Systems and methods for enrichment of analytes

• US 20070059718A1
• Filed: 09/15/2005
• Published: 03/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Gpb Scientific, LLC, Mehmet Toner
• Original Assignee: Mehmet Toner
• Inventors: Toner, Mehmet, Kapur, Ravi
• Application Number:
  US11/229,328
• Publication Number:
  US 20070059718A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 435/6
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/0647 Handling flowable solids, e.g. microscopic beads, cells, particles
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0816 Cards, e.g. flat sample carriers usually with flow in two horizontal directions
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0864 comprising only one inlet and multiple receiving wells, e.g. for separation, splitting
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/089 Virtual walls for guiding liquids
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0406 capillary forces
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0472 Diffusion
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/086 using baffles or other fixed flow obstructions
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502746 characterised by the means for controlling flow resistance, e.g. flow controllers, baffles B01L3/502738 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502753 characterised by bulk separation arrangements on lab-on-a-chip devices, e.g. for filtration or centrifugation separation in general B01D; microapparatus for analysis using electrophoresis G01N27/44791; sample preparation G01N1/28
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502761 specially adapted for handling suspended solids or molecules independently from the bulk fluid flow, e.g. for trapping or sorting beads, for physically stretching molecules investigating characteristics of particles G01N15/00
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 15/00 Nanotechnology for interacting, sensing or actuating, e.g. quantum dots as markers in protein assays or molecular motors
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 30/00 Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites
• CPC Class Codes: C12Q 1/24 Methods of sampling, or inoculating or spreading a sample; Methods of physically isolating an intact microorganisms
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 1/40 Concentrating samples

Abstract

The present invention relates to methods for detecting and concentrating minute amounts of biohazard analytes, including but not limited to bacteria, protozoa, viral pathogens, and toxins, in environmental and other samples. These analytes can be substantially enriched by the methods of the invention, and further, a second analyte can be removed from the sample.

Claims

1. A method for detecting a biohazard analyte in a sample wherein said biohazard analyte is found at a concentration less than 1×

10<sup>−

3</sup> analytes/μ

L of a sample comprising;

applying said sample to a flow-through concentrator adapted to increase the concentration of said analyte by at least 10,000 fold, and

analyzed said concentrated biohazard analyte.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said concentrator is adapted to retain at least 99% of said biohazard analyte.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said concentrator is adapted to enrich said biohazard analyte by a factor of at least 100,000.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said concentrator has specificity of at least 98% and sensitivity of at least 98%.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said biohazard analyte is a pathogen selected from the group consisting of:

a bacterium, a protozoan, a virus and a chimera thereof.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said biohazard analyte is a pathogen selected from the group consisting of:

Yersinia pestis, Bacillus anthracis, Clostridium botulinum, Francisella tularensis, Coxiella burnetii, Brucella spp., Burkholderia mallei, Burkholderia pseudomallei, Streptococcus, Ebola virus, Lassa virus, SARS, Variola major, Alphaviruses, Rickettsia prowazekii, Chlamydia psittaci, Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli O157;

H7, Vibrio cholerae, Cryptosporidium parvum, Nipah virus, and hantavirus.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said sample is a water sample, an air sample, a food sample, a bodily fluid sample, or a soil sample.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said sample is a fluid sample.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of liquefying said sample to convert it to a fluid sample.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein said concentrator removes at least 99% of a second analyte from said sample.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein said biohazard analyte is a cell type.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein said biohazard analyte is a toxin.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein said analyzing set is performed by a computer executable logic.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein said concentrator comprises a two dimensional array of a plurality of obstacles which deterministically direct said biohazard analyte in a first direction and a second analyte in said sample in a second direction.