Systems and methods for making and using sensors, probes, and other devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12324663-B2
Application number	US-201515310253-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 11, 2015
Priority date	May 12, 2014
Publication date	Jun 10, 2025
Grant date	Jun 10, 2025

Abstract

The present invention generally relates, in some aspects, to systems and methods for making and using sensors or other devices, such as optical components. One aspect is generally directed to a sensor or other device comprising a nanometer-sized portion. In some embodiments, the sensor can be used to determine various characteristics such as temperature, humidity, an electric field, a magnetic field, an analyte, or the like. For instance, in one embodiment, a portion of a sensor device may be inserted into a cell and used to study the cell, e.g., using optical techniques such as surface plasma resonance. In some embodiments, such sensors or other devices may comprise metal, glass, or other materials, which can be prepared using etching or other techniques.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An article for inserting a particle into a cell, the article comprising:
a member configured to guide and/or direct light to analyze the cell, the member comprising a starting portion, an end portion configured for insertion into the cell while maintaining viability of the cell, and a tapered portion connecting the starting portion to the end portion, wherein (i) the starting portion has a substantially constant average cross-sectional diameter of at least about 100 micrometers and is configured for guiding the end portion into the cell, (ii) the end portion for insertion into the cell while maintaining viability of the cell has a substantially constant average cross-sectional diameter of less than 100 nm and a length of between about 750 micrometers and about 3 mm, and (iii) the tapered portion connecting the starting portion to the end portion has a length of no more than about 500 micrometers; and
at least one particle attached to the end portion of the member and configured to facilitate analysis of the cell by interacting with an analyte from the cell such that a characteristic of the analyte is determined by light propagated through the member, wherein (i) the at least one particle is positioned in an optically interrogatable position with respect to light transmitted through the member to the end portion, (ii) the at least one particle is attached to the end portion of the member via an adhesive positioned between the at least one particle and the end portion of the member, and (iii) the adhesive comprises at least one of a polymer or an epoxy,
wherein the member is formed by etching.

2. The article of claim 1 , wherein the member comprises a metal.

3. The article of claim 1 , wherein the member comprises glass.

4. The article of claim 1 , wherein the member is able to transmit light.

5. The article of claim 1 , wherein the at least one particle comprises a metal.

6. The article of claim 1 , wherein the at least one particle is at least partially coated with a reaction entity.

7. The article of claim 1 , wherein the end portion of the member is coated with a plurality of particles.

8. The article of claim 1 , wherein the end portion is at least partially inserted into the cell.

9. The article of claim 1 , wherein the at least one particle is in surface plasmon resonance (SPR) communication with the member.

10. The article of claim 5 , wherein the at least one particle comprises gold.

11. The article of claim 5 , wherein the at least one particle comprises silver.

12. The article of claim 5 , wherein the at least one particle comprises aluminum.

13. The article of claim 1 , wherein the at least one particle comprises a polymer, silica or glass.

14. The article of claim 1 , wherein the member comprises gold.

15. The article of claim 1 , wherein the member comprises silicon.

16. The article of claim 6 , wherein the reaction entity comprises a binding partner to which the analyte binds.

17. The article of claim 6 , wherein the reaction entity comprises a metal, a nucleic acid, an antibody, an aptamer, a sugar, a carbohydrate, a protein, a polymer, a catalyst, and/or a quantum dot.

18. The article of claim 6 , wherein the reaction entity comprises platinum.

19. The article of claim 6 , wherein the reaction entity comprises a hydrogel.

20. The article of claim 1 , wherein facilitating analysis of the cell comprises determining a vibration characteristic and/or a change in the vibration characteristic of the member.

21. The article of claim 20 , wherein the vibration characteristic and/or the change in the vibration characteristic of the member is due to a change in temperature, electric field, and/or magnetic field of the cell.

22. The article of claim 1 , wherein the adhesive comprises the polymer.

23. The article of claim 1 , wherein the adhesive is the epoxy.

24. The article of claim 1 , wherein the cell is a HeLa cell.

25. The article of claim 1 , wherein the member is configured to guide and/or direct light applied to the starting portion and directed to the cell via the tapered portion and the end portion.

Assignees

• Harvard College

Inventors

• Quan Qimin
• Hong Wooyoung
• Loncar Marko

Classifications

• G01N2201/08

  Optical fibres; light guides · CPC title

• G01N33/54373

  involving physiochemical end-point determination, e.g. wave-guides, FETS, gratings · CPC title

• G01N33/5308

  for analytes not provided for elsewhere, e.g. nucleic acids, uric acid, worms, mites · CPC title

• G01N21/65

  Raman scattering · CPC title

• G01N21/6428

  Measuring fluorescence of fluorescent products of reactions or of fluorochrome labelled reactive substances, e.g. measuring quenching effects, using measuring "optrodes" (in vivo A61B5/00; immunoassay G01N33/53) · CPC title