Queen's University at Kingston

Other

Igor S Kozin

R Stephen Brown

Samir P Tabash

Raymond J Bowers

Arthur N Ley

Moe Hussain

Peter V Hodson

Eric J P Marcotte

Robin A Wynne-Edwards

John G St Marseille

Kevin R Hall

Richard Oleschuk

Hans-Peter Loock

Zhaoguo Tong

Parveen Akhtar

Eric J-P Marcotte

John G Stmarseille

This invention relates to a method and apparatus for detecting a biological molecule associated with enzyme activity in a sample. The invention is applicable to detecting a microorganism associated with an enzyme in a sample such as water, food, soil, or a biological sample. According to a preferred embodiment of the method of the invention, a sample containing an enzyme of interest or a microorganism associated with the enzyme is combined with a suitable substrate, and a fluorescent product of the enzyme-substrate reaction is selectively detected. The fluorescent product is detected with a partitioning element or optical probe/partitioning element of the invention. In one embodiment the partitioning element provides for partitioning of only the fluorescent product molecule into the probe. The invention also provides an automated system for monitoring for biological contamination of water or other samples.

Detection of biological molecules by differential partitioning of enzyme substrates and products

The invention provides a method and apparatus for measuring one or more optical properties of a test medium, comprising providing an optical waveguide loop comprising a test medium, illuminating the optical waveguide loop with a plurality of light pulses, and detecting roundtrips of the light pulses at one or more locations along the loop, wherein the detected light pulses are indicative of one or more optical properties of the test medium. Preferably, ring-down time of said light pulses is determined. The invention provides measures of optical properties such as absorbance and refractive index of a test medium such as a gas, a liquid, and a solid material.

Optical loop ring-down

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Kingston, Canada

Igor S Kozin