Rohm and Haas Company

Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Oligoco, Inc.

Blue Heron Biotechnology, Inc.

Hsing-Yeh Parker

Karin Strauss

Bichlien Hoang Nguyen

Janis C Stevenson

Morris C Wills

Luis Henrique Ceze

John Thomas Mulligan

Robert H Gore

Zhenwen Fu

Richard Foster Merritt

Yuan-Jyue Chen

Scott Alan Ibbitson

Robert Carlson

James Szkolnick Kempner

Martha Alice Harbaugh Wolfersberger

Judith L Allison

Willie Lau

Douglas Patrick Kelley

John C Tabone

Douglas M Carmean

Erik S Rosenlind

John Mulligan

Allan Sachs Hoffman

Siena Dumas Ang

A system includes a synthesizer unit having a fluid input to receive fluids and a communication input to receive commands to synthesize data-encoded DNA sequences and cleave the DNA. A first flexible chemistry reaction chamber module may be fluidically coupled to the synthesizer unit to receive the data-encoded DNA sequences and amplify the sequences. A deposition unit may be fluidically coupled to the first flexible chemistry reaction chamber module to receive the amplified DNA sequences and encapsulate the amplified DNA sequences into one or more wells in a storage plate for storage and retrieval to and from a plate storage unit. Retrieved DNA may be processed and read by further units.

Rotatable device containing wafers for DNA processing

High surface area coatings are applied to solid substrates to increase the surface area available for solid-phase synthesis of polymers. The high surface area coatings use three-dimensional space to provide more area for functional groups to bind polymers than an untreated solid substrate. The polymers may be oligonucleotides, polypeptides, or another type of polymer. The solid substrate is a rigid supportive layer made from a material such as glass, a silicon material, a metal material, and plastic. The coating may be thin films, hydrogels, microparticles. The coating may be made from a metal oxide, a high-κ dielectric, a low-κ dielectric, an etched metal, a carbon material, or an organic polymer. The functional groups may be hydroxyl groups, amine groups, thiolate groups, alkenes, n-alkenes, alkalines, N-Hydroxysuccinimide (NHS)-activated esters, polyaniline, aminosilane groups, silanized oxides, oligothiophenes, and diazonium compounds. Techniques for applying coatings to solid substrates and attaching functional groups are also disclosed.

High surface area coatings for solid-phase synthesis

DNA manufacturing, storage, and access system

Artificial polynucleotides may have different characteristics than natural polynucleotides so conventional base-calling algorithms may make incorrect base calls. However, because artificial polynucleotides are typically designed to have certain characteristics, the known characteristics of the artificial polynucleotide can be used to modify the base-calling algorithm. This disclosure describes polynucleotide sequencers adapted to sequence artificial polynucleotides by modifying a base-calling algorithm of the polynucleotide sequencer according to known characteristics of the artificial polynucleotides. The base-calling algorithm analyzes raw data generated by a polynucleotide sequencer and identifies which nucleotide base occupies a given position on a polynucleotide strand.

Polynucleotide sequencer tuned to artificial polynucleotides

Embodiments of the present invention include processing steps and subsystems, within automated-biopolymer-synthesis systems and within other automated systems for organic-chemistry-based processing, for removing reagent solutions and solvents from reaction chambers following various synthetic reaction steps and washing steps undertaken during biopolymer synthesis. Embodiments of the present invention employ any of various different types of liquid-absorbing materials to wick, or remove by capillary action, liquids from reaction chambers. Wicking-based methods and subcomponents of the present invention remove significantly greater fractions of solutions from reaction chambers than conventional methods and subsystems and, in addition, are mechanically simpler and produce fewer deleterious side effects than currently used methods and subsystems.

Wicking-based reagent-solution draining in an automated system

Embodiments of the present invention are directed to automated-polymer-synthesis systems that include discrete reagent-solution-addition, wait-time, and reagent-solution-draining sub-systems which together significantly increase throughput and decrease sub-system idle time. The automated-polymer-synthesis systems that represent embodiments of the present invention additionally include switches at points in which carriers can be received from multiple input paths or output to multiple different output paths. The automated-polymer-synthesis systems that represent embodiments of the present invention generally include an input spur and output spur in addition to a main loop, allowing carriers containing only completed polymers to be removed and new carriers input, so that carriers traverse the automated-polymer-synthesis systems independently from one another.

Automated polymer-synthesis system

Polynucleotides having in excess of 1,000 nucleotides can be prepared using a solid phase synthesis technique. A feature of the technique is the use of a reusable solid support that contains covalently bound oligonucleotide. This covalently bound oligonucleotide is annealed to a bridge oligonucleotide, where the bridge is also annealed to a first oligonucleotide that forms a portion of the target polynucleotide. After the target polynucleotide is synthesized, it can be removed from the solid support under denaturing conditions, and the solid support re-used to prepare additional target polynucleotides. The yield of the target polynucleotide increases when shearing force is applied to the solid support that is linked to the growing oligonucleotide. This shearing force is thought to extend the growing end of the oligonucleotide away from contact with other oligonucleotide bound to the solid support and make that end more accessible to annealing with solution oligonucleotide. The synthesis is conveniently accomplished on a porous frit, where reagents and washing solutions are pumped through the frit.

Solid phase methods for polynucleotide production

A bioadhesive composition is disclosed which includes copolymer particles containing as polymerized units, terminally unsaturated acid-containing oligomers and ethylenically unsaturated nonionic monomers. A method of preparing the bioadhesive composition and a method of using the bioadhesive composition are also disclosed.

Bioadhesive composition

Acrylic polymer compositions with crystalline side chains are disclosed. Solution polymerization, aqueous suspension polymerization, and aqueous dispersion polymerization processes for the preparation of the acrylic polymer compositions with crystalline side chains are also disclosed. Methods of use for the acrylic polymer compositions with crystalline side chains, including dry powder coatings; wax replacements in floor polishes and wood coatings; nonwoven and textile coatings; adhesives; and hot melt adhesives are also disclosed.

Acrylic polymer compositions with crystalline side chains and processes for their preparation

Preparation of fluorinated polymers

Disclosed is a method for preparing fluorinated emulsion polymers that reduces or eliminates the need for fluorinated surfactants comprising the steps of:

Core/shell additives, useful in modifying the processing and/or physical properties of poly(vinyl chloride) and other thermoplastic matrix polymers, are prepared separately at small particle sizes by emulsion polymerization, co-agglomerated, further encapsulated by a final shell, and isolated by spray-drying or coagulation. The isolated powders are readily re-dispersed to their original particle sizes in the matrix polymer.

Growing community of inventors

Woodinville, WA, United States of America

Hsing-Yeh Parker