Roche Nimblegen, Inc.

Emd Biosciences, Inc.

Merck Patent Gmbh

Mark McCormick

Roland D Green

Gary Barrett

Thomas J Albert

Klaus-Peter Stengele

Robert C Mierendorf

Thomas R Van Oosbree

Yuping Ambuel

The present inventions provides an apparatus and method for the parallel loading of multiple samples in a microarray containing a plurality of sub-arrays. The method makes use of a microarray containing multiple sub-arrays, a loading channel array, and a fluid handling robot or an assembly robot or machine.

Parallel loading of arrays

The present invention provides a microarray for multiple sample analysis that does not require an alignment of well walls with corresponding probe sets. Methods for building and using such a microarray are also within the scope of the present invention.

Microarrays and method for running hybridization reaction for multiple samples on a single microarray

A suitable carrier molecule useful in a nucleic acid precipitation method is modified by coupling a suitable visualizable indicator molecule to the carrier molecule. The conjugated carrier facilitates nucleic acid precipitation because the presence and location of nucleic acid in a sample is readily observed and monitored.

Method for precipitating nucleic acid with visible carrier

The present invention is a microarray having a plurality of subarrays with a hydrophobic barrier that defines each subarray of the microarray, and a method for preparing such a microarray. The hydrophobic barrier is prepared using a microarray synthesis instrument, where NPPOC photoprotected and other hydrophobic group-bearing phosphoramidites are coupled to the microarray using light from a digital micromirror to direct formation of the hydrophobic barrier. The method utilizes hydrophobicity, a well-established property, of conventional phosphoramidite protecting groups for an entirely new application, the synthesis of hydrophobic barriers on microarrays.

Microarray with hydrophobic barriers

There is now a market for kits containing the necessary components for performing protein synthesis reactions using template DNA of the experimenter. One category of existing system for performing protein synthesis reactions is based on an S-30 extract from the bacteria. It is disclosed here that a simple fractionation process can dramatically improve the performance of an S-30 prokaryotic protein synthesis reaction mixture. In one embodiment, the fractionation is a simple freezing and thawing of an S-30 extract combined with a supplemental mix, followed by centrifugation. The resulting fractionated S-30 reaction mixture yields more full-length target protein and less non-full length or non-target protein than possible using prior art S-30 systems.

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Madison, WI, United States of America

Mark McCormick