Photon reducing agents for fluorescence assays

• US 20050136469A1
• Filed: 01/31/2005
• Published: 06/23/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/1997
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Invitrogen Corp. (Thermo Fisher Scientific Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Invitrogen Corp. (Thermo Fisher Scientific Incorporated)
• Inventors: Rink, Timothy James, Zlokarnik, Gregor, Tsien, Roger Y., Negulescu, Paul, Knapp, Tom
• Application Number:
  US11/047,074
• Publication Number:
  US 20050136469A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 435/6
• CPC Class Codes: C12Q 1/682 Signal amplification
• CPC Class Codes: C12Q 2527/125 Specific component of sample, medium or buffer
• CPC Class Codes: C12Q 2563/107 fluorescence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/5005 involving human or animal cells immunoassay G01N33/56966; immunoassays of protozoa G01N33/56905; protozoa in screening assays C12Q1/025
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/542 with steric inhibition or signal modification, e.g. fluorescent quenching
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/582 with fluorescent label
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 436/80 Fluorescent dyes, e.g. rhodamine
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 436/809 Multifield plates or multicontainer arrays
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/13 Tracers or tags

Abstract

The present invention provides a method for reducing undesirable light emission from a sample using at least one photon producing agent and at least one photon reducing agent (e.g. dye-based photon reducing agents). The present invention further provides a method for reducing undesirable light emission from a sample (e.g., a biochemical or cellular sample) with at least one photon producing agent and at least one collisional quencher. The present invention also provides a method for reducing undesirable light emission from a sample (e.g., a biochemical or cellular sample) with at least one photon producing agent and at least one quencher, such as an electronic quencher. The present invention also provides a system and method of screening test chemicals in fluorescent assays using photon reducing agents. The present invention also provides compositions, pharmaceutical compositions, and kits for practicing these methods.

Claims

1-73. -73. (canceled)

74. A system for identifying a chemical with a biological activity, comprising:

a) a storage and retrieval module for storing a plurality of chemicals in solution in addressable chemical wells, a chemical well retrieve, and having programmable selection and retrieval of said addressable chemical wells, and having a storage capacity for at least 100,00 said addressable wells,

wherein at least one of said addressable wells comprises a photon reducing agent,

b) a sample distribution module comprising a liquid handler to aspirate or dispense solutions from selected said addressable chemical wells and programmable dispensation into selected addressable sample wells, and said liquid handler can dispense into arrays of addressable wells with different densities of addressable wells per centimeter squared,

c) a sample transporter to transport said selected addressable chemical wells to said sample distribution module and optionally having programmable control of transport of said selected addressable chemical wells, and

d) a reaction module comprising either a reagent dispenser to dispense reagents into said selected addressable addressable sample wells or a fluorescent detector to detect chemical reactions in said selected addressable sample wells, and

e) a data processing and integration module,

wherein said storage and retrieval module, said sample distribution module, and said reaction module are integrated and programmably controlled by said data processing and integration module; and

said storage and retrieval module, said sample distribution module, said sample transporter, said reaction module and said data processing and integration module are operably linked to facilitate rapid processing of said addressable sample wells.

75. The system of claim 74, wherein said addressable chemical wells are within at least one multi-well platform.

76. The system of claim 74, wherein said multi well platform comprises between about 96 wells and about 5000 wells.

77. The system of claim 76, wherein the number of wells in said mult well platform is a multiple of 96.

78. A method of identifying a chemical with a toxicology activity, comprising:

contacting a sample with a test chemical, said sample comprising a target and at least one photon producing agent,

contacting said sample with at least one photon reducing agent,

detecting an optical signal from said at least one photon producing agent,

wherein said optical signal is related to a toxicological activity.

79. (canceled)