Dry biochemical assay plate and method for making the same

• US 6,255,053 B1
• Filed: 06/21/1999
• Issued: 07/03/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Agilent Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Agilent Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Lichtenwalter, Kay
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Christopher L.
• Application Number:
  US09/337,710
• Time in Patent Office: 743 Days
• Field of Search: 435/6, 436/518, 436/524, 436/527, 436/531, 436/164, 436/805, 436/809
• US Class Current: 435/6.12
• 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 2219/00364 Pipettes
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00527 Sheets
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00529 DNA chips
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/0054 Means for coding or tagging the apparatus or the reagents
• 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 2219/00608 DNA chips
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00612 the surface being inorganic
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00626 Covalent
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00637 by coating it with another layer
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00659 Two-dimensional arrays
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00722 Nucleotides
• CPC Class Codes: C12Q 1/6834 Enzymatic or biochemical coupling of nucleic acids to a solid phase
• CPC Class Codes: C40B 40/06 Libraries containing nucleotides or polynucleotides, or derivatives thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C40B 50/14 Solid phase synthesis, i.e. wherein one or more library building blocks are bound to a solid support during library creation; Particular methods of cleavage from the solid support
• CPC Class Codes: C40B 60/14 for creating libraries
• CPC Class Codes: C40B 70/00 Tags or labels specially adapted for combinatorial chemistry or libraries, e.g. fluorescent tags or bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/543 with an insoluble carrier for immobilising immunochemicals
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 435/81 : Packaged device or kit
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 435/97 : Test strip or test slide
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 436/805 : Optical property
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 436/809 : Multifield plates or multicontainer arrays

Abstract

An assay plate for detecting the presence of a mobile reactant that binds to a immobilized reactant and the methods of making and using the same. An assay plate according to the present invention includes a substrate and at least one dried aliquot of the immobilized reactant, the immobilized reactant being bound to the surface of the substrate. The immobilized reactant binds the mobile reactant when a solution containing the mobile reactant is brought into contact with the immobilized reactant. The mobile and immobilized reactants may be any pair of biological compounds that have a specific affinity for one another For example the reactants may be nucleic acids or antibody-antigen pairs. The preferred embodiment of an assay plate according to the present invention includes a plurality of assay spots, each spot having a different immobilized reactant or concentration thereof The preferred method for fabricating an assay plate according to the present invention includes the is steps of binding the immobilized reactant to the substrate, washing the substrate to remove any immobilized reactant that is not bound to the substrate and then drying the substrate. The dried assay plates are preferably stored in a water-proof container until used. An assay utilizing an assay plate according to the present invention is carried out by bringing a solution containing the mobile reactant into contact with the dried aliquot or aliquots on the assay plate. The assay plate is then washed to removed unbound material and the amount of mobile reactant bound to the washed assay plate determined. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the washed assay plate is dried prior to measuring the amount of mobile reactant bound to the washed assay plate.

Claims

1. A method for detecting a mobile nucleic acid comprising the steps of:

providing an assay plate having a dried aliquot of an immobilized nucleic acid bound thereon, said immobilized nucleic acid binding said mobile nucleic acid when both said immobilized nucleic acid and said mobile nucleic acid are in a wet state;

bringing a solution containing said mobile nucleic acid into contact with said dried aliquot;

washing said assay plate;

drying said washed assay plate;

determining, while the washed assay plate is dry, the amount of mobile nucleic acid bound to said washed assay plate.

2. A method according to claim 1 additionally comprising treating with a dye that binds to one of said immobilized nucleic acid or said mobile nucleic acid.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the step of treating with dye comprises binding the dye to the mobile nucleic acid prior to bringing the solution into contact with the dried aliquot.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the step of treating with dye comprises depositing the dye on the dried aliquot after bringing the solution into contact with the dried aliquot.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the assay plate has multiple dried aliquots thereon of different species or concentration.