Genomyx, Inc.

Thomas M Brennan

Apparatus for determining DNA sequences by mass spectrometry

The invention herein provides a picoliter fluid pumping device in combination with an electrophoresis unit. The picoliter fluid pumping device includes an actuating unit, for selectively generating pump actuating signals, and a pump unit. The pump unit includes a deforming means, a deformable fluid chamber having a deformable chamber segment, a nozzle port, and an inlet port coupled to a fluid source to provide a fluid to the deformable fluid chamber. The deforming means, coupled to the actuating unit, deforms the deformable chamber segment in response to a pump actuating signal to cause a picoliter quantity of the fluid to be emitted from the nozzle port. The picoliter fluid pumping device has in combination an electrophoresis unit having at least one electrophoresis electrode coupled to the deformable fluid chamber and spatially located near the nozzle port and at least one electrophoresis port coupled to the deformable fluid chamber and spatially located near the nozzle port.

Piezoelectric pumping device

This invention relates to the methods, apparatus, reagents and mixtures of reagents for sequencing natural or recombinant DNA and other polynucleotides. In particular, this invention relates to a method for sequencing polynucleotides based on mass spectrometry to determine which of the four bases (adenine, guanine, cytosine or thymine) is a component of the terminal nucleotide. In particular, the present invention relates to identifying the individual nucleotides by the mass of stable nuclide markers contained within either the dideoxynucleotides, the DNA primer, or the deoxynucleotide added to the primer. This invention is particularly useful in identifying specific DNA sequences in very small quantities in biological products produced by fermentation or other genetic engineering techniques. The invention is therefore useful in evaluating safety and other health concerns related to the presence of DNA in products resulting from genetic engineering techniques.

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Hillsboro, CA, United States of America

Thomas M Brennan