Hewlett-packard Company

Scott A Conradson

Gary B Gordon

Kay Lichtenwalter

Lee Alton Barford

William D Fisher

Michael J Weinstein

Julie D Wilker

An assay system for detecting the binding of a mobile reactant to an immobilized reactant on an assay plate. The assay plate includes a substrate having an assay spot deposited thereon. The assay spot includes the immobilized reactant. In the present invention, a carrier dye is included in the assay spot, the amount of the carrier dye indicating the amount of the immobilized reactant that is present in the assay spot. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the assay spot is generated by depositing liquid on the assay plate at a location corresponding to the assay spot. The carrier dye is dissolved in the liquid and remains after the liquid evaporates. The amount of carrier dye in each spot may be measured spectroscopically and provides a means for identifying defective assay plates. The amount of carrier dye in each spot may also be recorded on the assay plate and used in conjunction with measurements of the amount of material bound to the assay spot to determine the concentration of a reactant in a solution being tested for the reactant.

Biochemical assay plate and method for making the same

A method and apparatus is provided for spotting a biological probe onto an array. A micropipette containing a quantity of the biological probe in solution is manipulated to a position above a selected location within the array. The micropipette is pressurized sufficiently to produce a droplet of the biological probe at an open tip of the micropipette. Formation of the droplet is simultaneously visually monitored during the pressurization of the micropipette in order to estimate a volume measurement of the droplet. Upon reaching a predetermined volume for the droplet, the pressurizing of the micropipette is discontinued. The droplet of the predetermined volume is then dispensed onto the selected location.

Manufacturing method and apparatus for biological probe arrays using

A CAD system and method for designing sheet metal parts. A proposed design is automatically tested against a set of design rules. Available tools are selected according to criteria computed with reference to the part to the fabricated and then are tested to determine whether they can be used to make desired bends. A fabrication sequence is computed.

Apparatus and method for computer-aided design of sheet metal fabricated

A method and apparatus for dispensing immobilized reactants onto substrates for use in generating a biological assay plate for detecting the presence of mobile reactants that bind to the immobilized reactants. The apparatus includes a dispensing bed that holds a plurality of substrates. Each potential immobilized reactant is held in a cartridge. The apparatus includes a holder that allows any of these cartridges to be used in dispensing an immobilized reactant. The apparatus includes a positioning mechanism for positioning the cartridges over each of the substrates. The positioning mechanism also allows a cartridge so positioned to be brought into contact with each of the substrates at a predetermined location on each of the substrates so as to dispense a known quantity of the immobilized reactant onto the substrate at that location. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the cartridges include a chamber for holding the immobilized reactant and a channel having a first end communicating with the chamber. The second end of the channel provides the exit path through which the immobilized reactant exits when the cartridge is brought into contact with the substrates.

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Palo Alto, CA, United States of America

Scott A Conradson