Peter Rogan has been awarded US Patent No. 8,527,207, "Accurate identification of organisms based on individual information content."
Rogan is a professor of biochemistry at the University of Western Ontario.
Discloses an improved method for specific identification of any organisms by DNA hybridization or amplification. Oligonucleotides are designed based on information analysis of sequences from a large number of related species. Oligonucleotide sequences that have the maximal specificity to certain nucleic acids from a particular species (or set of species) or type strain are selected for hybridization or amplification using DNA from the target organism. The presence or absence of a PCR or hybridization product may be used to identify the target organism. The resulting PCR products may also be compared with a DNA sequence database to obtain the identity of the organisms. The methods may prove useful in areas where rapid and accurate identification of an organism is desirable, such as in a hospital where identification of infectious agents may be critical; in the ethanol or beer industry where certain bacteria may be detrimental to the manufacturing process; or in the porcine industry where identification of different type strains of the porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus is important for disease prevention.
X-Bar Diagnostic Systems and James Lipscomb have been awarded US Patent No. 8,524,490, "Fully automated portable DNA detection system."
James Lipscomb, Richard Raffauf, Peter Blacklin, Michael Keating, and Robert Bernstine are named as inventors.
Describes a portable thermocycler comprising: (i) a case; (ii) a rotary plate in the case; (iii) a plurality of heating blocks arranged in a geometric pattern disposed on the rotary plate; and (iv) at least one vessel adapted to move and contact at least two of the plurality of heating blocks. Each of the heating blocks comprises a heating plate maintained at a set temperature over a thermally insulating material. The geometric pattern comprises a number of center heating blocks arranged in a shape defining a polygon and a number of outside heating blocks disposed around the periphery of the rotary plate. The rotary plate includes a plurality of rotating wheels adapted to rotate at least one of the vessels into contact with each of the heating blocks.
Samsung has been awarded US Patent No. 8,524,451, "Method for real-time detection of Salmonella in food using a cleavable chimeric probe."
Jason Opdyke, Win Den Cheung, and Jun Li are named as inventors.
Describes a method for real-time detection of Salmonella species in foods and on surfaces. Salmonella are enriched in media to increase their cell density prior to analysis. DNA is recovered by lysis in the presence of azide, proteinase K, and detergent. Real-time detection of Salmonella species is performed in a PCR reaction using gene-specific primers and a cleavable chimeric fluorescent probe. The method also describes an internal control to confirm the efficiency of nucleic acid amplification and detection. The method is amenable to medium- and high-throughput analysis.
The University of Pennsylvania has been awarded US Patent No. 8,524,446, "Method for detecting adeno-associated virus."
Guangping Gao, James Wilson, and Mauricio Alvira are named as inventors.
Provides a method for detecting and isolating adeno-associated virus sequences in a sample obtained from tissue or cells containing DNA and proviral AAV. The method involves subjecting the sample to PCR amplification using a first set of primers that specifically amplify a first AAV region. The first AAV region is characterized by having at least 250 nucleotides of AAV capsid nucleic acid sequence, a variable sequence flanked by a sequence of at least 18 nucleotides at the 5' end of the first AAV region, and a sequence of at least 18 nucleotides at the 3' end of the first AAV region. Each of the at least 18 nucleotides is the same over at least nine consecutive nucleotides relative to corresponding sequences in an alignment of at least two AAV serotypes. Each of the sets of primers consists of a 5' primer and a 3' primer. The method is further useful for identifying AAV sequences in the sample by the presence of amplified proviral AAV sequences.