Substrates, devices, and methods for cellular assays

• US 7,018,838 B2
• Filed: 05/22/2003
• Issued: 03/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Platypus Technologies, LLC
• Original Assignee: Platypus Technologies, LLC
• Inventors: Murphy, Christopher, Abbott, Nicholas, Israel, Barbara
• Primary Examiner(s): Lankford, Jr., Leon B.
• Application Number:
  US10/443,419
• Publication Number:
  US 20050221271A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,041 Days
• Field of Search: 435/325, 435/4, 435/395, 435/367, 435/288.7, 435/244, 435/243, 422/82.05, 436/63, 349/19
• US Class Current: 435/325
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/0663 Stretching or orienting elongated molecules or particles
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/0668 Trapping microscopic beads
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/046 Function or devices integrated in the closure
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0654 Lenses; Optical fibres
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0822 Slides
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0877 Flow chambers
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0893 having a very large number of wells, microfabricated wells
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0406 capillary forces
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0415 electrical forces, e.g. electrokinetic
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0442 thermal energy, e.g. vaporisation, bubble jet
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0487 fluid pressure, pneumatics
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502761 specially adapted for handling suspended solids or molecules independently from the bulk fluid flow, e.g. for trapping or sorting beads, for physically stretching molecules investigating characteristics of particles G01N15/00
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/50853 with covers or lids
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 9/52 Supports specially adapted for flat sample carriers, e.g. for plates, slides, chips
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 30/00 Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2015/1006 for cytology
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/5029 on cell motility

Abstract

The present invention relates to the field of molecular diagnostics, and in particular to diagnostics based on a liquid crystal assay format. In particular, the present invention provided improved substrates and methods of using liquid crystal assays for quantitating the amount of an analyte in a sample. The present invention also provides materials and methods for detecting non-specific binding of an analyte to a substrate by using a liquid crystal assay format.

Claims

1. A method for analyzing cells comprising:

a) providing mesogens and an apparatus comprising a substrate having a surface, said surface having thereon at least one assay region configured to orient mesogens and at least one cell seeding region associated with said at least one assay region;

b) applying cells to said at least one cell seeding region;

c) contacting said cells with said mesogens; and

d) assaying the movement of said cells into said at least one assay region by detecting changes in the orientation of said mesogens, wherein said changes are indicative of cell movement.

2. A method for detecting the effects of test compounds on cell motility, comprising,

providing:

i) mesogens and an assay apparatus comprising a substrate having a surface, said surface having thereon at least one assay region configured to orient mesogens and at least one cell seeding region associated with said at least one assay region, wherein said at least one cell seeding region contains at least one cell;

ii) a test compound suspected of inhibiting or promoting cell motility; and

b) contacting said at least one cell with said test compound; and

c) contacting said at least one cell of step (b) with said mesogens;

d) analyzing the effect of said test compound on said at least one cell by assaying the presence or absence of movement of said at least one cell into said at least one assay region by detecting the presence or absence of changes in the orientation of said mesogens, wherein the presence of said changes is indicative of cell motility.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said at least one cell is a eukaryotic or prokaryotic cell.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein said eukaryotic cell is a mammalian cell.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein said mammalian cell is suspected of being cancerous.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein said mammalian cell is a human cell.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein said analyzing is performed with a liquid crystal.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said liquid crystal is analyzed on a plate reader.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said text compound is selected from the group consisting of epidermal growth factor, fibroblast growth factors, neurotrophins, platelet derived growth factors, hepatocyte growth factors, growth hormone, prolactin, angiotensin, kinins, neurodifferentiation factor, insulin, insulin like growth factors (IGF) I and II, keratinocyte growth factor, amphiregulin, heregulin, TGF-alpha, TGF-beta, neuropeptides, and neurotransmitters.

10. The method of claim 2, wherein said test compound is suspected of effecting cell proliferation or cell adhesion.