Electronically readable microarrays

• US 20040005572A1
• Filed: 07/05/2002
• Published: 01/08/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Agilent Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Agilent Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: S. Laderman, Stephen, Vook, Dietrich W., Rosner, S. Jeffrey
• Application Number:
  US10/189,912
• Publication Number:
  US 20040005572A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 435/6
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00605 the compounds being directly bound or immobilised to solid supports
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00653 the compounds being bound to electrodes embedded in or on the solid supports
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00722 Nucleotides
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00725 Peptides
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/4145 specially adapted for biomolecules, e.g. gate electrode with immobilised receptors

Abstract

Devices are disclosed having one or more detection sites. The devices comprise a conductive layer and a plurality of separate conductive elements. The conductive layer has a plurality of openings therethrough and is at equipotential. Each of the conductive elements is exposed within a respective opening in the conductive layer and is separated therefrom by an insulating material to provide an exposed surface of the insulating material thereby providing detection sites. The detection sites or groups thereof are electrically isolated from one another. The electrical properties of the exposed surfaces are individually electrically addressable and readable by virtue of the conductive elements and the conductive layer. The exposed surface usually has a reactant attached thereto. The reactant may be the same at each detection site or the reactant at one site may be different from a reactant at another site. In one embodiment the device has within it both sensing circuitry and circuitry for statistically interpreting data sensed by the sensing circuitry. Preferably, the above circuitry is present on the same substrate. Thus, the devices may be electrically independent and the sensing circuitry may be integrated with switching being integral to the device.

Claims

1. A device for sensing a targeted chemical reaction, said device comprising:

(a) a conductive layer having a plurality of openings therethrough, said conductive layer being at equipotential, and

(b) a plurality of separate conductive elements, each of said conductive elements being exposed within a respective opening in said conductive layer and separated therefrom by an insulating material to provide an exposed surface of said insulating material thereby forming a plurality of detection sites, said detection sites or groups thereof being electrically isolated from one another and being independently electrically addressable and readable.

2. A device according to claim 1 wherein said conductive layer is a metal layer.

3. A device according to claim 1 wherein said conductive elements are metal elements.

4. A device according to claim 1 wherein the exposed surface of the insulating layer has attached to it a reactant.

5. A device according to claim 1 wherein the surface of the conductive layer has attached to it a reactant.

6. A device according to claim 4 wherein said reactant is selected from the group consisting of biopolymers, electrochemically responsive compounds, and photochemically responsive compounds.

7. A device according to claim 4 wherein said reactant is a biopolymer selected from the group consisting of nucleotides, proteins, or protein receptors.

8. A device according to claim 5 wherein said reactant is selected from the group consisting of biopolymers, electrochemically responsive compounds, and photochemically responsive compounds.

9. A device according to claim 5 wherein said reactant is a biopolymer selected from the group consisting of nucleotides, proteins, or protein receptors.

10. A device according to claim 1 wherein the conductive layers are electrically addressable by virtue of an electronic switching device.

11. A device according to claim 10 wherein the switching devices are transistors.

12. A device according to claim 11 wherein said transistors are field effect transistors or bipolar transistors.

35. An array comprising a plurality of distinct features, each of said features comprising a plurality of devices according to claim 1.

36. An array according to claim 35 wherein at least some of said features differ by comprising different reactants.

13. A device for sensing a targeted chemical reaction, said device comprising:

(a) a conductive layer having a plurality of openings therethrough, said conductive layer being at equipotential, and

(b) a plurality of separate conductive elements, each of said conductive elements being exposed within a respective opening in said conductive layer and separated therefrom by an insulating material to provide an exposed surface of said insulating material, thereby forming a plurality of detection sites, said detection sites or groups thereof being electrically isolated from one another and being independently electrically addressable and readable and being adapted to connect sequentially, individually or in groups, to a predetermined sense circuit or predetermined sets thereof wherein said sense circuit is adapted to render for each detection site a determination of the electrical activity adjacent a conductive element of said detection site.

14. A device according to claim 13 wherein said electrical activity is resistivity between said conductive layer and said conductive element of each of said detection sites.

15. A device according to claim 13 wherein said electrical activity is current produced at said conductive element of each of said detection sites.

16. A device according to claim 13 wherein each of said detection sites has a reactant attached thereto wherein a reactant at one detection site may be the same as or different from a reactant at another detection site and said determination of electrical activity determines a chemical or biological state of said detection site.

17. A device according to claim 13 wherein a group of detection sites is adapted to connect sequentially to predetermined sets of sense circuits and said electrical activity is resistivity between said conductive layer and said conductive element of each of said detection sites.

