Radio Frequency Transponder Assay

• US 20070298487A1
• Filed: 06/23/2006
• Published: 12/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Becton, Dickinson & Co
• Original Assignee: Becton, Dickinson & Co
• Inventors: Rosenstein, Robert, Hansen, Timothy, Bachur, Nicholas R., Goldenbaum, Paul
• Application Number:
  US11/426,032
• Publication Number:
  US 20070298487A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 435/287.2
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/143 Quality control, feedback systems
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/022 Transponder chips
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/545 for laboratory containers
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/00811 consumable or exchangeable components other than sample carriers, e.g. detectors, flow cells
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/00841 results of the analyses
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/00722 Communications; Identification
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/00871 Communications between instruments or with remote terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0717 the sensor being capable of sensing environmental conditions such as temperature history or pressure
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10237 the reader and the record carrier being capable of selectively switching between reader and record carrier appearance, e.g. in near field communication [NFC] devices where the NFC device may function as an RFID reader or as an RFID tag

Abstract

An assay transponder is disclosed. The assay transponder has an RF transceiver that allows the assay transponder to communicate wirelessly with another RF device. The transponder also has a sensor that interrogates an assay associated with the transponder. The assay exhibits a response to a sample environment in which the transponder is placed. The transponder communicates the results of the assay interrogation to the other RF device by modulating a signal indicative of the results onto an RF carrier signal and transmitting the signal via an antenna.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising an assay transponder the assay transponder comprising:

a receiving antenna for receiving an RF signal;

a receiver for receiving the RF signal from the antenna;

a transmitter for sending an RF signal to a transmitting antenna for transmission wherein the receiving antenna and the transmitting antenna are either the same or different and wherein at least the transmitter and the transmitting antenna are disposed in a housing;

an assay associated with the transponder; and

a sensor for detecting an assay response to an environment in which the assay transponder is placed.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the transmitter and receiver are a transceiver integrated circuit.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the transponder is a passive RF device.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the sensor further comprises an LED and a photodetector.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the LED directs light from the transponder onto the assay and the photodetector detects light directed from the assay.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the transponder has a plurality of assays and a plurality of sensors, wherein respective one of said assays is interrogated by respective one of said sensors.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the assay is a dye formed on the surface of the transponder, wherein the dye color indicates the pH of the environment in which the assay is placed.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the assay is attached to the transponder surface by one of bonding, imprinting, molding, screening or vapor deposition.

9. The apparatus of claim 4 where the housing is optically transparent to the light transmitted from the LED and received by the photodetector.

10. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the transponder power is obtained from the RF signal received from the transponder.

11. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the transponder power is obtained from a light signal received by the photodetector.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the assay comprises a bacterial DNA sequence that selectively binds to a detector DNA sequence.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the assay is a medical diagnostic assay selected from the group consisting of a biological assay, an electrochemical assay, a biochemical assay, an immunological assay, a nucleic acid assay, a proteomic assay, and genomic assay.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the assay response is selected from the group consisting of a fluorometric response, calorimetric response, luminescent response, radiometric response, surface plasmon resonance, amperometric response, capacitive response and potentiometric response.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the environment is a liquid biological sample.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the liquid biological sample is blood.

17. The apparatus of claim 15 further comprising a sample container for holding the liquid biological sample.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the sensor is a photodetector and the detected assay response is communicated to the photodetector from a light source directed from a location external to the sample container onto the assay.

19. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the assay is an electrochemical assay comprising a sensor patch that exhibits a conductivity that depends upon the environment in which the transponder is placed wherein the sensor detects a change in the conductivity of the sensor patch.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein the sensor patch comprises an electrode having a conductivity that varies in response to the environment and a reference electrode.

21. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein the assay response is a potentiometric response.

22. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the environment further comprises a growth media in the sample container.

23. A system for detecting and communicating an assay response comprising:

a transponder comprising a receiving antenna for receiving an RF signal, a receiver for receiving the RF signal from the receiving antenna, a transmitter for sending an RF signal to a transmitting antenna for transmission wherein the receiving antenna and the transmitting antenna are either the same or different and a housing therefor;

an assay bonded to a surface of the transponder housing; and

a sensor for detecting an assay response to an environment in which the assay transponder is placed.

24. The system of claim 23 wherein the transmitter and receiver are a transceiver integrated circuit.

25. The system of claim 23 wherein the transponder is a passive RF device.

26. The system of claim 25 wherein the sensor further comprises an LED external to the transponder and a photodetector internal to the transponder.

27. The system of claim 25 wherein the LED directs light from the transponder onto the assay and the photodetector detects light directed from the assay.

28. The system of claim 23 wherein the transponder has a plurality of assays and a plurality of sensors, wherein respective one of said assays is interrogated by respective one of said sensors to detect the assay response.

29. The system of claim 23 wherein the assay is a dye formed on the surface of the transponder, wherein the dye changes color in response to the pH of the environment in which the assay is placed.

30. The system of claim 23 wherein the assay is attached to the transponder surface by one of bonding, imprinting, molding, screening or vapor deposition.

31. The system of claim 26 where the housing is optically transparent to the light received by the photodetector.

32. The system of claim 25 wherein the transponder power is obtained from the RF signal received from the transponder.

33. The system of claim 26 wherein the transponder power is obtained from a light signal received by the photodetector.

34. The system of claim 23 wherein the assay comprises a bacterial DNA sequence that selectively binds to a detector DNA sequence.

35. The system of claim 23 wherein the assay is a medical diagnostic assay selected from the group consisting of a biological assay, a biochemical assay, an immunological assay, a nucleic acid assay, a proteomic assay, and genomic assay.

36. The system of claim 23 wherein the assay response is selected from the group consisting of a fluorometric response, calorimetric response, luminescent response, radiometric response, statistical pattern response, amperometric response, capacitive response and potentiometric response.

37. The system of claim 23 wherein the environment is a liquid biological sample.

38. The system of claim 37 wherein the liquid biological sample is blood.

39. The system of claim 36 further comprising a sample container for holding the liquid biological sample.