Massachusetts Institute of Technology

David Kong

Joseph M Jacobson

Yael Gregory Maguire

Shuguang Zhang

Andreas Mershin

Saul Griffith

Vikrant Agnihotri

Vikas Anant

Ashley Salomon

Will DelHagen

Asmamaw T Wassie

Patrick J Moran

Karolina Corin

Manu Prakash

Peter A Carr

Brian Cook

Liselotte Kaiser

Johanna F Graveland-Bikker

A method for synthesizing long DNA constructs from oligonucleotide precursors directly within a microfluidic device uses several oligonucleotides at once. A precursor mix containing at least two oligonucleotide precursors with at least partial base complementarity is introduced into an input of a microfluidic chip and at least one cycle of at least one gene synthesis protocol is applied to fabricate a DNA construct containing the sequence of at least two oligonucleotide precursors. A method for the synthesis of a modified DNA construct includes electroporating at least one oligonucleotide encoding for at least one point mutation and having homology with at least one DNA region of a target cell into the target cell and incorporating the oligonucleotide into the target cell DNA through the action of recombination protein beta or a recombination protein beta functional homolog.

Microfluidic-based gene synthesis

The invention provides a bio-sensing nanodevice comprising: a stabilized biologically-derived G-protein coupled receptor&#x2014;the olfactory receptor&#x2014;on a support, a real time receptor-ligand binding detection method, an odorant delivery system and an odorant recognition program. The biologically-derived G-protein coupled receptor can be stabilized on nanotechnology using surfactant peptide. The said nanodevice provides a greater surface area for better precision and sensitivity to odorant detection. The invention further provides a microfluidic chip containing a stabilized biologically-derived G-protein coupled receptor&#x2014;the olfactory receptor&#x2014;immobilized on a support, and arranged in at least two dimensional microarray system. The invention also provides a method of delivering odorant comprising the step of manipulating the bubbles in complex microfluidic networks wherein the bubbles travel in a microfluidic channel carrying a variety of gas samples to a precise location on a chip. The invention further provides method of fabricating hOR17-4 olfactory receptor.

Bio-sensing nanodevice

In exemplary implementations of this invention, an electronic olfactor determines whether a scent being tested matches the scent of a positive control. The electronic olfactor can perform this scent matching even in a changing olfactory environment, and even if the positive control scent is a combination of hundreds or thousands of different odorants. No prior training is needed, and no attempt is made to identify a single odorant that is unambiguously responsible for a scent. Instead, a computer compares the total scent pattern of a positive control sample with the total scent pattern of a test sample, across a sweep of many permutations of electrical inputs to scent sensors, to try to find any condition under which the total scent patterns do not match. If such a condition cannot be found, then the computer declares a match between the test and target scents.

Methods and apparatus for artificial olfaction

A technique for forming nanostructures including introducing a plurality of molecular-size scale and/or nanoscale building blocks to a region near a substrate and simultaneously scanning a pattern on the substrate with an energy beam, wherein the energy beam causes a change in at least one physical property of at least a portion of the building blocks, such that a probability of the portion of the building blocks adhering to the pattern scanned by the energy beam is increased, and wherein the building blocks adhere to the pattern to form the structure. The energy beam and at least a portion of the building blocks may interact by electrostatic interaction to form the structure.

Patterning of nanostructures

A technique for forming nanostructures including a definition of a charge pattern on a substrate and introduction of charged molecular scale sized building blocks (MSSBBs) to a region proximate the charge pattern so that the MSSBBs adhere to the charge pattern to form the feature.

Growing community of inventors

Lexington, MA, United States of America

David Kong