Device and methods for tracking conditions in an assay

• US 20060147977A1
• Filed: 02/24/2006
• Published: 07/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Labcyte, Inc. (Danaher Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Labcyte, Inc. (Danaher Corporation)
• Inventors: Harris, David L., Ellson, Richard N., Mutz, Mitchell W.
• Application Number:
  US11/361,449
• Publication Number:
  US 20060147977A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 435/6
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00315 Microtiter plates
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00317 Microwell devices, i.e. having large numbers of wells
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00497 Features relating to the solid phase supports
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00527 Sheets
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00531 essentially square
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00533 essentially rectangular
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00536 in the shape of disks
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00565 Electromagnetic means
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00585 Parallel processes
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00596 Solid-phase processes
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00605 the compounds being directly bound or immobilised to solid supports
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00608 DNA chips
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00612 the surface being inorganic
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00659 Two-dimensional arrays
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00689 using computers
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00702 Processes involving means for analysing and characterising the products
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00722 Nucleotides
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/024 Storing results with means integrated into the container
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0636 Integrated biosensor, microarrays
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0819 Microarrays; Biochips
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0822 : Slides
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/5085 : for multiple samples, e.g. microtitration plates
• CPC Class Codes: C40B 40/06 : Libraries containing nucleotides or polynucleotides, or derivatives thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C40B 60/14 : for creating libraries
• CPC Class Codes: C40B 70/00 : Tags or labels specially adapted for combinatorial chemistry or libraries, e.g. fluorescent tags or bar codes

Abstract

The invention provides a device comprising a substrate having a plurality of different molecular probes attached to a surface thereof and an integrated indicator that exhibits a response when exposed to a condition to which the substrate may be exposed. Each different molecular probe is selected to interact with a different corresponding target, and the indicator response is detectable after removing the indicator from the condition. Alternatively, a substrate is provided having a plurality of molecular probes attached to a surface thereof and a plurality of different integrated indicators. Each indicator is selected to exhibit a response when exposed to one of a plurality of conditions to which the substrate may be exposed. The inventive devices are typically used for biomolecular, or more specifically, nucleotidic assays. The invention also provides for various apparatuses and methods for assaying a sample using the inventive devices.

Claims

1. A method for assaying a sample, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a device comprising a substrate having a plurality of different molecular probes attached to a surface thereof and an integrated indicator that exhibits a persistent response when exposed to a predetermined assay condition;

(b) exposing the device to assay conditions;

(c) contacting the sample with the molecular probes attached to the substrate surface of the device;

(d) detecting whether the indicator exhibits the response to the predetermined assay condition; and

(e) detecting probe-target interactions if the indicator exhibits the response to the predetermined assay condition.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein step (b) comprises placing the sample and the device in a controlled environment.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein step (b) comprises heating the device while the sample is in contact therewith.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein step (b) comprises preventing the sample from evaporating.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising, after step (b) and before step (e), (b′

) removing excess sample from the device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein steps (d) and (e) are carried out using a single reader.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising, after step (d), (d′

) recording whether the response occurred as information contained in the device.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising, after step (e), (e′

) recording whether the probe-target interaction occurred as information contained in the device.

9. A method of carrying out an experiment with a substrate having a plurality of different molecular probes attached to a surface thereof and an integrated indicator attached to the substrate, comprising the steps of:

(a) exposing the substrate to experimental conditions, (b) detecting an interaction of at least some of the plurality of molecular probes with a target, (c) detecting by the integrated indicator whether the substrate has been exposed to a predetermined experimental condition, (d) ending the exposure of the substrate to the experimental conditions of step (a), and (e) ascertaining from the integrated indicator whether the substrate was exposed to the predetermined experimental condition.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the predetermined experimental condition is selected from the group comprising a range of temperatures, a pH range, and a range of chemical concentrations.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the integrated indicator comprises one or more a double-stranded oligonucleotides with one labeled strand.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein step (e) comprises determining whether a labeled strand of a double-stranded oligonucleotide has dissociated from the other strand.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein step (e) further comprises a wash step to carry away the labeled strand if it has dissociated from the other strand.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the substrate has a second integrated indicator attached, further comprising the step of:

(c′

) detecting by the second integrated indicator whether the substrate has been exposed to a second predetermined experimental condition.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein step (e) is performed at least one minute after step (d).

16. The method of claim 9, wherein step (d) comprises the step of removing the substrate from a controlled environment.

17. The method of claim 9, wherein step (e) is performed optically.