# US 2010/0167293 A1 · Digital Assay

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- Number: US 2010/0167293 A1
- Document ID: US20100167293A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 12/562,108
- Filed: 2009-09-17
- Published: 2010-07-01
- Earliest claimed: 2001-11-21
- Assignees: Life Technologies Corporation
- Inventors: Charles S. Vann; Kai Qin Lao; Mark Reed
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20100167293A1

## CPC

- C12Q 1/6816: characterised by the detection means (C12Q1/6804 takes precedence)
- B82Y 5/00: Nanobiotechnology or nanomedicine, e.g. protein engineering or drug delivery
- B82Y 10/00: Nanotechnology for information processing, storage or transmission, e.g. quantum computing or single electron logic
- C12Q 1/6827: for detection of mutation or polymorphism
- C12Q: MEASURING OR TESTING PROCESSES INVOLVING ENZYMES, NUCLEIC ACIDS OR MICROORGANISMS (immunoassay G01N33/53); COMPOSITIONS OR TEST PAPERS THEREFOR; PROCESSES OF PREPARING SUCH COMPOSITIONS; CONDITION-RESPONSIVE CONTROL IN MICROBIOLOGICAL OR ENZYMOLOGICAL PROCESSES
- B82Y: SPECIFIC USES OR APPLICATIONS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MEASUREMENT OR ANALYSIS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF NANOSTRUCTURES

## Abstract

The invention relates to methods and compositions for the detection of targets in a sample.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for quantitating a target comprising;
forming a reaction mixture comprising: a sample possibly containing the target; a codeable label; one or more target-specific probes, wherein each target-specific probe binds specifically to the target under selective binding conditions; and
a separating moiety;
treating the reaction mixture under reaction conditions such that a detectable complex is produced when the target is present, and wherein the detectable complex comprises the codeable label, the target-specific probe, and the separating moiety; and
quantitating the target by counting the number of codeable labels.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising separating the detectable complex from codeable labels that are not included in the detectable complex after treating the reaction mixture and before quantitating the target.

### Claim 3

A method for quantitating at least two different particular targets comprising;
forming a reaction mixture comprising: a sample possibly containing two or more different particular targets; a different codeable label specific for each different particular target; one or more different target-specific probes specific for each different particular target that bind specifically to the target under selective binding conditions; and a separating moiety;
treating the reaction mixture under reaction conditions such that when a particular target is present, a detectable complex is produced, which comprises the codeable label specific for the particular target, the target-specific probe specific for the particular target, and the separating moiety; and
quantitating each of the different particular targets by counting the number of codeable labels specific for each of the different particular targets.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, further comprising separating any detectable complexes produced from codeable labels that are not included in the detectable complex after treating the reaction mixture and before quantitating each of the different particular targets.

### Claim 5

A method for quantitating at least two different target nucleic acid sequences in a sample comprising:
forming a ligation reaction mixture by combining the sample with a different probe set specific for each of the at least two different target nucleic acid sequences, each probe set comprising (a) at least one separating bead, comprising a magnetic particle and a first target-specific probe, and (b) at least one detecting bead, comprising a codeable label, and a second target-specific probe; wherein the target-specific probes in each set are suitable for ligation together when hybridized adjacent to one another on a complementary target sequence;
subjecting the ligation reaction mixture to a ligation reaction, wherein adjacently hybridizing complementary target-specific probes are ligated to one another to form a ligation product comprising the separating bead and the detecting bead; and
quantitating each of the at least two different target nucleic acid sequences by counting the number of codeable labels for each different target nucleic acid sequence.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5, separating any ligation product from unligated separating beads and detecting beads after treating the reaction mixture and before quantitating each of the at least two different target nucleic acid sequences.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, wherein separating the ligation product from unligated detecting and separating beads comprises:
separating the ligation product from the target nucleic acid sequences, and
separating the ligation product from the sample.

### Claim 8

A method for detecting at least two different target nucleic acid sequences in a sample comprising:
forming a ligation reaction mixture by combining the sample with a different bead set specific for each of the at least two different target nucleic acid sequences, each bead set comprising (a) at least one separating bead, comprising a magnetic particle, a codeable label comprising at least two labels, and a first target-specific probe, wherein the first codeable label is specific for the first target-specific probe, and (b) at least one detecting bead, comprising a second codeable label comprising at least two labels and a second target-specific probe, wherein the second codeable label is specific for the second target-specific probe; wherein the first codeable label is detectably different from the second codeable label; wherein the target-specific probes in each set are suitable for ligation together when hybridized adjacent to one another on a complementary target sequence;
subjecting the ligation reaction mixture to a ligation reaction, wherein adjacently hybridizing complementary target-specific probes are ligated to one another to form a detectable complex comprising the separating bead and the detecting bead; and quantitating the at least two different target nucleic acid sequences in the sample by quantitating the detectable complex.

### Claim 9 (depends on 6, 7, 8)

The method of any of claims 6-8, wherein the separating of the ligation product from the target nucleic acid sequences comprises thermal denaturation.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, further comprising removing any separating beads that are not in a ligation product prior to the quantitating the target nucleic acid sequences.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, wherein the removing of any separating beads that are not in a ligation product comprises:
placing any separating beads and ligation products in a density gradient, wherein the separating beads and ligation products differ in density; and
removing any separating beads that are not in a ligation product.

