Printing liquid solution arrays for inorganic combinatorial libraries

• US 20070065947A1
• Filed: 09/19/2005
• Published: 03/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intematix Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intematix Corporation
• Inventors: Dong, Yi, Cheng, Shifan, Li, Yi-Qun, Tao, Dejie
• Granted Patent: US 9,550,162 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 436/80
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/0046 Sequential or parallel reactions, e.g. for the synthesis of polypeptides or polynucleotides; Apparatus and devices for combinatorial chemistry or for making molecular arrays synthesis methods per se C40B50/00
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00315 Microtiter plates
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00364 Pipettes
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00369 in multiple or parallel arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00387 Applications using probes
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00477 Means for pressurising the reaction vessels
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00484 by shaking, vibrating or oscillating of the reaction vessels
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00495 Means for heating or cooling the reaction vessels
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/005 Beads
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00527 Sheets
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00572 Chemical 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 2219/0061 The surface being organic
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00612 the surface being inorganic
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00619 using hydrophilic or hydrophobic regions
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00621 by physical means, e.g. trenches, raised areas
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00628 Ionic
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00659 Two-dimensional arrays
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00704 : integrated with the reactor apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00736 : Non-biologic macromolecules, e.g. polymeric compounds
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/0075 : Metal based compounds
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00754 : Metal oxides

Abstract

This invention provides methods and systems to prepare replicate arrays from master arrays of liquid solutions. Replicate arrays of liquid solutions can be reacted to form product solid inorganic material arrays for analysis and selection of optimum processes and products with desirable properties.

Claims

1. A method of preparing replicate arrays of liquid solutions, the method comprising:

preparing a master array of liquid solutions, each liquid solution having a unique address in the master array; and

transferring a replicate array of the master array onto a first substrate;

thereby producing a first replicate array of the liquid solutions.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising transforming the replicate array of liquid solutions into a product array of solid inorganic materials.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein preparing the master array comprises combining at least two different metal compounds at each address of the master array.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the master array comprises at least eight addresses.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein each liquid solution of the master array is contained within one well of a multiwell dish.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the solid inorganic materials comprise one or more metals selected from the group consisting of Aluminum, Antimony, Barium, Bismuth, Boron, Cadmium, Calcium, Carbon, Cerium, Chromium, Cobalt, Copper, Dysprosium, Erbium, Europium, Gadolinium, Germanium, Gold, Hafnium, Holmium, Indium, Iridium, Iron, Lanthanum, Lead, Lithium, Lutetium, Magnesium, Manganese, Molybdenum, Neodymium, Nickel, Niobium, Palladium, Platinum, Polonium, Praseodymium, Rhenium, Rhodium, Ruthenium, Samarium, Scandium, Selenium, Silicon, Silver, Strontium, Tantalum, Tellurium, Terbium, Thallium, Thulium, Tin, Titanium, Tungsten, Vanadium, Ytterbium, Yttrium, Zinc, and Zirconium.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the inorganic material is in an oxidized form.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the inorganic material in in an ionic form.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the substrate is selected from the group consisting of a ceramic, a glass, silicon, quartz, graphite, a carbon composite, a polymer, a plastic, a composite, a compound semiconductor, a metal, and a metal compound.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the preparing of the master array of liquid solutions further comprises stabilizing at least one of the liquid solutions.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the at least one liquid solution is stabilized with a polymer.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein at least one component of the liquid solution binds to the stabilizing polymer.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the polymer is selected from the group consisting of polyanionic polymers, polycationic polymers, mixed ionic polymers, peptides, polyethyleneimine (PEI), heparin, carboxylated polyethyleneimine (PEIC), polyethylene oxide, polyelectrolytes, polyacrylate, perfluorosulphonate, perfluorocaboxylate, acrylamide, polyacrylic acid, polyacrylonitrile, a polynucleotide, a protein, polycarbonate, diethylaminoethyl-dextran, dextran sulfate, polyglutamic acid, polyphosphate, polyborate, nitrilotriacetate (NTA), ethylene diamine tetraacetate (EDTA) groups, poly histidine, DMPS, DMSA. DMSO, Bipyridyl, Ethyleneglycol bis2-aminoethyl tetraacetic acid (EGTA), Hydroxyethylethylenediamine triacetic acid (HEDTA), hydroxyethyl starch (HES), dextran, dextrin, inulin, polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP), and polystyrene.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the liquid solutions of the master array are transferred to the replicate array in series.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the liquid solutions of the master array are transferred to the replicate array in parallel.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the parallel transfer comprises contacting the master array with a transfer block, and then contacting the substrate with the transfer block.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising heating the substrate to a temperature above about 20°

C.

18. The method of claim 2, wherein the replicate array of liquid solutions is transformed into the product array of solid inorganic materials by drying.

