USA As Represented by Secretary of the Navy

Other

Bruce P Gaber

David Curtis Turner

Banahalli R Ratna

Michael A Markowitz

Jonathan S Dordick

Paul E Schoen

Douglas S Clark

Paul Roger Kust

Ronald R Price

Brett D Martin

Frances S Ligler

Joel M Schnur

Alok Singh

Alan S Rudolph

Anne W Kusterbeck

Gregory A Wemhoff

Robert David Eden

Jonathan Selinger

Mark C Burleigh

Luminita M Velea

A device having a substrate and an enzyme attached to the substrate. The substrate has a polymeric surface having at least two conductivity states. A minimum voltage that does not cause a redox reaction in the enzyme may be applied to the polymeric surface to change the conductivity state of the surface. A method of controlling enzyme activity by providing the above substrate with polymeric surface, attaching an enzyme to the substrate, and altering the conductivity state of the polymeric surface. Changing the conductivity of the polymer can change the activity of the enzyme.

Control of protein activity using a conducting polymer

A method of making a molecularly imprinted porous structure makes use of a surfactant analog of the molecule to be imprinted that has the imprint molecule portion serving as the surfactant headgroup. The surfactant analog is allowed to self-assemble in a mixture to create at least one supramolecular structure having exposed imprint groups. The imprinted porous structure is formed by adding reactive monomers to the mixture and allowing the monomers to polymerize, with the supramolecular structure serving as a template. The resulting solid structure has a shape that is complementary to the shape of the supramolecular structure and has cavities that are the mirror image of the imprint group. Similarly, molecularly imprinted particles may be made by using the surfactant to create a water-in-oil microemulsion wherein the imprint groups are exposed to the water phase. When reactive monomers are allowed to polymerize in the water phase to form particles, the surface of the particles have cavities that are the mirror image of the imprint group.

Molecularly-imprinted material made by template-directed synthesis

This invention pertains to adsorption by an adsorbent of an adsorbate and to regeneration of the loaded adsorbent. The adsorption includes contacting an adsorbent selected from arylene-bridged polysilsesquioxanes and derivatives thereof with an adsorbate selected from aromatics and heterocyclics, particularly monocyclic heterocyclics containing carbon and nitrogen atoms in a 6-member non-aromatic ring, for a period of time sufficient to adsorb all or part of the adsorbate by the adsorbent. Regeneration of the loaded adsorbent includes removing all or part of adsorbate from the adsorbent by means of an alcohol wash or by thermal desorption of the adsorbent containing adsorbate.

Reusable polysilsesquioxane adsorbents for pollutants

A method for delivering encapsulated materials to a subsurface environment, for the treatment of the subsurface environment, has the steps of: (a) loading the lumen of hollow microtubules with an active agent selected for treating the subsurface environment, where the hollow microtubules are compatible with the subsurface environment; and (b) administering the hollow microtubules to the subsurface environment, permitting the controlled release of the active agent into the subsurface environment. This method may be practiced using a slurry of hollow microtubules, where the lumen of these microtubules is loaded with an agent for the treatment of petroleum well environments, and where these loaded microtubules are dispersed in a liquid phase carrier selected from aqueous carriers, non-aqueous carriers, and emulsions of aqueous and non-aqueous materials. This method may also be practiced using a pill made of a consolidated mass of tubules loaded with one or more active agents, typically bound with a binder.

Efficient method for subsurface treatments, including squeeze treatments

Target moiety is detected by (a) providing an antibody specific to the target, (b) saturating the binding sites of the antibody with a labelled form of the target, (c) flowing a liquid containing the target past the saturated antibody, thereby (d) allowing the target to displace the labelled antigen, and (e) detecting the displaced labelled antigen with a detector for the label. This assay is performed by a flow immunosensor comprising: a liquid flowing through the immunosensor for moving a sample through the immunosensor; a sample receiver for introducing the sample to the liquid stream; a flow controller for moving the liquid stream through the immunosensor; an exchanger connected to the sample receiving area in which the sample is brought in contact with labelled antigens of the target and where any target present is allowed to displace the labelled antigen; a detection apparatus connected to the exchanger for detecting any labelled antigen which is released; and a disposal means connected to the detection apparatus for disposing of or collecting of waste coming from the detection apparatus.

Flow immunosensor apparatus

An immobilized substrate surface is chemically modified by manipulating an nzyme which is immobilized to a solid surface. Modifications include (1) chemical dissection of a substrate surface such as by chemical hydrolysis, (2) chemical synthesis on a substrate surface, and (3) chemical patterning of a substrate surface. The enzyme may be coupled to colloidal beads or particles, locally flat solid surfaces including planar, textured planar, cylindrical and spherical surfaces or arbitrary predefined shapes, or scanning probe microscope probes. In the patterning applications, colloidal particles containing the enzyme can be confined to desired regions of the substrate surface by various techniques which control the movement of the particles. The particles can be confined to tunnels or channels in a patterned polymer mold on top of the substrate surface. The enzyme can also be immobilized onto the surface of a raised pattern and this patterned surface can then be placed in contact with the immobilized substrate.

Chemically specific patterning on solid surfaces using surface

A stamp for transferring molecules and molecular patterns to a substrate face includes a backing and a polymeric gel bound to the backing and loaded with the a molecular species. Where the molecule to be patterned is a biomolecule, such as a protein or nucleic acid, the polymeric gel is typically a hydrogel. Exemplary hydrogels include sugar-based polyacrylates and polyacrylamides.

Direct molecular patterning using a micro-stamp gel

The present invention is a method for releasing an active agent into a use nvironment, by disposing this active agent within the lumen of a population of tubules, and disposing the tubules into a use environment, either directly or in some matrix such as a paint in contact with the use environment. The tubules have a preselected release profile to provide a preselected release rate curve. The preselected release profile may be achieved by controlling the length or length distribution of the tubules, or by placing degradable endcaps over some or all of the tubules in the population, or by combinations of these methods. The invention is also a population of tubules having a preselected release profile to provide a preselected release rate curve.

Sustained delivery of active compounds from tubules, with rational

The present invention is a composition for, and a method of, delivering an active agent at a controlled rate. The composition of the invention is a hollow ceramic or inorganic microtubule, where the active agent is contained within the lumen of the microtubules. Typically, the agent is adsorbed onto an inner surface of the microtubule. The method of the invention is disposing this novel composition in a use environment. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a microtubule is a tubule having an inner diameter of less than 0.2 .mu.m, and microtubules are tubules having an average inner diameter less than 0.2 .mu.m. In a preferred embodiment, the hollow ceramic or inorganic microtubule is a mineral microtubule, such as halloysite, cylindrite, boulangerite, or imogolite. In a more preferred embodiment of the invention, the mineral microtubule has a biodegradable polymeric carrier disposed in its lumen. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the inner diameter of the microtubules varies from about 0.20 .mu.m to about 0.35 .mu.m, or averages about 0.40 .mu.m. In another preferred embodiment, of the invention, the inner diameter of the microtubules varies from about 200 .ANG. to about 1000 .ANG..

Controlled release of active agents using inorganic tubules

The present invention is a repositionable substrate for microscope applications, having a geometric pattern on its top surface to convey coordinate information. In a preferred embodiment, this geometric pattern is a plurality of geometric shapes having a common axis of symmetry. In a most preferred embodiment, these geometric shapes are concentric, with varying linewidth.

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Bethesda, MD, United States of America

Bruce P Gaber