Press Release September 2007
3dbiosurfaces
announces that it has been granted a United States patent
7,195,872 entitled “High surface area substrates for
microarrays and methods to make same”. The invention has a
priority date of 9th November 2001.
The invention covers all surfaces with increased surface
area (compared to a plain flat substrate) for use in
microarrays and related applications. A benefit is to
enhance signal strength without any impact upon the
hybridization performance.
The invention also covers the application of this class of
surface in multiwell plates.
The surfaces covered by this invention can be beneficially
used as a support for distinct and different biomolecules
attached to the surface for the purposes of further
processing such as hybridization. Other biological
molecules such as proteins or antibodies are covered by
this invention.
The patent covers the entire class of “rough” surface
types. The “roughness”, which may be ordered or random,
creates an area increase on the actual surface itself. The
interior of the substrate is not involved. This important
difference distinguishes this invention from the porous
substrates or coatings already widely used in microarray
devices.
Specifically, the patent covers the use of microfeatures
and microstructures on the surface of a substrate. These
features provide additional benefits including limiting
lateral movement of fluids on the microarray surface, more
consistent drying performance and more uniform spots.
A key aspect of the invention centers on the fact that the
microfeatures are generally smaller than the fluid spots of
liquid, often called array elements, containing the
biomolecules.
3dbiosurfaces is pursuing applications for its invention in
the area of diagnostic tests involving families of
biomarkers where, the company believes, the surface will
significantly improve the sensitivity of the test.