University of Utah Research Foundation

Brigham Young University

Biocentrex, LLC

Karin D Caldwell

James N Herron

Douglas A Christensen

Hsu-Kun Wang

Shao-Chie Huang

Vera Janatova

Patrick A Tresco

Jennifer Neff

Russell John Stewart

Vera Janatová

Vera Janatov&aacute;

Jindrich Henry Kopecek

William George Pitt

Tun-Jen Chu

Chung Wang

Yu-Shu Gao

Chih-Hu Ho

Loren Limberis

Chih-hu Ho

The present invention is directed to a composition and method for regulating the adhesion of cells and biomolecules to hydrophobic surfaces and hydrophobic coated surfaces. The composition is a biomolecule conjugated end-group activated polymer (EGAP). The biomolecule conjugated EGAP can be put to numerous uses including cell adhesion, cell growth, cell sorting, and other biological assays.

Composition and method for regulating the adhesion of cells and biomolecules to hydrophobic surfaces

A stimuli-responsive, hybrid hydrogel wherein the bulk of the polymer is made up of relatively inexpensive water soluble polymer strands crosslinked by protein domains. The responsiveness of the gel is controlled or modulated by the protein component. The physical and biological properties of the hydrogel are determined by specifically designed or engineered protein domains. The crosslinking of the protein domains to the water soluble polymers is by means of non-covalent bonding such as chelation or coordination bonding, biotin-avidin bonding, protein&#x2014;protein interaction and protein-ligand interaction, or by means of covalent bonding. Methods of making and using the polymer-protein hydrogels are disclosed in this application.

Hydrogels of water soluble polymers crosslinked by protein domains

Methods and apparatus for evanescent light fluoroimmunoassays are disclosed. The apparatus employs a planar waveguide and optionally has multi-well features and improved evanescent field intensity. The preferred biosensor and assay method have the capture molecules immobilized to the waveguide surface by site-specific coupling chemistry. Additionally, the coatings used to immobilize the capture molecules provide reduced non-specific protein adsorption.

Waveguide immunosensor with coating chemistry and providing enhanced sensitivity

Methods and apparatus for evanescent light fluoroimmunoassays are disclosed. The apparatus employs a planar waveguide with an integral semicylindrical lens, and has multi-analyte features and calibration features, along with improved evanescent field intensity. A preferred embodiment of the biosensor and assay method has patches of capture molecules, each specific for a different analyte disposed adjacently within a single reservoir. The capture molecules are immobilized to the patches on the waveguide surface by site-specific coupling of thiol groups on the capture molecules to photo-affinity crosslinkers, which in turn are coupled to the waveguide surface or to a nonspecific binding-resistant coating on the surface. The patches of different antibodies are produced by selectively irradiating a portion of the waveguide surface during the process of coupling the photo-affinity crosslinkers, the selective irradiation involving a mask, a laser light source, or the like.

Apparatus and methods for multi-analyte homogeneous fluoro-immunoassays

Apparatus for multichannel fluorescent immunoassays

Methods and apparatus for evanescent light fluoroimmunoassays are disclosed. The apparatus employs a planar waveguide with an integral semi-cylindrical lens, and has multi-analyte features and calibration features, along with improved evanescent field intensity. A preferred embodiment of the biosensor and assay method have patches of capture molecules each specific for a different analyte disposed adjacent within a single reservoir. The capture molecules are immobilized to the patches on the waveguide surface by site-specific coupling of thiol groups on the capture molecules to photo-affinity crosslinkers which in turn are coupled to the waveguide surface or to a non-specific-binding-resistant coating on the surface. The patches of different antibodies are produced by selectively irradiating a portion of the waveguide surface during the process of coupling the photo-affinity crosslinkers the selective irradiation involving a mask, a laser light source, or the like.

The present invention is directed to a composition and method for regulating the adhesion of cells and biomolecules to hydrophobic surfaces and hydrophobic coated surfaces. The composition is a biomolecule conjugated end-group activated polymer (FGAP). The biomolecule conjugated EGAP can be put to numerous uses including cell adhesion, cell growth, cell sorting, and other biological assays.

A modified surfactant of the PLURONIC.TM.-type compound and method for manufacture is disclosed. The surfactant compound has at least one PEO block attached at a first end to at least one PPO block, with at least one of the PEO block having an organic metal-chelating end group (R) attached to a second end, the remaining PEO blocks having an unmodified hydroxyl group at the second end. The metal-chelating group is charged with an metal-ion. A protein with a metal-affinity tag, e.g., a histidine tag, is then complexed with the metal-chelating group to form a complex of the modified surfactant, the metal ion, and the protein. The modified surfactant may be adsorbed upon a hydrophobic surface, charged with a metal ion, and then complexed with a protein with a metal-affinity tag. A surface with specific activity toward proteins is the presented, which is suitable for applications where a protein is immobilized upon a surface to give the surface specific protein activity.

Metal-chelating surfacant

Waveguide immunosensor with coating chemistry and providing enhanced

Waveguide immunosensor with coating chemistry providing enhanced

Improved apparatus and procedures for electrical field-flow fractionation is disclosed. A test sample is injected into the liquid carrier stream flowing through the flow channel of the apparatus. The apparatus comprises a thin flow channel having a top, a bottom, and two side walls, with a fluid carrier inlet at one end and an outlet at the other end. The top and bottom walls are formed such that at least the inner surfaces thereof that face the flow channel are made of an electrically conductive material so that the inner surfaces thereof form electrodes as well as opposite, broad boundary surfaces of the flow channel. A voltage differential is applied to the electrically conductive inner surfaces of the top and bottom walls. The carrier fluid flowing through the channel can be deionized or distilled water as well as water containing a red-ox couple such as quinone/hydroquinone.

Electrical field-flow fractionation using redox couple added to carrier

A method for the multiplex sequencing on DNA is disclosed which comprises the electroblotting or specific base terminated DNA fragments, which have been resolved by gel electrophoresis, onto the surface of a neutral non-aromatic polymeric microporous membrane exhibiting low background fluorescence which has been surface modified to contain amino groups. Polypropylene membranes are preferably and the introduction of amino groups is accomplished by subjecting the membrane to radio or microwave frequency plasma discharge in the presence of an aminating agent, preferably ammonia. The membrane, containing physically adsorbed DNA fragments on its surface after the electroblotting, is then treated with crosslinking means such as UV radiation or a glutaraldehyde spray to chemically bind the DNA fragments to the membrane through said smino groups contained on the surface thereof. The DNA fragments chemically bound to the membrane are subjected to hybridization probing with a tagged probe specific to the sequence of the DNA fragments. The tagging may be by either fluorophores or radioisotopes. The tagged probes hybridized to said target DNA fragments are detected and read by laser induced fluorescence detection or autoradiograms. The use of aminated low fluorescent background membranes allows the use of fluorescent detection and reading even when the available amount of DNA to be sequenced is small. The DNA bound to the membrances may be reprobed numerous times.

Growing community of inventors

Salt Lake City, UT, United States of America

Karin D Caldwell