Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090053709 | ENHANCED SENSITIVITY OF A CANTILEVER SENSOR VIA SPECIFIC BINDINGS - Detection of miniscule amounts of an analyte is accomplished via multiple bindings of specific materials on a sensor configured to sense mass. The sensor is prepared by immobilizing an antibody to a surface of the sensor, wherein the antibody is known to bind to the analyte. The prepared sensor is exposed to the analyte. The analyte binds to the antibody. The sensor then is exposed to additional antibody, which binds to the analyte. The sensor then can be sequentially exposed to additional antibodies that are known to bind to previously bound antibodies. Each additional binding further increases the effective mass of accumulated material on the sensor. The total effective mass is greater than the mass of the accumulated analyte, thus providing means for detecting extremely minute amounts of analyte. Applications include detection of pathogens and DNA. | 02-26-2009 |
20090078023 | Detection And Quantification Of Biomarkers Via A Piezoelectric Cantilever Sensor - Quantification of a target analyte is performed using a single sample to which amounts of the target analyte are added. Calibration is performed as part of quantification on the same sample. The target analyte is detectable and quantifiable using label free reagents and requiring no sample preparation. Target analytes include biomarkers such as cancer biomarkers, pathogenic | 03-26-2009 |
20090203000 | DETECTION OF NUCLEIC ACIDS USING A CANTILEVER SENSOR - Detection of miniscule amounts of nucleic acid is accomplished via binding of target nucleic acid to probe material, composed of nucleic acid, which is bound to a sensor configured to sense mass. The sensor is prepared by immobilizing a probe material to a surface of the sensor, wherein the probe material is known to bind to the target nucleic acid. The prepared sensor is exposed to the target nucleic acid. The target nucleic acid binds to the probe material. The mass accumulated on the sensor reflects the amount of target nucleic acid bound to the probe material. | 08-13-2009 |
20090235746 | Detecting And Measuring Live Pathogens Utilizing A Mass Detection Device - Extremely minute amounts of live pathogens are rapidly detected using a piezoelectric cantilever sensor. A single pathogen is detectable in about 30 minutes. Pathogen-specific antibodies are immobilized on the sensor surface. The sensor is exposed to a medium that potentially contains the target pathogen. When target pathogens are contained in the medium, both dead and live pathogen cells bind to the immobilized antibody on the sensor surface. The attached target pathogen cells are exposed to a pathogen discriminator capable of discriminating between live cells and dead cells by increasing the mass of live cells. Example pathogens include | 09-24-2009 |
20090304551 | Ultra Sensitive Tapered Fiber Optic Biosensor For Pathogens, Proteins, and DNA - A biconically tapered optical fiber serves as a biosensor at all optical wavelengths of interest ranging from UV to far IR at subfemtogram per mL sensitivity. The biconically tapered sensor detects biomaterials such as pathogenic species, proteins and DNA and others biological analytes. Although it uses the principles of evanescent fields, absorption, adsorption, fluorescence capture and retransmission through the fiber, the detection at the sub-nanogram per mL level is achieved primarily by adsorption or a surface activity due to a refractive index change. The geometry of the biconically tapered optical sensor affects its performance. The sensing modality is achieved in situ with a source connected at one end of a tapered fiber and a suitable detector at the other end. The tapered region is optionally immobilized with a recognition molecule such as an antibody to the target antigen or a complementary DNA strand. The sample is brought in contact with the tapered region either in batch mode or in a flow mode. | 12-10-2009 |
20100018310 | MOLECULAR CONTROL OF SURFACE COVERAGE - The concentration of a material covering a surface is controlled via an equilibrium process. Equilibrium parameters such as a concentration of the provided material, the exposure time of the material to the surface, and the surface area of an attractor applied to the surface are determined utilizing a millimeter sized piezoelectric cantilever sensor. In an example embodiment, the material is provided at a low concentration to the surface until equilibrium is attained. The amount of material accumulated on the surface is determined utilizing the cantilever sensor. The surface area of the attractor and the measured amount of material are utilized to determine the amount of the attractor surface area having the material bound thereto. Knowledge of the equilibrium parameters allows controlled surface coverage of the material on the attractor for any application. The concentration of the material adsorbed on the surface is precisely determinable and repeatable. | 01-28-2010 |
20100297687 | DETECTION AND MEASUREMENT OF MASS CHANGE USING AN ELECTROMECHANICAL RESONATOR - A change in impedance of a electromechanical resonating sensor is utilized to detect and/or measure a change in mass accumulated on the sensor. The impedance is monitored at a fixed frequency. The fixed frequency may be at or near the resonance frequency of the sensor. In various configurations, the sensor comprises a quartz crystal microbalance sensor or a piezoelectric cantilever sensor. | 11-25-2010 |
