US Patent 6,539,102. Reference database. Inventors: Norman Anderson, Leigh Anderson. Assignee: Large Scale Proteomics (now Large Scale Biology).
Protects a method for systematically studying proteins in order to catalog them. It enables the rapid provisional identification of proteins between and among samples. The method reveals sample-specific markers and provides a protein reference standard. The catalog of proteins is useful for identifying and comparing sim- ilar and identical proteins from other sources.
US Patent 6,537,749. Adressable protein arrays. Inventors: Robert Kuimelis, Richard Wagner. Assignee: Phylos.
Covers arrays of nucleic acid-protein fusions which are immobilized to a solid surface through capture probes. The latter include a non-nucleosidic spacer group and an oligonucleotide sequence to which the fusion is bound. In preferred embodiments, the nucleic acid-protein fusion is an RNA-protein fusion, and the protein component is encoded by the nucleic acid. Also protects solid supports on which the arrays are immobilized.
US Patent 6,537,434. First dimension electrophoresis separation method and apparatus. Inventors: Andrew McGrath, Jack Goodman, Leigh Anderson. Assignee: Large Scale Proteomics (now Large Scale Biology).
Protects an apparatus for first dimensional isoelectric focusing of proteins and other macromolecules, which includes a supply magazine, an automated transferring device, and an electrophoresis tank.
US Patent 6,537,432. Protein separation via multidimensional electrophoresis. Inventors: Luke Schneider, Michael Hall, Robert Petesch. Assignee: Target Discovery.
Protects a method and apparatus for separating complex mixtures of proteins using multiple capillary electrophoresis methods in series. According to the patent, this allows users to resolve and quantify proteins obtained from tissues and cells.
US Patent 6,545,268. Preparation of ion pulse for time-of-flight and for tandem time-of-flight mass analysis. Inventors: Anatoli Verentchikov; Jennifer Campbell. Assignee: PerSeptive Biosystems (now Applied Biosystems).
Covers a segmented ion trap with collisional dampening to improve resolution and mass accuracy of single-stage and tandem time-of-flight mass spectrometers.
US Patent 6,541,768. Multiple sample introduction mass spectrometry. Inventors: Bruce Andrien, Craig Whitehouse, Shida Shen, Michael Sansone. Assignee: Analytica of Branford.
Protects a method to introduce and ionize several probes, individually or simultaneously, in a mass spectrometer through multiple electrospray or atmospheric pressure chemical ionization. This way, a calibration solution can be introduced while one or more sample solutions can be sprayed from additional probes, so calibration and sample solutions do not have to be mixed in the liquid phase. A single mass analyzer can serve as a detector for multiple separation systems, each delivering sample solution through separate ES or APCI inlet probes into an atmospheric pressure ion source.
US Patent 6,541,767. Atmospheric pressure ionization mass spectrometer with nonvolatile salt washing means. Inventor: Yoshiaki Kato. Assignee: Hitachi.
Provides an atmospheric pressure ionization mass spectrometer which can prevent effects of nonvolatile salts on the mass analysis without deteriorating the vacuum condition of the mass analysis portion. While sample ions are deflected and enter into a mass analyzer, nonvolatile salts travel straight and are collected on a wall of a particle collector, where they are precipitated as crystals and washed away.
US Patent 6,541,766. Ion trap mass spectrometry and ion trap mass spectrometer. Inventor: Yoshiaki Kato. Assignee: Hitachi.
Protects a way to prevent random noise in an ion- trap mass spectrometer with an electron impact ion source during mass analysis. Two gates are placed between two electrodes and a voltage prevents both ions and electrons from entering an ion trap region during mass analysis. According to the patent, this allows users to measure and quantify smaller samples.
US Patent 6,541,765. Time-of-flight mass spectro metry analysis of biomolecules. Inventor: Marvin Vestal. Assignee: PerSeptive Biosystems (now ABI).
Covers a time-of-flight mass spectrometer with a means for generating a preselected non-periodic electric field that imposes a force on the sample ions prior to extracting them and a means for generating a different electric field to extract the ions. According to the patent, this reduces matrix background, induces fast fragmentation, and controls energy transfer prior to ion extraction.