# US 11,305,288 B2 · Assay devices for combinatorial libraries

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- Number: US 11,305,288 B2
- Document ID: US11305288B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/774,862
- Filed: 2020-01-28
- Published: 2021-07-29
- Granted: 2022-04-19
- Earliest claimed: 2020-01-28
- Assignees: Plexium, Inc.
- Applicants: Plexium, Inc.
- Inventors: Yi Zhang; Jesse Lu; Alex Price; Pengyu Yang; Kandaswamy Vijayan
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11305288B2

## CPC

- B01J 19/0046: {Sequential or parallel reactions, e.g. for the synthesis of polypeptides or polynucleotides; Apparatus and devices for combinatorial chemistry or for making molecular arrays (synthesis methods per se C40B50/00)}
- B01L 3/5085: {for multiple samples, e.g. microtitration plates}
- C12M 23/12: {Well or multiwell plates (C12M25/04 takes precedence)}
- B01J 2219/00313: the reactor vessels being formed by arrays of wells in blocks
- B01J 2219/00317: Microwell devices, i.e. having large numbers of wells
- B01J 2219/005: Beads
- B01J 2219/00619: using hydrophilic or hydrophobic regions
- B01J 2219/00646: the compounds being bound to beads immobilised on the solid supports
- B01J 2219/00664: Three-dimensional arrays
- B01L 2200/0668: Trapping microscopic beads
- B01L 2200/12: Specific details about manufacturing devices
- B01L 2300/0851: Bottom walls
- B01L 2300/0858: Side walls
- B01L 2300/0864: comprising only one inlet and multiple receiving wells, e.g. for separation, splitting
- B01L 2300/0893: having a very large number of wells, microfabricated wells
- B01L 2300/0896: Nanoscaled
- B01L 2300/165: Specific details about hydrophobic, oleophobic surfaces
- B01J: CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOID CHEMISTRY; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS
- B01L: CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL LABORATORY APPARATUS FOR GENERAL USE
- C12M: APPARATUS FOR ENZYMOLOGY OR MICROBIOLOGY; {APPARATUS FOR CULTURING MICROORGANISMS FOR PRODUCING BIOMASS, FOR GROWING CELLS OR FOR OBTAINING FERMENTATION OR METABOLIC PRODUCTS, i.e. BIOREACTORS OR FERMENTERS}

## Abstract

Disclosed is an assay device comprising a high density of wells aligned thereon.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An apparatus suitable for conducting an assay for a combinatorial library, wherein the apparatus comprises:
a block;
a plurality of wells disposed on a top surface of the block, wherein said plurality comprises at least 10,000 wells within the block, each well in said plurality comprising:
a cylindrical opening defined by a side wall, the side wall having circular cross sections at any position along the side wall, the cylindrical opening penetrating partly into the block;
a floor, wherein said floor comprises a hydrophilic target capturing element adherent thereto and impeding movement of a target when added to said well, the hydrophilic target capturing element comprising a film; and
a hydrophilic coating on the side wall; and
a hydrophobic layer disposed on the top surface of the block and between each well, the hydrophobic layer configured to restrict spill-over of an aqueous solution between wells,
wherein minimum distances from edges of each of the wells to edges of the respective one or more nearest neighboring wells in said plurality of wells are from about 10 microns (μm) to about 50 μm, and
wherein each of the wells has a well diameter from about 30 μm to about 250 μm and a well depth from about 30 μm to about 400 μm.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a density of the wells is from at least 10 wells per mm2 to about 400 wells per mm2.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a density of the wells is from about 40 wells per mm2 to about 150 wells per mm2.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the minimum distances from the edges of each of the wells to edges of the respective one or more nearest neighboring wells are from about 10 μm to about 30 μm.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein the target capturing element is configured to capture a mammalian cell maintained in an aqueous growth medium for the mammalian cell,
wherein the aqueous growth medium is configured to maintain the viability of the mammalian cell in solution, and
wherein the aqueous growth medium is maintained in at least one of the at least 10,000 wells.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the target capturing element comprises poly-D-lysine.

### Claim 7 (depends on 4)

The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the distance along the top surface from the nearest edge of the first well to the nearest edge of the second well is from about 15 μm to about 25 μm.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the wells comprise at least about 100,000 wells.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the hydrophobic layer comprises a biologically compatible, hydrophobic material selected from polyethylene, polypropylene, block copolymers of ethylene and propylene, polytetrafluoroethylene, (trichloro)octadecyltsilane (OTS), amorphous fluoropolymers, and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS).