Methods of stabilizing molecules without refrigeration using water soluble polymers and applications thereof in performing chemical reactions

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016291000-A1
Application number	US-201415034914-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 10, 2014
Priority date	Nov 8, 2013
Publication date	Oct 6, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

The present application is directed to methods of performing chemical reactions, including multi-step chemical reactions in which two or more of the reagents in the chemical reaction are incorporated or entrapped in a solid polymeric structure comprising pullulan. In certain embodiments, the chemical reaction or multi-step reaction serves as a sensor. Accordingly the present application is also directed to sensors for performing the methods of the application. In certain embodiments, at least one of the reagents is a biomolecule and the sensor is a biosensor. In certain other embodiments, the solid polymeric structure comprising pullulan and the reagents for performing a chemical reaction form a convenient device for performing a chemical reaction.

First claim

1 . A method of performing a single step or multi-step chemical reaction comprising:
a) combining two or more reagents for the reaction, either separately or together, with an aqueous pullulan solution to provide reagent pullulan solutions or a reagent pullulan solution, respectively; b) drying the reagent pullulan solutions or the reagent pullulan solution to provide solid polymeric structures or a solid polymeric structure, respectively; and c) if the two or more reagents are in separate solid polymeric structures in b), then treating the solid polymeric structures under conditions to dissolve the solid polymeric structures and for the reagents to interact in a chemical reaction; or d) if the two or more reagents are together in the solid polymeric structure in b), then treating the solid polymeric structure under conditions to dissolve the solid polymeric structure and for the reagents to interact in a chemical reaction.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the reagents is a biomolecule selected from one or more of a protein, enzyme, antibody, peptide, nucleic acid, phage, antidote and vaccine.

3 .- 6 . (canceled)

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the conditions to dissolve the solid polymeric structure(s) comprise contacting the solid polymeric structure(s) with water or an aqueous buffer.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein, the two or more reagents are in separate solid polymeric structures and the solid polymeric structures are stacked in layers on top of each other.

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the layers are stacked in an order that corresponds to an order required to perform the chemical reaction.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the two or more reagents are in separate solid polymeric structures and the solid polymeric structures are in the shape of a pill, tablet or capsule, with each separate polymeric structure forming separate layers surrounding each other in the pill.

11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein a layer on the outside of the pill, tablet or capsule comprises reagents that must react first in the chemical reaction and the remaining layers are arranged inside the outside layer in an order that corresponds to an order required to perform the chemical reaction.

12 . The method of claim 8 , wherein timing of dissolution of the layers is controlled to allow sufficient reaction time for each step of the chemical reaction.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the timing is controlled by one or more of thickness of the layers and pullulan concentration.

14 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the two or more reagents are in the same solid polymeric structure.

15 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the two or more reagents are in separate solid polymeric structures and the solid polymeric structures are each dissolved in a single water or buffer solution releasing the reagents for interaction in the chemical reaction.

16 . (canceled)

17 . A sensor comprising two or more reagents entrapped in the same solid polymeric structure or in different solid polymeric structures wherein the solid polymeric structures are comprised of pullulan.

18 . The sensor of claim 17 , wherein at least one of the two or more reagents is a biomolecule selected from one or more of a protein, enzyme, antibody, peptide, nucleic acid, phage, antidote and vaccine, and the sensor is a biosensor.

19 .- 27 . (canceled)

28 . The sensor of claim 17 , wherein the two or more reagents are in separate solid polymeric structures and the solid polymeric structures are stacked in layers on top of each other.

29 . (canceled)

30 . The sensor of claim 17 , wherein the two or more reagents are in separate solid polymeric structures and the solid polymeric structures are in the shape of a pill, tablet or capsule, with each separate polymeric structure forming separate layers surrounding each other in the pill.

31 . (canceled)

32 . The sensor of claim 17 , wherein the two or more reagents are in separate polymeric structures and the two or more reagents that are in separate polymeric structures comprise an enzyme or a receptor and a substrate for the enzyme or the receptor.

33 . (canceled)

34 . The sensor of claim 17 , wherein the two or more reagents are in separate polymeric structures and the two or more reagents that are in separate polymeric structures comprise (1) reagents for cell lysis and (2) a substrate for an enzyme that is released from a cell in the presence of the reagents for cell lysis.

35 .- 37 . (canceled)

38 . The sensor of claim 17 , wherein the two or more reagents are in separate polymeric structures and the two or more reagents that are in separate polymeric structures comprise reagents to perform the Simon's test for secondary amines.

39 . (canceled)

40 . The sensor of claim 17 , wherein the two or more reagents are in the same solid polymeric structure.

41 .- 47 . (canceled)

48 . The sensor of claim 17 , wherein one or more of the solid polymeric structures is cast onto a substrate comprising at least one reagent for the chemical reaction.

49 .- 59 . (canceled)

Assignees

• Univ Mcmaster

Inventors

• Filipe Carlos
• Brennan John D
• Pelton Robert
• Jahanshahi-Anbuhi Sana
• Li Yingfu

Classifications

• G01N2021/7786

  Fluorescence · CPC title

• C12Q1/686

  Polymerase chain reaction [PCR] · CPC title

• G01N21/78

  producing a change of colour · CPC title

• G01N33/548

  Carbohydrates, e.g. dextran · CPC title

• G01N33/5436 Primary

  with ligand physically entrapped within the solid phase (liposomes G01N33/5432; immunological test elements G01N33/54386) · CPC title