Neomecs Incorporated

Jong Hyung Ahn

Hiroshi Nomura

Improved porous materials useful in blotting analyses of proteinaceous and genomic matter are prepared by treating porous substrates with a gas plasma containing at least one monomer. Thus, a porous sheet-like substrate is modified by means of a deposit of a plasma polymerizate on at least one of its surfaces, whereby this modified surface exhibits reduced nonspecific binding of chemical probes in a blotting analysis. By means of a controlled deposition of the plasma polymer at a plasma composite parameter W/FM of less than 1.0.times.10.sup.9 Joules/kilogram, improved porous materials are obtained having increased signal-to-background ratios and enhanced sensitivities in genomic analyses. In a particularly preferred embodiment, a porous, positively charged nylon membrane is treated with a plasma containing an unsaturated carboxylic acid monomer, whereby the membrane surface is modified with an acidic polymeric deposit, this modification resulting in reduced nonspecific binding of oligonucleotide probes and increased sensitivity in chemiluminescent analyses of polynucleotide sequences.

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Minnetonka, MN, United States of America

Jong Hyung Ahn