# US 12,214,349 B2 · Analyte depletion for sensor equilibration > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,214,349 B2 - Document ID: US12214349B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/378,481 - Filed: 2023-10-10 - Published: 2024-02-01 - Granted: 2025-02-04 - Earliest claimed: 2019-03-29 - Assignees: Zomedica Biotechnologies LLC - Applicants: Zomedica Biotechnologies LLC - Inventors: Ian Harmon - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12214349B2 ## CPC - B01L 3/50273: {characterised by the means or forces applied to move the fluids} - G01N 29/022: {Fluid sensors based on microsensors, e.g. quartz crystal-microbalance [QCM], surface acoustic wave [SAW] devices, tuning forks, cantilevers, flexural plate wave [FPW] devices (microdevices per se B81B)} - B01L 3/502715: {characterised by interfacing components, e.g. fluidic, electrical, optical or mechanical interfaces} - B01L 3/502776: {specially adapted for focusing or laminating flows} - G01N 29/036: by measuring frequency or resonance of acoustic waves - G01N 29/222: {Constructional or flow details for analysing fluids (optoacoustic fluid cells G01N29/2425)} - G01N 29/2425: {optoacoustic fluid cells therefor} - B01L 3/502753: {characterised by bulk separation arrangements on lab-on-a-chip devices, e.g. for filtration or centrifugation} - G01N 2291/012: Phase angle - G01N 2291/0255: (Bio)chemical reactions, e.g. on biosensors - G01N 2291/0256: Adsorption, desorption, surface mass change, e.g. on biosensors - G01N 2291/0422: Shear waves, transverse waves, horizontally polarised waves - G01N 2291/0423: Surface waves, e.g. Rayleigh waves, Love waves - G01N 2291/0426: Bulk waves, e.g. quartz crystal microbalance, torsional waves - B01L: CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL LABORATORY APPARATUS FOR GENERAL USE - G01N: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (measuring or testing apparatus or processes other than immunoassay, involving enzymes or microorganisms C12M, C12Q) ## Abstract Methods include treating a portion of a sample composition to be tested for presence of an analyte by depleting or blocking the target analyte. The treated composition may be used to equilibrate an acoustic wave sensor prior to exposing the sensor to the untreated sample composition for analysis. By using the treated sample composition, in which the analyte is depleted or blocked, to equilibrate the sensor, the sensor may be equilibrated with a composition having a similar viscosity and non-specific binding characteristics to the untreated sample composition, which should result in improved accuracy when analyzing the analyte in the untreated sample composition. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for evaluating analyte presence comprising: providing a composition to be tested for the presence of an analyte; contacting a first portion of the composition with a material configured to remove or block the analyte from the composition; and flowing the first portion of the composition over a surface of a sensor, wherein an analyte capture ligand is bound to the surface of the sensor. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the sensor is an acoustic wave sensor, configured to provide an output wave propagation characteristic to be monitored while the first portion of the composition is flowing over the surface of the acoustic wave sensor. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, further comprising flowing a second portion of the composition over the surface of the sensor, wherein the second portion of the composition has not been contacted with the material configured to remove or block the analyte. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, further comprising correlating a change in a monitored characteristic when the second portion of the composition is flowed over the surface of the sensor relative to a monitored characteristic when the first portion of the composition is flowed over the surface of the sensor to concentration of analyte in the second portion of the composition. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the material configured to remove or block the analyte from the composition comprises the analyte capture ligand. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein contacting the first portion of the composition with the material configured to remove or block the analyte from the composition comprises flowing the first portion of the composition over or through the material. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein flowing the first portion of the composition over or through the material comprises flowing the first portion of the composition through a channel, wherein the material is disposed on a surface of the channel or disposed in the channel. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising placing the first portion of the composition in a chamber. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein the chamber contains the material configured to remove or block the analyte from the composition when the first portion of the composition is placed in the chamber. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the placing of the first portion of the composition in the chamber occurs when the composition is introduced into a port of a device configured to determine the presence of an analyte in the composition. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising flowing the first portion of the composition over the surface of the sensor after the first portion has contacted the material configured to remove or block the analyte from the composition. ### Claim 12 A device for evaluating analyte presence, comprising: a sensor having analyte capture ligand bound thereto; a first fluid flow path positioned upstream of the sensor, configured to transport a first amount of a composition to be tested for analyte presence to the sensor; a material configured to remove or block an analyte from the composition; wherein the material configured to remove or block the analyte from the composition is positioned in the first fluid flow path. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The device of claim 12, further comprising: a second fluid flow path, positioned upstream of the sensor, and configured to transport a second amount of the composition to be tested for analyte presence to the sensor; wherein the material configured to remove or block the analyte from the composition is not positioned in the second fluid flow path. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The device of claim 13, further comprising a first port configured to permit composition from the first fluid flow path to flow to the sensor, and a second port configured to permit composition from the second fluid flow path to flow to the sensor. ### Claim 15 (depends on 12) The device of claim 12, wherein the sensor is an acoustic wave sensor. ### Claim 16 A method for equilibration of a sensor for testing the presence of an analyte, comprising: providing a composition to be tested for the presence of the analyte; contacting a first portion of the composition with a material configured to remove or block the analyte from the composition; and flowing the first portion of the composition over a surface of the sensor to equilibrate the sensor for testing the presence of an analyte in a second portion of the composition. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, wherein the composition is introduced into a first sample compartment of a device configured to determine the presence of an analyte in the composition, and wherein the first portion of the composition is diverted to a first sub-compartment of the device. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, wherein the first sub-compartment comprises the material configured to remove or block the analyte from the composition. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, wherein contacting the first portion of the composition with the material configured to remove or block the analyte from the composition comprises flowing the first portion of the composition over or through the material. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The method of claim 19, wherein flowing the first portion of the composition over or through the material comprises flowing the first portion of the composition through a channel that is downstream from the first sub-compartment, wherein the material is disposed on a surface of the channel or disposed in the channel.