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US 8,617,824 B2Granted
Analyte detection assay
AssigneesGenera Biosystems Limited, The University of Melbourne
InventorsKarl Frederick Poetter, Edin Nuhiji, Paul Mulvaney
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Abstract
A rapid and sensitive analyte detection assay is based on whispering gallery modes of fluorescently labelled microspheroidal particles. Ligands for the analyte, such as nucleic acids, are anchored to the particles. The fluorescent labels may comprise fluorophores or quantum dots. In the latter case, the particles may comprise melamine formaldehyde. The assay may be used to detect analytes in aqueous samples.
Claims17
A method for detecting an analyte in a medium, comprising the steps of:
- (i) anchoring a multiplicity of ligands to the analyte to a population of fluorophore-conjugated microspheroidal particles comprising melamine formaldehyde;
- (ii) contacting the microspheroidal particles with a negative control sample and determining a baseline spectrum;
- (iii) contacting the microspheroidal particles with a sample putatively comprising the analyte for a time and under conditions sufficient to facilitate a binding event between the analyte and its respective ligand;
- and
- (iv) subjecting the microspheroidal particles to a whispering gallery modes (WGM)-based assay using a fixed excitation position determined to produce increased peak variation relative to other excitation positions to detect a binding event.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.