METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR DETECTION OF FLUORESCENTLY LABELED MATERIALS

• US 20090010524A1
• Filed: 09/17/2008
• Published: 01/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/1994
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Affymetrix, Inc. (Thermo Fisher Scientific Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Affymetrix, Inc. (Thermo Fisher Scientific Incorporated)
• Inventors: Fiekowsky, Peter, Stern, David
• Granted Patent: US 8,233,735 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/141
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00605 the compounds being directly bound or immobilised to solid supports
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00612 the surface being inorganic
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00659 Two-dimensional arrays
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00702 Processes involving means for analysing and characterising the products
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/174 either absorption-reflection or emission-fluorescence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/6428 Measuring fluorescence of fluorescent products of reactions or of fluorochrome labelled reactive substances, e.g. measuring quenching effects, using measuring "optrodes" in vivo A61B5/00; immunoassay G01N33/53
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/6458 Fluorescence microscopy fluorescence microscopes per se G02B21/0076 and G02B21/16

Abstract

Fluorescently marked targets bind to a substrate 230 synthesized with polymer sequences at known locations. The targets are detected by exposing selected regions of the substrate 230 to light from a light source 100 and detecting the photons from the light fluoresced therefrom, and repeating the steps of exposure and detection until the substrate 230 is completely examined. The resulting data can be used to determine binding affinity of the targets to specific polymer sequences.

Claims

1. A method for evaluating an orientation of a molecular array having features arranged in a pattern, comprising:

(a) receiving an image of the molecular array produced by scanning the molecular array to determine data signals emanating from discrete positions on a surface of the molecular array;

(b) calculating an actual result of a function on pixels of the image along an axis of the image;

(c) comparing the result of step (b) with an expected result that would be obtained if the features were arranged in a pattern having a predetermined orientation.

2-14. -14. (canceled)