20110138915 | DETECTING AN ANALYTE USING A PIEZOELECTRIC CANTILEVER SENSOR - A piezoelectric cantilever sensor includes a piezoelectric layer and a non-piezoelectric layer, a portion of which is attached to the piezoelectric layer. In one embodiment, one end of the non-piezoelectric layer extends beyond the end of piezoelectric layer to provide an overhang. The overhang piezoelectric cantilever sensor enables increased sensitivity allowing application of the device in more viscous environments, such as liquid media, as well as application in liquid media at higher flow rates than conventional piezoelectric cantilevers. In another embodiment, the sensor includes first and second bases and at least one of the piezoelectric layer and the non-piezoelectric layer is affixed to each of the first and second bases to form the piezoelectric cantilever sensor. In this embodiment, the sensor is robust and exhibits excellent sensing characteristics in both gaseous and liquid media, even when subjected to relatively high flow rates. | 06-16-2011 |
20110138916 | SELF-EXCITING, SELF-SENSING PIEZOELECTRIC CANTILEVER SENSOR - A piezoelectric cantilever sensor includes a piezoelectric layer and a non-piezoelectric layer, a portion of which is attached to the piezoelectric layer. In one embodiment, one end of the non-piezoelectric layer extends beyond the end of piezoelectric layer to provide an overhang. The overhang piezoelectric cantilever sensor enables increased sensitivity allowing application of the device in more viscous environments, such as liquid media, as well as application in liquid media at higher flow rates than conventional piezoelectric cantilevers. In another embodiment, the sensor includes first and second bases and at least one of the piezoelectric layer and the non-piezoelectric layer is affixed to each of the first and second bases to form the piezoelectric cantilever sensor. In this embodiment, the sensor is robust and exhibits excellent sensing characteristics in both gaseous and liquid media, even when subjected to relatively high flow rates. | 06-16-2011 |
20120094270 | SELF-EXCITING, SELF-SENSING PIEZOELECTRIC CANTILEVER SENSOR FOR DETECTION OF AIRBORNE ANALYTES DIRECTLY IN AIR - A method for detection of airborne biological agent using a piezoelectric cantilever sensor that includes a piezoelectric layer and a non-piezoelectric layer. A recognition entity is placed on one or both of the two layers. The antibody that recognizes and binds to the airborne species may be chemically immobilized on the cantilever sensor surface. In one embodiment, the cantilever sensor is attached to a base at only one end. In another embodiment, the sensor includes first and second bases and at least one of the piezoelectric layer and the non-piezoelectric layer is affixed to each of the first and second bases to form a piezoelectric cantilever beam sensor. In this embodiment, resonance is measured via stress on the piezoelectric layer and it has been demonstrated that such sensors are robust and exhibit excellent sensing characteristics in gaseous media with sufficient sensitivity to detect airborne species at relatively low concentrations. | 04-19-2012 |
20130205902 | ASYMMETRIC SENSOR - An asymmetric sensor having asymmetric electrodes and/or being asymmetrically anchored provides enhanced sensitivity. In example embodiments, part of the electrode on a sensor is etched or removed resulting in enhanced mass-change sensitive resonant modes. In another example embodiment, a sensor is anchored asymmetrically, also resulting in enhanced mass-change sensitive resonant modes. By asymmetrically anchoring a piezoelectric portion of a sensor, resonant bending modes of the sensor can be measured electrically without external instrumentation. Modifying the electrode of a piezoelectric cantilever enables expression of mass-change sensitive resonant modes that normally do not lend themselves to electrical measurement. | 08-15-2013 |
20140045178 | DETECTION OF NUCLEIC ACIDS USING A CANTILEVER SENSOR - Detection of miniscule amounts of nucleic acid is accomplished via binding of target nucleic acid to probe material, composed of nucleic acid, which is bound to a sensor configured to sense mass. The sensor is prepared by immobilizing a probe material to a surface of the sensor, wherein the probe material is known to bind to the target nucleic acid. The prepared sensor is exposed to the target nucleic acid. The target nucleic acid binds to the probe material. The mass accumulated on the sensor reflects the amount of target nucleic acid bound to the probe material. | 02-13-2014 |
20150064723 | DUAL MODE SENSOR - A novel dual mode sensor may combine mass-sensing measurements of dynamic-mode cantilevers with electrochemical impedance spectroscopy employed for transduction in sensitive electrochemical biosensors. The integrated design of the sensor may provide simultaneous and continuous measurement of resonant frequency shift and charge transfer resistance of a target analyte bound to a surface of the sensor. Binding of a target analyte to the surface of the sensor may cause charge transfer resistance to increase and the resonant frequency of the sensor to decrease. These simultaneous dynamic modes of the sensor may be utilized to measure an amount of mass of the target analyte accumulated on the surface of the sensor and to reduce and/or eliminate false negative measurement results. | 03-05-2015 |