Biomolecular nano device
AssigneeDuke University
InventorsMaria E. Tanner, Elizabeth A. Vasievich, Jonathan M. Protz, Thomas H. Labean
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Abstract
Methods for measuring environmental parameters using chemical recording are provided. In some embodiments, the methods include generating a polymer comprising an ordered series of chemical units, wherein the position and number of each chemical unit in the polymer is indicative of a reading of the environmental state variable at a given point in time. The presently disclosed subject matter also provides compositions that can be employed in and/or that employ the disclosed methods for recording environmental state variables.
Claims95
A method for recording of an environmental state variable, the method comprising generating a polymer comprising an ordered series of chemical units, wherein the position and number of each chemical unit in the polymer is indicative of a reading of the environmental state variable at a given point in time.
A composition for chemical recording comprising:
- (a) a plurality of reservoirs each containing one or more chemical units, wherein each reservoir is characterized by a thermal stability point at or above which one or more of the chemical units present within the reservoir is released from the reservoir;
- (b) a reaction chamber in which the one or more chemical units that have been released collect;
- and
- (c) an enzyme and all other reagents necessary for polymerizing the one or more chemical units present in the reaction chamber to form a polymer.
A composition for chemical recording comprising:
- (a) a plurality of photosensitive liposomes each containing one or more chemical units, wherein each photosensitive liposome is characterized by a stability point governed by the intensity of light or electromagnetic radiation incident on the reservoir such that beyond a given threshold for said light intensity one or more of the chemical units present within the reservoir is released from the reservoir;
- (b) a reaction chamber in which the one or more chemical units that have been released collect;
- and
- (c) an enzyme and all other reagents necessary for polymerizing the one or more chemical units present in the reaction chamber to form a polymer.
A method for creating a microorganism that is capable of exhibiting genetic memory by recording the time history of one or more environmental state variables into genetic material stored within its cell or cells, the method comprising inserting a chemical sensing and recording mechanism into a microorganism.
A composition for implementing an microorganism which exhibits genetic memory wherein the microorganism contains within it:
- (a) one or more sensing and chemical recording mechanisms which record the time history of changes to one or more environmental state variables to which the microorganism is exposed into a strand of genetic material in such a way that the nucleotide sequence in the genetic material provides a record of the time series of those environmental variables;
- and
- (b) a chamber containing a mixture of enzymes and other reagents which are able to incorporate the strand of genetic material written by the chemical recording mechanism into the genetic material of the host microorganism by viral or other mechanisms.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.