19. The method of claim 2, wherein the replicate array of liquid solutions is transformed into the product array of solid inorganic materials by chemical reaction.

20. The method of claim 2, further comprising detecting a signal from at least one of the solid inorganic materials in the product array.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the signal is detected using a technique selected from the group consisting of electrical voltage measurement, electrical current measurement, a measurement of magnetic properties, spectroscopy, microscopy, and fluoroscopy.

22. A method of preparing replicate arrays of liquid solutions, the method comprising:

preparing a master array of liquid solutions, each liquid solution having a unique address in the master array;

transferring at least a portion of each of the liquid solutions from the master array to a first substrate to form a first replicate array of liquid solutions;

transferring at least a portion of each of the liquid solutions from the master array to a second substrate to form a second replicate array of liquid solutions;

using a first process to transform the first replicate array of liquid solutions into a first product array of solid inorganic materials;

using a second process to transform the second replicate array of liquid solutions into a second product array of solid inorganic materials; and

detecting a signal from at least one address of the first product array, and comparing that signal to a signal detected from the corresponding address of the second product array.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the first and second process parameters are selected from the group consisting of temperature, pressure, time, radiation exposure, chemical reaction, solvent exposure, and gas exposure.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the signal detected from the at least one address of the first product array, and the signal detected from the corresponding address of the second product array, is carried out using a technique selected from the group consisting of electrical voltage measurement, electrical current measurement, a measurement of magnetic properties, spectroscopy, microscopy, and fluoroscopy.

25. A system for preparing replicate arrays of liquid solutions, the system comprising:

a master array of liquid solutions, each liquid solution having a unique address in the master array;

a substrate having a surface to receive a replicate array from the master array of liquid solutions;

a transfer device for transferring at least one of the liquid solutions of the master array to the surface of the substrate to prepare the replicate array.

26. The system of claim 25, further including a processing device for transforming the replicate array of liquid solutions into a product array of solid inorganic materials.

27. The system of claim 25 wherein the master array comprises at least eight addresses.

28. The system of claim 25, wherein each liquid solution of the master array is contained within one well of a multiwell dish.

29. The system of claim 26, wherein the solid inorganic materials comprise one or more metals selected from the group consisting of Aluminum, Antimony, Barium, Bismuth, Boron, Cadmium, Calcium, Carbon, Cerium, Chromium, Cobalt, Copper, Dysprosium, Erbium, Europium, Gadolinium, Germanium, Gold, Hafnium, Holmium, Indium, Iridium, Iron, Lanthanum, Lead, Lithium, Lutetium, Magnesium, Manganese, Molybdenum, Neodymium, Nickel, Niobium, Palladium, Platinum, Polonium, Praseodymium, Rhenium, Rhodium, Ruthenium, Samarium, Scandium, Selenium, Silicon, Silver, Strontium, Tantalum, Tellurium, Terbium, Thallium, Thulium, Tin, Titanium, Tungsten, Vanadium, Ytterbium, Yttrium, Zinc, and Zirconium.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the inorganic material is in an oxidized form.

31. The system of claim 29, wherein the inorganic material is in an ionic form.

32. The system of claim 25, wherein at least one of the liquid solutions of the replicate array is a stabilized liquid solution.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein the at least one stabilized liquid solution is stabilized with a polymer.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein the polymer is selected from the group consisting of polyanionic polymers, polycationic polymers, mixed ionic polymers, peptides, polyethyleneimine (PEI), heparin, carboxylated polyethyleneimine (PEIC), polyethylene oxide, polyelectrolytes, polyacrylate, perfluorosulphonate, perfluorocaboxylate, acrylamide, polyacrylic acid, polyacrylonitrile, a polynucleotide, a protein, polycarbonate, diethylaminoethyl-dextran, dextran sulfate, polyglutamic acid, polyphosphate, polyborate, nitrilotriacetate (NTA), ethylene diamine tetraacetate (EDTA) groups, poly histidine, DMPS, DMSA. DMSO, Bipyridyl, Ethyleneglycol bis2-aminoethyl tetraacetic acid (EGTA), Hydroxyethylethylenediamine triacetic acid (HEDTA), hydroxyethyl starch (HES), dextran, dextrin, inulin, polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP), and polystyrene.

35. The system of claim 25, wherein the substrate is selected from the group consisting of a ceramic, a glass, silicon, graphite, a polymer, a carbon composite, a compound semiconductor, a metal, and a metal-containing compound.

36. The system of claim 25, wherein the transfer device comprises a transfer block having an array of transfer probes spaced in register with the liquid solution addresses of the master array.

37. The system of claim 36, wherein the transfer probes comprise pins or capillary tubes.

38. The system of claim 26, wherein the processing device for transforming the replicate array of liquid solutions into the product array of solid inorganic materials is a heating device.

39. The system of claim 25, further comprising a detector for detecting a signal from at least one of the addresses of the product array of solid inorganic materials.