Mass tag analysis for rare cells and cell free molecules

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11531024-B2
Application number	US-201615762597-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 24, 2016
Priority date	Sep 24, 2015
Publication date	Dec 20, 2022
Grant date	Dec 20, 2022

Abstract

The invention generally relates to mass tag analysis for rare cells and cell free molecules. In certain embodiments, the invention provides an apparatus including an essentially non-absorbent membrane having at least one pore, a microwell operably associated with the essentially non-absorbent membrane, and an electric field generator. The apparatus may be configured such that an electric field produced by the electric field generator operably interacts with a sample in the microwell and expels a droplet of the sample through the at least one pore in the essentially non-absorbent membrane. In certain embodiments, apparatuses of the invention are used for detection, and optionally quantification, of a target analyte from a heterogeneous sample, such as a rare target analyte (e.g., rare cell) from a biological sample.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
an essentially non-absorbent membrane comprising at least one pore;
a microwell comprising a back wall, side walls, and a front that is operably associated with the essentially non-absorbent membrane, wherein the back wall, the side walls, and the front define a volume within the microwell; and
an electric field generator physically separate and spaced apart from the back wall and side walls of the microwell and positioned within a space behind the back wall of the microwell and aligned within the space to not be outside of the side walls of the microwell such that the electric field generator inductively imparts an electric field to a sample within the volume within the microwell defined by the back wall, the side walls, and, and the front of the microwell to operably interact with the sample in the volume within the microwell and expel a droplet of the sample through the at least one pore in the essentially non-absorbent membrane.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one pore comprises a proximal opening, a distal opening, and walls.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the walls of the at least one pore are oriented to be 90 degrees with respect to the proximal and distal openings.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the walls of the at least one pore taper from the proximal opening toward the distal opening.

5. The apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the walls of the at least one pore taper from the distal opening toward the proximal opening.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the essentially non-absorbent membrane comprises a plurality of pores.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the plurality of pores comprise the same dimensions.

8. The apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the plurality of pores comprise different dimensions.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the apparatus further comprises a mass spectrometer.

Assignees

• Purdue Research Foundation

Inventors

• Baird Zane
• Cooks Robert Graham
• Hollerbach Adam
• Ouyang Zheng
• Pugia Michael

Classifications

• G01N33/5302 Primary

  Apparatus specially adapted for immunological test procedures · CPC title

• G01N2458/15

  Non-radioactive isotope labels, e.g. for detection by mass spectrometry · CPC title

• G01N33/6848 Primary

  Methods of protein analysis involving mass spectrometry · CPC title

• G01N33/5005

  involving human or animal cells (immunoassay G01N33/56966; immunoassays of protozoa G01N33/56905; protozoa in screening assays C12Q1/025) · CPC title