Biopolymer array reading

• US 8,577,621 B2
• Filed: 11/04/2011
• Issued: 11/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Agilent Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Agilent Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Troup, Charles David, Cattell, Herbert F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dejong, Eric S
• Application Number:
  US13/289,822
• Publication Number:
  US 20120053086A1
• Time in Patent Office: 732 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 702/19
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00549 2-dimensional
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00565 Electromagnetic means
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00659 Two-dimensional arrays
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00668 Two-dimensional arrays within three-dimensional arrays
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00702 Processes involving means for analysing and characterising the products
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00722 Nucleotides
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00725 Peptides
• CPC Class Codes: C40B 40/06 Libraries containing nucleotides or polynucleotides, or derivatives thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C40B 40/10 Libraries containing peptides or polypeptides, or derivatives thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C40B 70/00 Tags or labels specially adapted for combinatorial chemistry or libraries, e.g. fluorescent tags or bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G16B 25/00 ICT specially adapted for hybridisation; ICT specially adapted for gene or protein expression

Abstract

A method for processing biopolymer arrays and apparatus and computer program products for executing the method. The method may include reading a different array identifier for each biopolymer array from a tag associated with that array. At least some of the biopolymer arrays are read and results from each read array saved in a memory linked with the read identifier for that array. Different communication addresses and a selection of an array identifier for each, are received. For at least some of the arrays, the saved results for each are matched with one of the different communication addresses using the identifier, and the saved results transmitted for those arrays to the matched different communication addresses. A method of processing data from the reading of biopolymer arrays is also provided.

Claims

1. A method for processing biopolymer arrays, comprising:

(a) receiving, at a processor, a communication address associated with a query array identifier;

(b) searching a database containing a plurality of biopolymer array results stored in a memory for a matched biopolymer array result having an array identifier matching the query array identifier, wherein the plurality of biopolymer array results are from reading biopolymer arrays and each of the plurality of biopolymer array results is associated with a unique array identifier; and

(c) if the matched biopolymer array result is found, transmitting the matched biopolymer array result to the communication address, and if the matched biopolymer array result is not found, transmitting status information to the communication address.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the biopolymer arrays are polynucleotide arrays, peptide arrays, or a combination thereof.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

saving the communication address and the received array identifier in a memory, if the matched biopolymer array result is not found; and

when the database is updated and the matched biopolymer array result is found, transmitting the matched biopolymer array result to the communication address.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the unique array identifier for each of the plurality of biopolymer array results is read from a tag associated with each of the biopolymer arrays.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the tag comprises a bar code or an electrically readable memory.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the tag for each array is associated with the array by being carried by a substrate on which the array is located.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the tag for each array is associated with the array by being on or in a same package as the array.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the biopolymer arrays are addressable.

9. The method of claim 1, where in the reading of the biopolymer arrays comprises scanning an illumination source across the biopolymer arrays and detecting fluorescence signals.