Porous substrate plates and the use thereof

• US 7,384,779 B2
• Filed: 04/12/2004
• Issued: 06/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Corning Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Corning Incorporated
• Inventors: Hong, Yulong, Ferrie, Ann M., Webb, Brian L., Fang, Ye
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin; Christopher L.
• Application Number:
  US10/822,385
• Publication Number:
  US 20050227241A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,520 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 435/287.1
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/12 Specific details about manufacturing devices
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/069 Absorbents; Gels to retain a fluid
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0829 Multi-well plates; Microtitration plates
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/5085 for multiple samples, e.g. microtitration plates
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 435/81 Packaged device or kit
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 436/809 Multifield plates or multicontainer arrays
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49885 with coating before or during assembling

Abstract

A substrate plate or device adapted for use with biological or chemical assays is disclosed. The device may take the form of a multi-well plate having a three-dimensional, porous layer as part of a support surface within each well for immobilizing probe species. The porous layer is characterized as having a plurality of interconnected voids defined by a matrix of contiguous solid material. A method and its variants are also described.

Claims

1. An assay device comprising:

a frame having a number of wells, each defined by at least a sidewall;

a planar substrate having a surface with a number of first and second areas;

said first areas each having a porous layer comprised of adhered granular particles and said second areas being without such a porous layer;

said first and second areas are adjacent to each other, and said second areas, as part of an understructure, serves as a support for each of said porous layers;

wherein said frame and planar substrate are joined together forming a multi-well plate, in which each first area forms part of a bottom surface of said wells.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein said porous layer is characterized as having a plurality of interconnected voids of a predetermined mean size of not less than about 0.05 μ

m dispersed therethrough, and said voids are defined by a network of contiguous solid material, creating a three-dimensional structure having a porosity of up to about 99.7%.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein said solid material and contents of the voids exhibit a high contrast in their indices of refraction relative to each other.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the adhered granular particles comprise a fit-based material or polymeric material having interconnected channels.

5. The device according to claim 4, wherein said porous layer is either a) unmodified or b) modified with a surface chemistry that enhances the attachment of biological species to the porous layer.

6. The device according to claim 5, wherein when said porous layer is an unmodified, bare surface, said porous layer physically ensnares probe molecules with said voids of said porous.

7. The device according to claim 5, wherein said surface chemistry is selected from a silane coating, a polymer coating, or a biological coating.

8. The device according to claim 7, wherein said silane coating is selected from the group consisting of:

3-acyloxypropyl-trimethoxysilane, allyltrichlorosilane, 3-aminpropyltriethoxysilane, N-(6-aminohexyl)aminopropyl-trimethoxysilane, bis(triethoxysilye)methane, 2-(3-cyclohexenyl)ethyl)triethoxysilane, and 3-glycidoxypropyl-trimethoxysilane.

9. The device according to claim 7, wherein said polymer coating is selected from the group consisting of:

chitosan, epoxy-presenting polymers, an anhydride-presenting polymer, NHS-ester-presenting polymer, aldehyde-presenting polymer, poly-ethylene-amine, and poly-lysine.

10. The device according to claim 7, wherein said biological coating is selected from the group consisting of:

antibodies, protein-A, protein-G, lectin, and wheat-germ-agglutinin.

11. The device according to claim 1, wherein said frame is joined to said planar substrate at a number of said second areas.

12. The device according to claim 1, wherein said frame is joined to said substrate support by a thermal weld, and infrared weld, or a chemical adhesive.

13. The device according to claim 1, wherein said frame is composed of either a glass or a polymer, or combination of both materials.