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US 6,605,438 B1Granted
Lyophilizing of liquid drops having arbitrary edges and application thereof to microarrays of biological reagents
OwnerLouis Dischlerinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The disclosure relates to the stabilization of a fluid drop comprising a liquid solvent and solute, so that upon drying of the solvent, the solute is not preferentially concentrated at the edges of the residual spot, and more particularly relates to the preparation of microarrays containing biological reagents.
Claims14
A method of preparing spots on a substrate surface, comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a first fluid liquid drop comprising a random edge in contact with a substantially flat portion of the substrate surface, wherein said first fluid liquid drop comprises a first solvent liquid and a first solute;
- (b) cooling the substrate surface prior to step “a”, so that said first solvent liquid is frozen by contact with the cooled substrate surface;
- and
- (c) subsequently subliming substantially all of said first solvent liquid to form a first spot comprising a first concentration gradient of said first solute, wherein said first concentration gradient is substantially unmodified by evaporation of said first solvent liquid from said first fluid liquid drop.
1 more element
A method of preparing an array of dried spots of solute on a substrate surface, comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing an array of spaced fluid drops on the substrate surface, wherein each of said spaced fluid drops comprises a solvent liquid and a variable solute, and a random edge in contact with a substantially flat portion of the substrate surface, and wherein said random edge of each of said spaced fluid drops is not coincident with any raised surface geometry on the substrate surface;
- (b) cooling the substrate surface prior to step “a”, so that said array of spaced fluid drops is frozen by contact with the cooled substrate surface;
- and
- (c) subsequently subliming substantially all of said first solvent liquid from said array of spaced fluid drops with substantially no evaporation, thereby preparing said array of dried spots.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.