Osmotic reaction detector for detecting biological and non-biological reactions

• US 7,666,680 B2
• Filed: 11/28/2007
• Issued: 02/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Palo Alto Research Center, Inc. (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Palo Alto Research Center, Inc. (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Lean, Meng H., Torres, Francisco E., Daniels, Jonathan S.
• Primary Examiner(s): JARRETT, LORE RAMILLANO
• Application Number:
  US11/946,268
• Publication Number:
  US 20080118985A1
• Time in Patent Office: 818 Days
• Field of Search: 436/34, 436/148, 436/807, 422/50, 422/68.1, 422/82.13, 422/82.02
• US Class Current: 436/34
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/505 flexible containers not provided for above
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 13/04 Investigating osmotic effects
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 436/807 Apparatus included in process claim, e.g. physical support structures

Abstract

A method and apparatus for measuring the presence or absence of interaction between at least a first and second material of interest by measuring osmotic pressure changes in an osmotic cell. Changes in osmotic pressure are determined by measuring the amount of compression exhibited by a compressible, semi-permeable material positioned in the cell.

Claims

1. A method for detecting interactions between at least a first and second material of interest, said method comprising the steps of:

a) providing an osmotic cell having an impermeable bottom substrate;

b) positioning a compressible, semi-permeable material directly attached to said bottom substrate of said cell;

c) introducing into said osmotic cell at least first and second materials of interest, and a carrier fluid, together forming a mixture, such that said first and second materials of interest sit on a top surface of said compressible, semi-permeable material;

d) detecting a change in an osmotic pressure in said osmotic cell occurring as a result of a reaction or interaction in said osmotic cell between the first and second materials of interest occurring above the top surface of said compressible, semi-permeable material; and

e) determining said change in osmotic pressure by measuring the compression of said compressible, semi-permeable material;

wherein the semi-permeable material is impermeable to said first and second materials of interest within the time scale needed for the method to be completed.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said method monitors interactions in said osmotic cell at an initial concentration of said first and second materials of interest in said mixture in the range of approximately 10⁻

3 M to 5×

10<sup>−

7</sup> M.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein said method measures osmotic pressure changes in a range of approximately 1.2 N/m² to 2600 N/m².

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein said method is performed using an array of osmotic cells, and at least two of the osmotic cells of the array utilize different first and/or second materials.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein said amount of compression is measured by a change in capacitance of said compressible, semi-permeable material.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein said amount of compression is measured by a change in resistance of said compressible, semi-permeable material.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein said amount of compression is measured by a change in the deflection of light incident on said compressible, semi-permeable material.

8. A system according to claim 1, wherein a volume of the mixture is less than 10 μ

L.

9. A system according to claim 1, wherein a volume of the mixture is less than or equal to 1 μ

L.

10. A system according to claim 1, wherein a volume of the mixture is less than or equal to 100 μ

L.

11. A system according to claim 1, wherein a volume of the mixture is less than or equal to 20 μ

L.

12. A method for detecting interactions between at least a first and second material of interest, said method comprising the steps of:

providing an osmotic cell having an impermeable bottom substrate;

positioning a compressible, semi-permeable material directly on said bottom substrate of said cell;

measuring, in a first measuring step, a compression of the compressible semi-permeable material;

introducing into said osmotic cell at least first and second materials of interest, and a carrier fluid, together forming a mixture;

passing at least the carrier fluid into the compressible, semi-permeable material;

maintaining the first and second materials of interest on a top surface of the compressible semi-permeable material during a testing period;

measuring, in a second measuring step, the compression of the compressible, semi-permeable material as a result of osmotic pressure changed in said cells in response to a reaction or interaction of the first and second materials of interest above said compressible, semi-permeable material; and

determining the change in osmotic pressure in said osmotic cell occurring as a result of a change in state in said osmotic cell based on the first measuring step and the second measuring step.

13. A method according to claim 12, wherein said method monitors interactions in said osmotic cell at an initial concentration of said first and second materials of interest in said mixture in the range of approximately 10⁻

3 M to 5×

10<sup>−

7</sup> M.

14. A system according to claim 12, wherein said method measures osmotic pressure changes in a range of approximately 1.2 N/m² to 2600 N/m².

15. The method according to claim 12, wherein the semi-permeable material is impermeable to said first and second materials of interest within the time scale needed for the method to be completed.