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US 9,851,308 B2Granted
Visible detection of microorganisms
AssigneeWisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF)
InventorsSundaram Gunasekaran, Seok won Lim
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Methods of detecting very low levels of targets, such as cells, are provided. In some embodiments, for example, the methods can detect bacteria present in a sample at concentrations less than 25 cells/mL. The method involves detecting nanoparticle aggregation in the absence of the target.
Claims13
A method of determining whether a sample comprises a microorganism, comprising:
- A) contacting the sample with a linker, wherein the linker comprises a first functionality and a plurality of second functionalities, wherein the first functionality is capable of binding to the surface of the microorganism, wherein each of the plurality of second functionalities is capable of binding to a third functionality, and
- B) contacting the sample of step (a) with a plurality of nanoparticles, wherein each of the plurality of nanoparticles comprises a third functionality that is capable of binding to the second functionality;
- and
- C) detecting nanoparticle aggregation or lack thereof in the sample from (b), wherein
- the linker is added in step (a) at a concentration less than the concentration of nanoparticles and sufficient to aggregate the nanoparticles added in step (b) in the absence of microorganism , and the absence of nanoparticle aggregation in the sample indicates that the sample comprises the microorganism, or
- the linker is added in step (a) at a concentration just in excess relative to the concentration of the nanoparticles added in step (b) and the nanoparticles do not aggregate in the absence of microorganism, and the presence of nanoparticle aggregation in the sample indicates that the sample comprises the microorganism.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.