IN VITRO EVOLUTION IN MICROFLUIDIC SYSTEMS
First Claim
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1. A method for analyzing compounds, the method comprising:
- forming under microfluidic control a plurality of aqueous microcapsules in an oil, wherein each aqueous microcapsule comprises a genetic element and a cell;
incubating the plurality of aqueous microcapsules to cause the first genetic element to interact with a molecule associated with the cell;
conducting an amplification reaction involving the molecule associated with the cell within one or more of the aqueous microcapsules, wherein the genetic element or a gene product encoded by the genetic element has an effect on the amplification reaction; and
detecting a selectable change caused by a product of the amplification reaction in one or more of the aqueous microcapsules.
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Abstract
The invention describes a method for isolating one or more genetic elements encoding a gene product having a desired activity, comprising the steps of: (a) compartmentalising genetic elements into microcapsules; and (b) sorting the genetic elements which express the gene product having the desired activity; wherein at least one step is under microfluidic control. The invention enables the in vitro evolution of nucleic acids and proteins by repeated mutagenesis and iterative applications of the method of the invention.
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Citations
14 Claims
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1. A method for analyzing compounds, the method comprising:
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forming under microfluidic control a plurality of aqueous microcapsules in an oil, wherein each aqueous microcapsule comprises a genetic element and a cell; incubating the plurality of aqueous microcapsules to cause the first genetic element to interact with a molecule associated with the cell; conducting an amplification reaction involving the molecule associated with the cell within one or more of the aqueous microcapsules, wherein the genetic element or a gene product encoded by the genetic element has an effect on the amplification reaction; and detecting a selectable change caused by a product of the amplification reaction in one or more of the aqueous microcapsules. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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Specification