Id Biomedical Corporation

Zora D Modrusan

Lynn P Cloney

Peter D Duck

Faouzi Bekkaoui

Isabelle A Piche

Alfred C Wong

A method for determining the presence of vancomycin antibiotic resistant gene of enterococci in a biological sample, comprising the steps of (a) treating cells contained within the biological sample to expose single stranded-target nucleic acid molecules; (b) reacting the target single-stranded cellular nucleic acids with probe(s) nucleic acid sequence complementary to a portion of the antibiotic vancomycin resistant gene and the probe having a scissile linkage, and with an enzyme molecule, under conditions, which allow the target and probe to hybridize to each other and form a double-stranded, target-probe complex, the enzyme molecule being capable of cleaving the scissile link of the target-probe complex such that one or more fragments of the nucleic acid probe is released from said complex; and (c) determining whether cleaved portions of the nucleic acid probe are produced, and thereby detecting the presence of a vancomycin antibiotic resistant gene.

Compositions and methods for detecting vancomycin resistant enterococci by cycling probe reactions

A method for detecting a target nucleic acid molecule is provided, comprising the steps of (a) reacting a mixture comprising (i) a target nucleic acid molecule; (ii) a single-stranded nucleic acid probe containing a scissile linkage; (iii) an enzyme capable of cleaving the probe portion of a double-stranded target-probe complex at the scissile linkage; and (iv) ribosomal protein and/or spermine, under conditions and for a time sufficient to allow the target nucleic acid and probe to hybridize to each other and form a double-stranded target-probe complex, followed by cleavage of the probe and cycling of the target to a new uncleaved probe, such that one or more portions of the cleaved nucleic acid probe are released from the target-probe complex; and (b) determining whether cleaved portions of the nucleic acid probe are produced, and thereby detecting the presence of the target nucleic acid.

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Vancouver, Canada

Zora D Modrusan