18. A device according to claim 13 wherein a group of detection sites is adapted to connect sequentially in a predetermined manner to a single sense circuit and said electrical activity is resistivity between said conductive layer and said conductive element of each of said detection sites.

19. A device according to claim 13 wherein each of said detection sites is adapted to connect sequentially to a predetermined sense circuit and said electrical activity is resistivity between said conductive layer and said conductive element of each of said detection sites.

20. A device according to claim 13 wherein each of said detection sites is adapted to connect sequentially to a predetermined sense circuit and said electrical activity is current produced at said conductive element.

21. A device according to claim 13 wherein a group of detection sites is adapted to connect sequentially to predetermined sets of sense circuits and said electrical activity is current produced at each conductive element respectively.

22. A device according to claim 13 wherein a group of detection sites is adapted to connect sequentially in a predetermined manner to a single sense circuit and said electrical activity is current produced at each conductive element respectively.

23. A device according to claim 13 wherein each sense circuit has associated circuitry to assemble a statistical description for a group of said detection sites.

24. A device according to claim 13 wherein a group of sense circuits has associated circuitry to assemble a statistical description for a group of said detection sites.

25. A device for sensing a targeted chemical reaction, said device comprising:

(a) a conductive layer having a plurality of openings therethrough, said conductive layer being at equipotential, and

(b) a plurality of separate conductive elements, each of said conductive elements being exposed within a respective opening in said conductive layer and separated therefrom by an insulating material to provide an exposed surface of said insulating material, thereby forming a plurality of detection sites, said detection sites or groups thereof being electrically isolated from one another and being independently electrically addressable and readable and being adapted to connect sequentially, individually or in groups, to a predetermined sense circuit or predetermined sets thereof wherein said sense circuit is adapted to render for each detection site a determination of the electrical activity adjacent a conductive element of said detection site and wherein each sense circuit, or a group thereof, has associated circuitry to assemble a statistical description for a group of said detection sites.

26. A device according to claim 25 wherein said electrical activity is resistivity between said conductive layer and said conductive element of each of said detection sites.

27. A device according to claim 25 wherein said electrical activity is current produced at said conductive element of each of said detection sites.

28. A device according to claim 25 wherein each of said detection sites has a reactant attached thereto wherein a reactant at one detection site may be the same as or different from a reactant at another detection site and said determination of electrical activity determines a chemical or biological state of said detection site.

29. A device according to claim 25 wherein a group of detection sites is adapted to connect sequentially to predetermined sets of sense circuits and said electrical activity is resistivity between said conductive layer and said conductive element of each of said detection sites.

30. A device according to claim 25 wherein a group of detection sites is adapted to connect sequentially in a predetermined manner to a single sense circuit and said electrical activity is resistivity between said conductive layer and said conductive element of each of said detection sites.

31. A device according to claim 25 wherein each of said detection sites is adapted to connect sequentially to a predetermined sense circuit and said electrical activity is resistivity between said conductive layer and said conductive element of each of said detection sites.

32. A device according to claim 25 wherein each of said detection sites is adapted to connect sequentially to a predetermined sense circuit and said electrical activity is current produced at said conductive element.

33. A device according to claim 25 wherein a group of detection sites is adapted to connect sequentially to predetermined sets of sense circuits and said electrical activity is current produced at each conductive element respectively.

34. A device according to claim 25 wherein a group of detection sites is adapted to connect sequentially in a predetermined manner to a single sense circuit and said electrical activity is current produced at each conductive element respectively.

37. An array according to claim 25 wherein said associated circuitry to assemble a statistical description for a group of said detection sites is present on said device.

38. An array according to claim 37 wherein said device comprises a single substrate.

39. A method for assessing the status of detection sites on a substrate, said method comprising:

(a) acquiring data electronically from multiple detection sites on a single substrate and

(b) assembling a statistical description for a group of detection sites by means of sense circuitry on said substrate.

40. A method according to claim 39 wherein each of said detection sites has a reactant attached thereto.

41. A method according to claim 40 wherein said reactant is selected from the group consisting of biopolymers, electrochemically responsive compounds, and photochemically responsive compounds.

42. A method according to claim 40 wherein said reactant is a biopolymer selected from the group consisting of nucleotides, proteins, or protein receptors.

43. A method according to claim 39 wherein said detection sites are part of a reaction device, which comprises an array of distinct features, each of said features comprising a plurality of detection sites.

44. A method according to claim 43 wherein at least some of said features differ by comprising different reactants.