagnostic system."
Kalyan Handique is named as inventor on the patent.
Describes a heater substrate that contains networks of heater elements configured to controllably and selectively deliver heat to one or more PCR reaction chambers in a microfluidic substrate in contact with the heater substrate. In exemplary embodiments, the heater substrate can deliver heat to 12, 24, 48, or 96 chambers independently of one another, or simultaneously. The heater substrate is located in a heater unit that may be introduced into a diagnostic apparatus that can receive and position a microfluidic substrate, such as a cartridge, in contact with the heater unit; receive one or more polynucleotide-containing samples into one or more lanes in the microfluidic substrate, causing amplification of the polynucleotides to occur; and detect the presence or absence of specified polynucleotides in the amplified samples.
Life Technologies has been awarded US Patent No. 8,088,583, "Methods of using FET-labeled oligonucleotides that include a 3'-5' exonuclease-resistant quencher domain, and compositions for practicing the same."
Quin Chou and Dragan Spasic are named as inventors on the patent.
Provides methods, compositions, systems, and kits for detecting a primer extension product in a reaction mixture. A primer extension reaction is conducted in the presence of a polymerase having 3'-to-5' exonuclease activity and at least one FET labeled oligonucleotide probe that includes a 3'-to-5' exonuclease-resistant quencher domain. The invention can be used in a variety of applications, and is particularly suited for use in high-fidelity PCR-based reactions, including SNP detection, allelic variation detection, and the like.
Orion Genomics has been awarded US Patent No. 8,088,581, "Differential enzymatic fragmentation by whole genome amplification."
Nathan Lakey, Jeffrey Jeddeloh, and Yulia Korshunova are named as inventor on the patent.
Provides methods for detecting the presence of methylation at a locus within a population of nucleic acids.
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation of Australia has been awarded US Patent No. 8,088,577, "Assay for methylation in the GST-Pi gene."
Susan Clark, Douglas Millar, and Peter Molloy are named as inventors on the patent.
Discloses a diagnostic or prognostic assay for a disease or condition (e.g., prostate cancer and liver cancer) characterized by abnormal methylation of cytosine at sites within the glutathione-S-transferase Pi gene and/or its regulatory flanking sequences. The assay comprises isolating DNA from a subject and determining (e.g., by selective PCR amplification) the presence of abnormal methylation of cytosine at a site or sites within the GST-Pi gene and/or its regulatory flanking sequences.
Siemens has been awarded US Patent No. 8,088,576, "Method and assembly for DNA isolation with dry reagents."
Walter Gumbrecht, Peter Paulicka, and Manfred Stanzel are named as inventors on the patent.
Discloses a DNA isolation method that removes constituents interfering with a subsequent PCR. In one embodiment of the method, all substances and method steps are fully integrated into a closed cartridge for single use, which allows entry of a DNA-containing sample. DNA-binding substrates are used to isolate the released DNA. In particular, when the method is used to isolate DNA from whole blood by disrupting white blood cells, the reagents required for carrying out the cell disruption and other reactions are stored in a form that is stable at room temperature. For disrupting white blood cells and isolating DNA, a dry stored lysis reagent is dissolved in an aqueous solution and brought into contact with the white blood cells. The corresponding assembly includes a unit for housing DNA-containing biological containers and/or reagents, whereby at least one microchannel contains reagents as a dry mixture with a negligible vapor pressure, which forms a stable substance at room temperature.
Santaris Pharma has been awarded US Patent No. 8,084,458, "Synthesis of locked nucleic acid derivatives."
Mads Sorensen, Jesper Wengel, Troels Koch, Signe Christensen, Christoph Rosenbohm, and Daniel Pedersen are named as inventors on the patent.
Describes methods for synthesizing locked nucleic acid derivatives using certain nitrogen-containing nucleophiles.
Quest Diagnostics has been awarded US Patent No. 8,084,212, "Assay for Mycobacterium avium/intracellular nucleic acid."
Edgar Ong and Maurice Exner are named as inventors on the patent.
Discloses a method for determining the presence of Mycobacterium avium complex nucleic acids in a biological sample. In particular, discloses methods for detecting the IS1245 gene of M. avium and the DT1 gene of M. intracellulare, preferably following amplification. In addition, the method distinguishes between species of M. avium and M. intracellulare. The patent also describes oligonucleotides that can be used as primers and probes to amplify target genes such as IS1245 and DT1 genes; as well as kits containing the oligonucleotides.
Ibis Bioscience (Abbott) has been awarded US Patent No. 8,084,207, "Compositions for use in identification of papillomavirus."
Rangarajan Sampath, Lawrence Blyn, Rachael Kreft, Thomas Hall, and Feng Li are named as inventors on the patent.
Relates generally to the identification of HPV, and provides methods, compositions, and kits useful for this purpose when combined, for example, with molecular mass or base composition analysis. However, the compositions and methods find use in a variety of biological sample analysis techniques and are not limited to processes that employ or require molecular mass or base composition analysis, according to the patent's summary. For example, the patent describes primers that find use in a variety of research, surveillance, and diagnostic approaches that utilize one or more primers, including a variety of approaches that employ PCR.
Longhorn Vaccines and Diagnostics has been awarded US Patent No. 8,080,645, "Biological specimen collection/transport compositions and methods."
Gerald Fischer and Luke Daum are named as inventors on the patent.
Discloses compositions for collecting, storing, and transporting populations of nucleic acids from biological specimens and clinical, forensic, or environmental samples. Also discloses methods for using these compositions as one-step formulations for killing pathogens, inactivating nucleases, and releasing polynucleotides from other cellular components within the sample; and stabilizing the nucleic acids prior to further processing or assay. In particular embodiments, the invention provides a single, one-step, sample collection/transport/storage formulation containing a known quantity of a non-genomic, nucleic acid carrier molecule that serves as an internal reference control to monitor the fidelity of the collection/transportation medium, and to measure the integrity of nucleic acids subsequently isolated and purified from the processed sample.