Optical microlabels: shapes and reflectors

• US 8,232,112 B2
• Filed: 04/28/2010
• Issued: 07/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Raul Ruchhoedft, Richard C. Willson
• Original Assignee: Raul Ruchhoedft, Richard C. Willson
• Inventors: Willson, Richard C., Ruchhoedft, Raul
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Chris L
• Application Number:
  US12/769,169
• Publication Number:
  US 20100210009A1
• Time in Patent Office: 825 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 436/518
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 5/00 Nanobiotechnology or nanomedicine, e.g. protein engineering or drug delivery
• CPC Class Codes: C12Q 1/6837 using probe arrays or probe chips C12Q1/6874 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C12Q 2563/155 Particles of a defined size, e.g. nanoparticles
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/54373 involving physiochemical end-point determination, e.g. wave-guides, FETS, gratings
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 436/805 Optical property
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/701 Integrated with dissimilar structures on a common substrate
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/702 having biological material component
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/704 Nucleic acids, e.g. DNA or RNA
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/705 Protein or peptide
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/773 Nanoparticle, i.e. structure having three dimensions of 100 nm or less
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/774 Exhibiting three-dimensional carrier confinement, e.g. quantum dots
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/834 Optical properties of nanomaterial, e.g. specified transparency, opacity, or index of refraction
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/92 Detection of biochemical

Abstract

Labels and methods of producing labels for use in clinical, analytical and pharmaceutical development assays are provided. Labels may comprise shape-encoded particles which may be coupled to ligands such as DNA, RNA and antibodies, where different shapes are used to identify which ligand(s) are present. Labels may also comprise reflectors, including retroreflectors and retroreflectors susceptible to analyte-dependent assembly for efficient homogeneous assays.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising a substrate, a top layer disposed on a top surface of the substrate and recessed regions having at least three mutually-perpendicular, adjacent faces, where at least two faces of each of the regions comprise a portion of the top layer and one face comprises a portion of the substrate, where at least two faces are coated with a reflective material so that they comprise mirrored surfaces, at least one face is functionalized with a biological recognition moiety, and a largest dimension of the faces is less than 2 mm.

2. The composition of claim 1, wherein the biological recognition moiety comprises an antibody variable region, a nucleic acid, a carbohydrate or a protein.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the reflective elements have a largest dimension less than 1 mm.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the reflective elements have a largest dimension less than 10 μ

m.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the reflective elements have a largest dimension less than 1 μ

m.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a target analyte associated with the biological recognition moiety, where the analyte changes a property of light reflected by the mirrored recessed regions.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the target analyte is selected from the group consisting of a cell surface receptor, a protein, a nucleic acid, a mRNA, a genomic DNA, a PCR product, a cDNA, a peptide, a hormone, a drug, a spore, a virus, an SSU RNAs, an LSU-rRNAs, an 5S rRNA, a spacer region DNA from rRNA gene clusters, an 5.8S rRNA, an 4.5S rRNA, an 10S RNA, an RNAseP RNA, a guide RNA, a telomerase RNA, an snRNAs, an U1 RNA, an scRNAs, a Mitochondrial DNA, a viral DNA, a viral RNA, a human DNA, a human cDNA, an artificial RNA, an siRNA, an enzyme substrate, an enzyme, an enzyme reaction product, a bacterium, a plant, an animal, a fungus, a yeast, a mold, an Archae, an Eukyarote, a fish, an human;

a Gram-Negative bacterium, a Y. pestis, a HIV1 virus, a B. anthracis, a Smallpox virus, a Chromosomal DNA, an rRNA, an rDNA, an mt DNA, a cpDNA, an artificial RNA, a plasmid DNA, an oligonucleotide, a restriction fragment, a YAC, a BAC, a cosmid, a hormone, a pesticide, a digoxin, insulin, HCG, atrazine, and an anthrax spore.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the biological recognition moiety comprise a nucleic acid or a protein.