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Agresti
Jeremy Agresti, Sacramento, CA US
| Patent application number | Description | Published |
|---|---|---|
| 20110190146 | MICROFLUIDIC DEVICE FOR STORAGE AND WELL-DEFINED ARRANGEMENT OF DROPLETS - The present invention relates to systems and methods for the arrangement of droplets in pre-determined locations. Many applications require the collection of time- resolved data. Examples include the screening of cells based on their growth characteristics or the observation of enzymatic reactions. The present invention provides a tool and related techniques which addresses this need, and which can be used in many other situations. The invention provides, in one aspect, a tool that allows for stable storage and indexing of individual droplets. The invention can interface not only with microfluidic/microscale equipment, but with macroscopic equipment to allow for the easy injection of liquids and extraction of sample droplets, etc. | 08-04-2011 |
| 20110218123 | CREATION OF LIBRARIES OF DROPLETS AND RELATED SPECIES - The present invention is generally related to systems and methods for producing a plurality of droplets. The droplets may contain varying species, e.g., for use as a library. In some cases, the fluidic droplets may be rigidified to form rigidified droplets (e.g., gel droplets). In certain embodiments, the droplets may undergo a phase change (e.g., from rigidified droplets to fluidized droplets), as discussed more herein. In some cases, a species may be added internally to a droplet by exposing the droplet to a fluid comprising a plurality of species. | 09-08-2011 |
Jeremy Agresti, Cambridge MA
| Patent application number | Description | Published |
|---|---|---|
| 20110267457 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR NUCLEIC ACID SEQUENCING - The present invention relates to systems and methods for sequencing nucleic acids, including sequencing nucleic acids in fluidic droplets. In one set of embodiments, the method employs sequencing by hybridization using droplets such as microfluidic droplets. In some embodiments, droplets are formed which include a target nucleic acid, a nucleic acid probe, and at least one identification element, such as a fluorescent particle. The nucleic acid probes that hybridize to the target nucleic acid are determined, in some instances, by determining the at least one identification element. The nucleic acid probes that hybridize to the target nucleic acid may be used to determine the sequence of the target nucleic acid. In certain instances, the microfluidic droplets are provided with reagents that modify the nucleic acid probe. In some cases, a droplet, such as those described above, is deformed such that the components of the droplets individually pass a target area. | 11-03-2011 |
Jeremy Agresti, Cambridge, MA US
| Patent application number | Description | Published |
|---|---|---|
| 20090068170 | DROPLET-BASED SELECTION - The present invention generally relates to fluidic droplets, and techniques for screening or sorting such fluidic droplets. In some embodiments, the fluidic droplets may contain cells (e.g., hybridoma cells) that can secrete various species, such as antibodies, for example. In one aspect, a plurality of fluidic droplets containing cells is screened to determine proteins, antibodies, polypeptides, peptides, nucleic acids, or the like. For example, cells able to secrete species such as antibodies may be selected according to certain embodiments of the invention. Examples of such cells include, for instance, immortal cells such as hybridomas, or non-immortal cells such as B-cells. For instance, blood cells may be encapsulated within a plurality of fluidic droplets, and the cells able to produce antibodies may be determined. In some cases, expression or secretion levels may be determined using signaling entities, for example, determinable microparticles present within the fluidic droplet. Other aspects of the invention relate to kits involving such fluidic droplets, methods of promoting the making or use of such fluidic droplets, and the like. | 03-12-2009 |
| 20100136544 | ASSAYS AND OTHER REACTIONS INVOLVING DROPLETS - The present invention generally relates to droplets and/or emulsions, such as multiple emulsions. In some cases, the droplets and/or emulsions may be used in assays, and in certain embodiments, the droplet or emulsion may be hardened to form a gel. In some aspects, a heterogeneous assay can be performed using a gel. For example, a droplet may be hardened to form a gel, where the droplet contains a cell, DNA, or other suitable species. The gel may be exposed to a reactant, and the reactant may interact with the gel and/or with the cell, DNA, etc., in some fashion. For example, the reactant may diffuse through the gel, or the hardened particle may liquefy to form a liquid state, allowing the reactant to interact with the cell. As a specific example, DNA contained within a gel particle may be subjected to PCR (polymerase chain reaction) amplification, e.g., by using PCR primers able to bind to the gel as it forms. As the DNA is amplified using PCR, some of the DNA will be bound to the gel via the PCR primer. After the PCR reaction, unbound DNA may be removed from the gel, e.g., via diffusion or washing. Thus, a gel particle having bound DNA may be formed in one embodiment of the invention. | 06-03-2010 |
