US 10,371,699 B2Granted

Compartmentalised screening by microfluidic control

AssigneesPresident and Fellows of Harvard College, United Kingdom Research and Innovation

InventorsAndrew David Griffiths, David A. Weitz, Darren Roy Link, Keunho Ahn, Jerome Bibette

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Abstract

The invention describes a method for the identification of compounds which bind to a target component of a biochemical system or modulate the activity of the target, comprising the steps of: a) compartmentalizing the compounds into microcapsules together with the target, such that only a subset of the repertoire is represented in multiple copies in any one microcapsule; and b) identifying the compound which binds to or modulates the activity of the target; wherein at least one step is performed under microfluidic control. The invention enables the screening of large repertoires of molecules which can serve as leads for drug development.

Claims15

Dependent claims

A method for screening a repertoire of compounds for a compound having a desired activity, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing an aqueous fluid comprising the repertoire of compounds;
(b) compartmentalising the repertoire of compounds into microcapsules by partitioning the aqueous fluid with an immiscible fluid as the aqueous fluid is flowing through a microfluidic channel, such that only a subset of the repertoire is represented in multiple copies in any one microcapsule and wherein each microcapsule comprises a target cell;
(c) conducting a reaction involving a molecule associated with the target cell, wherein the compound has an effect on the reaction;
and
(d) detecting a product of the reaction to identify a microcapsule containing the compound having the desired activity.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/331,445Filed 21 Oct 2016 · division
Priority: 12 Oct 2004
Published: US 2017/0102381 A113 Apr 2017
Granted: 6 Aug 2019
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification50 codes

G01N 33/5432
The carrier being characterised by its particulate form: liposomes or microcapsules
B01F 23/41
Mixing liquids with liquids; Emulsifying: emulsifying
B01F 25/23
Jet mixers, i.e. mixers using high-speed fluid streams: mixing by intersecting jets
B01F 25/433
Mixing tubes, e.g. wherein the material is moved in a radial or partly reversed direction: mixing tubes wherein the shape of the tube influences…

Family

Application10/963,044Parent of this continuation · filed 12 Oct 2004
PCT/GB2005/003924Parent of this division · filed 12 Oct 2005
US 2017/0102381 A1Pre-grant publication · published 13 Apr 2017
Application11/665,145Parent of this division
US 9,498,759 B2Parent of this division
Application11/665,145Parent of this continuation
US 2005/0221339 A1Published application
US 2009/0005254 A1Published application
US 10,371,699 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.