### Claim 12 (depends on 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)

The method of any of claims 5-11, wherein the codeable label has a level of intensity that is specific for the second target-specific probe.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, wherein the separating bead further comprises a second codeable label, and wherein the second codeable label has a level of intensity that is specific for the first target-specific probe.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, wherein each of the at least two probe sets that are specific for target nucleic acid sequences comprise codeable labels that have the same emission spectrum.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)

The method of any of claims 1-14, wherein the codeable label is one or more quantum dots.

### Claim 16 (depends on 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)

The method of any of claim 5-14, wherein the codeable label is one or more quantum dots and wherein the detecting bead of each probe set comprises at least 1,000 quantum dots, wherein the quantum dots have predetermined wavelengths that make the detecting bead distinguishable from different detecting beads.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The method of claim 16, wherein the separating bead further comprises at least 1,000 quantum dots, wherein the quantum dots have predetermined wavelengths that make the separating bead distinguishable from different separating beads.

### Claim 18 (depends on 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16)

The method of any of claims 5-14, 16, and 17, wherein the quantitating the at least two target nucleic acid sequences in the sample is performed in a detecting vessel comprising a groove on one surface of the detecting vessel near a magnetic source, wherein the separating bead fits in the groove, the detecting bead does not fit in the groove, and the ligation products attracted to the magnetic source are aligned.

### Claim 19 (depends on 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18)

The method of any of claims 5-14 and 16-18, wherein the ligation reaction mixture further comprises a ligation agent.

### Claim 20 (depends on 19)

The method of claim 19, wherein the ligation agent is a ligase.

### Claim 21 (depends on 19)

The method of claim 19, wherein the ligation agent is a thermostable ligase.

### Claim 22 (depends on 21)

The method of claim 21, wherein the thermostable ligase is selected from at least one of Tth ligase, Taq ligase, and Pfu ligase.

### Claim 23 (depends on 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)

The method of any of claims 5-14 and 16-22, wherein each separating bead differs in density from each detecting bead, such that the distance between any separating beads that are not in a ligation product and the ligation product allows attraction of the ligation product to a magnetic device and does not allow attraction of the separating beads that are not in a ligation product to the magnetic device.

### Claim 24 (depends on 23)

The method of claim 23, wherein the quantitating the ligation product occurs in the presence of the sample.

### Claim 25 (depends on 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)

The method of any of claims 1-24, wherein the codeable labels comprise at least two phosphors.

### Claim 26 (depends on 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)

The method of any of claim 1-24, wherein the codeable labels comprise at least two fluorescent molecules.

### Claim 27 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, further comprising separating the detectable complex from unligated detecting and separating beads after the ligation reaction and prior to the quantitating the at least two different target nucleic acid sequences.

### Claim 28 (depends on 27)

The method of claim 27, wherein separating the detectable complex from unligated detecting and separating beads comprises:
separating the detectable complex from the at least two different target nucleic acid sequences, and
separating the detectable complex from the sample.

### Claim 29 (depends on 28)

The method of claim 28, wherein the separating of the detectable complex from the at least two different target nucleic acid sequences comprises thermal denaturation.

### Claim 30 (depends on 29)

The method of claim 29, further comprising removing any separating beads that are not in a detectable complex prior to the quantitating the at least two different target nucleic acid sequences.

### Claim 31 (depends on 30)

The method of claim 30, wherein the removing of any separating beads that are not in a detectable complex comprises:
placing any separating beads and detectable complexes in a density gradient, wherein the separating beads and detectable complexes differ in density; and
removing any separating beads that are not in a detectable complex.

### Claim 32 (depends on 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)

The method of any of claims 5-14 and 16-31, wherein the detecting bead further comprises a magnetic particle.

### Claim 33 (depends on 32)

The method of claim 32, wherein the quantitating the at least two target nucleic acid sequences in the sample is performed in a detection vessel comprising a groove on one surface of the detection vessel near a magnetic source, wherein the groove comprises a first end and a second end, and wherein the first codeable label and the second codeable label of the detectable complex are aligned within the groove with the magnetic source, such that the separating bead of the detectable complex aligns closer to the first end than the detecting bead of the detectable complex.

### Claim 34

A kit for detecting target nucleic acid sequences in a sample comprising:
a different bead set specific for each of the target nucleic acid sequences, the bead set comprising (a) at least one separating bead, comprising a magnetic particle, a first codeable label comprising two or more labels, and a first target-specific probe, wherein the first codeable label is specific for the first target-specific probe, and (b) at least one detecting bead, comprising a second codeable label comprising a set of two or more labels, and a second target-specific probe, wherein the second codeable label is specific for the second target-specific probe; wherein the first codeable label is detectably different from the second codeable label; and wherein the target-specific probes in each set are suitable for ligation together when hybridized adjacent to one another on a complementary target sequence.

### Claim 35 (depends on 34)

The kit of claim 34, further comprising a ligation agent.

### Claim 36 (depends on 35)

The kit of claim 35, wherein the ligation agent is a ligase.

### Claim 37 (depends on 35)

The kit of claim 35, wherein the ligation agent is a thermostable ligase.

### Claim 38 (depends on 37)

The kit of claim 37, wherein the thermostable ligase is selected from at least one of Tth ligase, Taq ligase, and Pfu ligase.