Measurement and use of molecular interactions

• US 6,589,727 B1
• Filed: 11/15/2000
• Issued: 07/08/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Inverness Medical Switzerland GmbH (Abbott Laboratories Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Akubio Ltd. (Abbott Laboratories Incorporated)
• Inventors: Klenerman, David, Ostanin, Victor Petrovich, Dultsev, Fedor Nikolaievich
• Primary Examiner(s): Housel, James
• Assistant Examiner(s): FOLEY, SHANON A
• Application Number:
  US09/700,485
• Time in Patent Office: 965 Days
• Field of Search: 435/6, 435/7.1, 435/7.2, 435/4, 435/5, 435/7.92, 435/30, 435/34, 435/40.5, 435/40.51, 436/94, 436/501, 436/536, 436/537, 422/68.1, 422/82.01
• US Class Current: 435/4
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/54373 involving physiochemical end-point determination, e.g. wave-guides, FETS, gratings
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/5438 Electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 435/808 Optical sensing apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 436/805 Optical property

Abstract

A method for determining the affinity between binding partners, or a property of one of the binding partners dependent on the affinity, comprising the steps of:

(i) contacting the binding partners, one of which is immobilised on a surface;

(ii) oscillating the surface at increasing amplitude; and

(iii) detecting a dissociation event.

An analogous method can be used to separate a target analyte from a composition. The subject invention also pertains to an apparatus for determining the affinity between binding partners, and comprises: a surface (10) having one binding partner (16) immobilised thereon; means for oscillating the surface at increasing amplitude; and a device (14, 15) for detecting a dissociation event.

Claims

1. A method for determining the affinity between first and second binding partners, which comprises the steps of:

(i) contacting the first and second binding partners, wherein the first binding partner is immobilised on a surface, and wherein the first and second binding partners bind to each other;

(ii) oscillating the surface such that the amplitude of oscillation increases to a value at which the first and second binding partners dissociate; and

(iii) detecting the dissociation of the first and second binding partners, wherein the affinity of the first and second binding partners is determined from the dissociation event.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the second binding partner is a particle or is immobilised on a particle.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first or second binding partner is a protein, antibody, antigen, enzyme, enzyme inhibitor, or polynucleotide.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first or second binding partner is a cell, bacterium, virus, prion, or phage.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein different binding partners are immobilised at different positions on the surface.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the dissociation event is detected by acoustic emission.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the surface is a piezoelectric transducer or acoustic transducer.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the transducer is a quartz crystal microbalance or surface acoustic wave device.

9. The method according to claim 1, which is carried out in a liquid.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first and second binding partners are, independently, a protein, antibody, antigen, enzyme, enzyme inhibitor, or polynucleotide.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first and second binding partners are, independently, a cell, bacterium, virus, prion, or phage.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the increasing amplitude is monotonously increasing.

13. The method according to claim 1, which additionally comprises the step:

(iv) measuring the voltage at which the disassociation event occurs.

14. A method for separating a target analyte from a composition, which comprises the steps of:

(i) contacting the composition with a binding partner for the analyte, the binding partner being immobilised on a surface; and

(ii) oscillating the surface such that the amplitude increases to a value wherein the analyte, or other components of the composition, are selectively removed or dissociated from the surface, thereby separating the target analyte from the composition.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the binding partner or the target analyte is a protein, antibody, antigen, enzyme, enzyme inhibitor, or polynucleotide.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein the binding partner or the target analyte is a cell, bacterium, virus, prion, or phage.

17. The method according to claim 14, wherein different binding partners are immobilised at different positions on the surface.

18. The method according to claim 14, wherein the dissociation event is detected by acoustic emission.

19. The method according to claim 14, wherein the surface is part of a piezoelectric transducer or acoustic transducer.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the transducer is a quartz crystal microbalance or surface acoustic wave device.

21. The method according to claim 14, which is carried out in a liquid.

22. The method according to claim 14, wherein the binding partner and the target analyte are, independently, a protein, antibody, antigen, enzyme, enzyme inhibitor, or polynucleotide.

23. The method according to claim 14, wherein the binding partner and the target analyte are, independently, a cell, bacterium, virus, prion, or phage.

24. The method according to claim 14, wherein the increasing amplitude is monotonously increasing.

25. A method for detecting a target analyte in a composition, which comprises the steps of:

(i) contacting the composition with a binding partner for the analyte, the binding partner being immobilised on a surface; and

(ii) oscillating the surface such that the amplitude increases to a value wherein the analyte dissociates from the binding partner, and wherein detection of the dissociation event is indicative of the target analyte in the composition.

26. The method according to claim 25, wherein the binding partner or the target analyte is a protein, antibody, antigen, enzyme, enzyme inhibitor, or polynucleotide.

27. The method according to claim 25, wherein the binding partner or the target analyte is a cell, bacterium, virus, prion, or phage.

28. The method according to claim 25, wherein different binding partners are immobilised at different positions on the surface.

29. The method according to claim 25, wherein the dissociation event is detected by acoustic emission.

30. The method according to claim 25, wherein the surface is a piezoelectric transducer or acoustic transducer.

31. The method according to claim 30, wherein the transducer is a quartz crystal microbalance or surface acoustic wave device.

32. The method according to claim 25, which is carried out in a liquid.

33. The method according to claim 25, wherein the binding partner and the target analyte are, independently, a protein, antibody, antigen, enzyme, enzyme inhibitor, or polynucleotide.

34. The method according to claim 25, wherein the binding partner and the target analyte are, independently, a cell, bacterium, virus, prion, or phage.

35. The method according to claim 25, wherein the increasing amplitude is monotonously increasing.