US Patent No. 6,852,560. Fabrication of a microchip-based electrospray device. Inventor: Thomas Corso. Assignee: Advion BioSciences.
This invention relates to the fabrication of an integrated, miniaturized fluidic system made using micro-electromechanical system technology. It relates particularly to the improved fabrication of a microsized electrospray nozzle.
The invention’s electrospray device includes a silicon substrate material defining a channel between an entrance orifice on an injection surface and a nozzle on an ejection surface, such that the electrospray generated by the device is generally perpendicular to the ejection surface. The electrospray nozzle is protected from accidental breakage because the tip of the nozzle is level with, and does not extend beyond the ejection surface.
US Patent No. 6,852,544. Rapid quantitative analysis of proteins or protein function in complex mixtures. Inventors: Ruedi Aebersold, Michael Gelb, Steven Gygi, Ronald Scott, Frantisek Turecek, Scott Gerber, Beate Rist. Assignee: University of Washington.
This invention provides analytical reagents and mass spectrometry-based methods using these reagents for rapid, quantitative analysis of proteins or protein function in a mixture of proteins. The method employs affinity-tagged protein reactive reagents in which the affinity tag is covalently attached to a protein reactive group by a linker. The linker can be isotopically labeled to generate pairs or sets of reagents that are substantially chemically identical, but which are distinguishable by mass.
The method can be used for qualitative analysis, and particularly for quantitative analysis of global protein expression profiles in cells and tissues. The method can also be employed to screen for and identify proteins whose expression level in cells, tissue, or biological fluids is affected by a stimulus, for example the administration of a drug, or by a change in environment, a change in condition or cell state, or a change in the tissue or organism from which the sample originated.
US Patent No. 6,852,291. Hybrid valve apparatus and method for fluid handling. Inventors: James Johnson, Neil Picha, Mitchel Doktycz. Assignee: Innovadyne Technologies.
This invention relates to a hybrid valve system applied to aspirate, dispense, and switch fluids during arraying, plate spotting, and large-scale chemical or biochemical screening assays. The hybrid valve includes a valve assembly movable between an aspiration condition and a dispensing condition, and a manifold device coupled to the valve assembly. The valve allows for the manipulating of arrays of samples, reagents or solvents from a source or reservoir to a destination substrate.
US Patent No. 6,846,638. Method and system for rapid biomolecular recognition of amino acids and protein sequencing. Inventor: Edward Shipwash. Assignee: NanoBioDynamics.
This invention is a kit containing an aminoacyl-tRNA sythetase system that is used to analyze amino acids. The method can be applied to the detection and/or quantitation of one or more primarly amino acids by using cognate aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase and cognate tRNA. The basis of the method is that each of the 20 synthetases and/or a tRNA specific for a different amino acid is separated spatially or differentially labeled. The reactions catalyzed by all 20 synthetases may be monitored simultaneously, or in parallel. This method facilitates the rapid analysis of protein amino acid composition, and the amino acid sequences in protein.
US Patent No. 6,846,635. Microarrays and their manufacture. Inventors: Norman Anderson, Leigh Anderson, James Braatz. Assignee: Large Scale Proteomics
In this invention, microarrays are prepared by using a separate fiber, or tubule, for each compound being used in the microarray. Each tubule contains a different entrapped or attached biological agent of interest. The fibers are bundled and sectioned to form a thin microarray that is glued to a backing.
US Patent No. 6,845,968. Flow-switching microdevice. Inventors: Kevin Killeen, Hongfeng Yin. Assignee: Agilent Technologies.
In this invention, a microdevice is provided for controlling fluid flow. The microdevice includes a planar contact surface and a plurality of fluid-transporting features associated with it. Also included is a substrate having a planar contact surface and a fluid-transporting feature associated with it. The valve structure achieves flow-path switching through rotational or linear motion.