Assay for determining analyte using mercury release followed by detection via interaction with aluminum

• US 5,108,889 A
• Filed: 10/12/1988
• Issued: 04/28/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Thorne Smith Astill Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Thorne Smith Astill Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Smith, Roger E., Astill, Mark E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wax, Robert A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Marschel, Ardin H.
• Application Number:
  US07/256,785
• Time in Patent Office: 1,294 Days
• Field of Search: 435/6, 435/7, 435/810, 435/4, 435/7.1, 435/7.5, 435/7.92, 436/501, 536/27, 935/77, 935/78, 204/403
• US Class Current: 435/4
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150022 for capillary blood or interstitial fluid
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150435 Specific design of proximal end
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150511 Details of construction of shaft
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/15113 Manually triggered, i.e. the triggering requires a deliberate action by the user such as pressing a drive button
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/15117 comprising biased elements, resilient elements or a spring, e.g. a helical spring, leaf spring, or elastic strap
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/15146 Devices loaded with multiple lancets simultaneously, e.g. for serial firing without reloading, for example by use of stocking means. multiple simultaneous cutting or piercing A61B5/150977
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/15155 Piercing elements which are specially shaped or are provided with fittings or attachments to facilitate nesting, stacking or joining together end-to-end or side-by-side
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/15174 Piercing elements stocked in the form of a stack or pile
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/157 Devices characterised by integrated means for measuring characteristics of blood
• CPC Class Codes: C12Q 1/6816 characterised by the detection means C12Q1/6804 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C12Q 1/6823 Release of bound markers
• CPC Class Codes: C12Q 2563/137 Metal/ion, e.g. metal label
• CPC Class Codes: C12Q 2565/607 being a sensor, e.g. electrode
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/54366 Apparatus specially adapted for solid-phase testing
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/5438 Electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/581 with enzyme label (including co-enzymes, co-factors, enzyme inhibitors or substrates)
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/66 involving blood sugars, e.g. galactose
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 435/81 Packaged device or kit

Abstract

An assay employing a tracer comprising a ligand having a mercury label wherein mercury label is released from at least one of a bound or free tracer phase and interacts with a metal. Analyte is determined by a change in at least one property of the metal caused by such interaction. The invention also relates to a device for such an assay wherein mercury ions released from a free or bound tracer are caused to eventually amalgamate with a metal, and the presence and/or amount of analyte is determined by changes in the metal resulting from the eventual amalgamation which may be measured electrically or by other means. The invention also relates to novel assay instruments, novel lancets, assay sensors, assay sensor packets, instrumentation and combinations of assay components, and related methods.

Claims

1. In an assay for an analyte, the improvement comprising:

forming in the assay a bound tracer phase and a free tracer phase, said tracer being a ligand labeled with mercury;

releasing mercury from at least one of the bound and free tracer phases;

interacting released mercury with aluminum and determining analyte by determining a change in at least one property of the aluminum caused by said interaction.

2. The assay of claim 1 wherein said tracer further comprises a carrier group comprised of a copolymer comprised of a first portion, said first portion being attached to said mercury label and a hydrophilic second portion, said second portion being attached to said ligand.

3. The assay of claim 2 wherein said mercury label comprises a plurality of mercury atoms attached to said carrier group.

4. The assay of claim 3 wherein said first portion of said copolymer is a polyethyleneimine, and said second portion of said copolymer is a polyoxyalkylene.

5. The assay of claim 4 wherein said polyoxyalkylene further includes an end group, said end group being capable of being linked to the ligand portion of said tracer.

6. The assay of claim 5 wherein said end group is an epoxy group.

7. The assay of claim 1 wherein said assay is a competitive assay.

8. The assay of claim 1 wherein said assay is a sandwich assay.

9. The assay of claim 1 wherein said assay is an indirect sandwich assay.

10. The assay of claim 1 wherein the analyte is DNA (RNA) and the tracer is a DNA (RNA) probe labeled with mercury.

13. The assay of claim 1 whereby releasing mercury from either the free or bound tracer phases is accomplished by interaction with a displacing agent.

14. The assay of claim 13 where the displacing agent consists of one or more of the salts of nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), ammonia (NH_r⁺), manganese (Mn), magnesium (Mg) lithium (Li), sodium (Na) and calcium (Ca), either singly or in combination.

15. The assay of claim 1 whereby releasing mercury from either the free or bound tracer phases is accomplished by change of pH.

11. In an assay for an analyte, the improvement comprising:

forming in the assay a bound tracer phase and a free tracer phase contacting at least one of the bound and free tracer phase with a substrate including immobilized mercury, said tracer including a label which interacts with the substrate to mobilize mercury;

interacting mobilized mercury with aluminum; and

determining analyte, by determining a change in at least one property of the aluminum caused by said interaction.

12. The assay of claim 11 wherein the mercury in a mobilized form is linked to a polymer and the mercury linked to a polymer is contacted with a releasing agent to release mercury from the polymer prior to interaction with the aluminum.

16. The assay of claim 11 whereby releasing mercury from either the free or bound tracer phases is accomplished by interaction with a displacing agent.

17. The assay of claim 16 wherein the displacing agent consists of one or more of the slats of nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), ammonia (NH₄⁺), manganese (Mn), magnesium (Mg) lithium (Li), sodium (Na) and calcium (Ca), either singly or in combination.

18. The assay of claim 11 whereby releasing mercury from either the free or bound tracer phases is accomplished by change of pH.