| 20100252118 | MANIPULATION OF FLUIDS, FLUID COMPONENTS AND REACTIONS IN MICROFLUIDIC SYSTEMS - Microfluidic structures and methods for manipulating fluids, fluid components, and reactions are provided. In one aspect, such structures and methods can allow production of droplets of a precise volume, which can be stored/maintained at precise regions of the device. In another aspect, microfluidic structures and methods described herein are designed for containing and positioning components in an arrangement such that the components can be manipulated and then tracked even after manipulation. For example, cells may be constrained in an arrangement in microfluidic structures described herein to facilitate tracking during their growth and/or after they multiply. | 10-07-2010 |
Jeremy Jon Agresti, Cambridge, MA US
| Patent application number | Description | Published |
|---|---|---|
| 20100105112 | FLUOROCARBON EMULSION STABILIZING SURFACTANTS - Surfactants (e.g., fluorosurfactants) for stabilizing aqueous or hydrocarbon droplets in a fluorophilic continuous phase are presented. In some embodiments, fluorosurfactants include a fluorophilic tail soluble in a fluorophilic (e.g., fluorocarbon) continuous phase, and a headgroup soluble in either an aqueous phase or a lipophilic (e.g., hydrocarbon) phase. The combination of a fluorophilic tail and a headgroup may be chosen so as to create a surfactant with a suitable geometry for forming stabilized reverse emulsion droplets having a disperse aqueous or lipophilic phase in a continuous, fluorophilic phase. In some embodiments, the headgroup is preferably non-ionic and can prevent or limit the adsorption of molecules at the interface between the surfactant and the discontinuous phase. This configuration can allow the droplet to serve, for example, as a reaction site for certain chemical and/or biological reactions. In another embodiment, aqueous droplets are stabilized in a fluorocarbon phase at least in part by the electrostatic attraction of two oppositely charged or polar components, one of which is at least partially soluble in the dispersed phase, the other at least partially soluble in the continuous phase. One component may provide collodial stability of the emulsion, and the other may prevent the adsorption of biomolecules at the interface between a component and the discontinous phase. Advantageously, surfactants and surfactant combinations of the invention may provide sufficient stabilization against coalescence of droplets, without interfering with processes that can be carried out inside the droplets. | 04-29-2010 |
Marisa Agresti, Milan IT
| Patent application number | Description | Published |
|---|---|---|
| 20090089170 | METHOD FOR PROMOTING AN INCONTINENCE PRODUCT - A method for promoting an incontinence product, the steps of which can include presenting to a person an unfavorable image associated with incontinence, presenting to the person a favorable image associated with being able to manage incontinence, the unfavorable image and the favorable image having at least one common feature, and presenting to the person an incontinence product for managing incontinence. | 04-02-2009 |
Michele Agresti, Torino IT
| Patent application number | Description | Published |
|---|---|---|
| 20090124058 | Method of Providing Electrical Separation in Integrated Devices and Related Devices - An integrated device includes two sections (A, B), such as a DFB laser (A) and an EAM modulator (B), having a semi-insulating (SI) separation region therebetween. The separation region ( | 05-14-2009 |
Michele Agresti, Turin IT
| Patent application number | Description | Published |
|---|---|---|
| 20100290489 | ELECTRO-ABSORPTION MODULATED LASER (EML) ASSEMBLY HAVING A 1/4 WAVELENGTH PHASE SHIFT LOCATED IN THE FORWARD PORTION OF THE DISTRIBUTED FEEDBACK (DFB) OF THE EML ASSEMBLY, AND A METHOD - An EML assembly is provided that has and EAM and a DFB, with the DFB having an asymmetric ΒΌ wavelength phase shift positioned at a location that is in front of the center of the periodic structure of the DFB. In addition, the EML assembly has a tilted or bent waveguide that reduces reflections occurring at the front end facet, thereby enabling the EAM to produce a relatively high P | 11-18-2010 |
Simone Agresti, Milano IT
| Patent application number | Description | Published |
|---|---|---|
| 20100101696 | TIRE, METAL CORD AND PROCESS FOR MANUFACTURING A METAL CORD - A tire including at least one structural element and at least one metal cord includes a plurality of elementary metal wires stranded together, each elementary metal wire being coated with at least one first metal coating layer, the metal cord being coated with at least one second metal coating layer, wherein the at least one second metal coating layer has a nominal thickness higher than or equal to 30 nm, preferably from 50 nm to 120 nm, more preferably from 70 nm to 100 nm. | 04-29-2010 |