Method of separating biomolecule-containing samples with a microdevice with integrated memory

• US 6,726,820 B1
• Filed: 09/19/2001
• Issued: 04/27/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Applied Biosystems LLC (Thermo Fisher Scientific Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Applera Corporation (Thermo Fisher Scientific Incorporated)
• Inventors: Frazier, Jeffery D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Olsen, Kaj K.
• Application Number:
  US09/955,608
• Time in Patent Office: 951 Days
• Field of Search: 204/450, 204/451, 204/461, 204/452, 204/603, 204/600, 204/601, 204/612
• US Class Current: 204/451
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/44791 Microapparatus sample containers with integrated microfluidic structures B01L3/5027

Abstract

The present invention provides microdevices, such as those used in the pharmaceutical and biotechnological fields, including an integrated memory. According to various embodiments, the integrated memory is readable, writable, and rewritable. The present invention further provides processing stations, e.g., for carrying out electrophoresis, pcr, genetic analysis, sample preparation, and/or sample cleanup, etc., that are capable of reading from and/or writing/rewriting to such memory.

Claims

1. A method for separating biomolecule-containing samples, comprising:

(a) providing a microdevice comprised of (i) a substrate;

(ii) a separation channel formed in said substate, (iii) a rewritable memory integrated into said substrate, with said memory being adapted for storing binary coded information;

(b) introducing a biomolecule-containing sample into said separation channel;

(d) applying a driving force sufficient to cause at least a portion of the biomolecules in said sample to migrate along said separation channel, thereby separating the biomolecules;

(e) detecting for the biomolecules; and

(f) storing information in said memory about a character or a sequence of said biomolecules.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said substrate comprises a plate, wafer, chip, slide, or disc.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said driving force comprises an electric field.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said driving force comprises a centrifugal force.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transporting the substrate from a first location to a second location; and

accessing the rewritable memory at the first location and accessing the rewritable memory at the second location.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the microdevice, including the biomolecule-containing sample therein, as a unit.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the microdevice further comprises one or more electrodes each capable of being connected to a power source, the one or more electrodes being disposed with respect to at least one of said separation channels for generating one or more electrical fields along at least a portion thereof.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the microdevice comprises a plurality of separation channels and said separation channels are non-intersecting.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the rewritable memory is permanently affixed to the substrate.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the rewritable memory comprises at least one of an integrated circuit memory, an optical memory, a thin film semiconductor memory, a ferromagnetic memory, a molecular memory, and a biomolecular memory.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said memory includes a storage capacity of at least 1 megabyte.