MICROARRAY DETECTOR AND SYNTHESIZER

• US 20090112482A1
• Filed: 10/27/2008
• Published: 04/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Able Signal Company, LLC
• Original Assignee: Able Signal Company, LLC
• Inventors: Sandstrom, Perry L.
• Application Number:
  US12/258,803
• Publication Number:
  US 20090112482A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/19
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00722 Nucleotides
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/0346 Capillary cells; Microcells
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/6419 Excitation at two or more wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/6421 Measuring at two or more wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/6471 Special filters, filter wheel
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/0332 with temperature control control of temperature G05D23/00; cryostats F17C3/08
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/05 Flow-through cuvettes G01N21/09 takes precedence; handling fluid samples G01N1/10
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/6408 with measurement of decay time, time resolved 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 21/6452 Individual samples arranged in a regular 2D-array, e.g. multiwell plates
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2201/0636 Reflectors
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2201/0675 SLM

Abstract

The present invention relates to novel systems, devices, and methods comprising spatial light modulators for use in the reading and synthesis of microarrays. For example, the present invention provides micromirror systems for synthesizing and acquiring data from nucleic acid microarrays and systems for collecting, processing, and analyzing data obtained from a microarray.

Claims

1. A method of registering a spatial light modulator to a microarray, comprising:

exposing a microarray comprising a plurality of fiducial marks to a spatial light modulator under conditions such that said spatial light modulator uses said fiducial marks to register said spatial light modulator to selected locations on said microarray.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said register said spatial light modulator to said locations on said microarray comprises the step of generating a signal representing the relative optical correlation between the spatial light modulator and said microarray.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said relative optical correlation is representative of the relative spatial registration of said spatial light modulator to said microarray.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising the step of adjusting said spatial light modulator to perfect said registration.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein said generating a signal comprises the step of detecting light from said registered spatial light modulator using an optical detector.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said fiducial marks are applied to said microarray before the synthesis of said microarray.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said fiducial marks are intrinsic to said micro array.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said fiducial marks are selected from the group consisting of reflective patterns and absorptive patterns.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said microarray comprises two or more distinct fiducial marks.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said two or more distinct fiducial marks generate two or more distinct signals.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said microarray comprises fiducial patterns in multiple locations on said microarray.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of detecting optical signal from said microarray using said spatial light modulator and said optical detector, wherein said optical signal corresponds to data from reaction sites on said microarray.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said optical signal from said reaction sites is detected contemporaneously with said signal from said fiducial marks.

14. A system, comprising

a) a microarray comprising a plurality of fiducial marks;

b) a spatial light modulator; and

c) software configured to use said fiducial marks to register said spatial light modulator to selected locations on said microarry.