Nanosphere Assigned Patent

By Targeted News Service

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Dec. 9 -- Nanosphere, Northbrook, Ill., has been assigned a patent (8,323,888) developed by six co-inventors for "nanoparticles having oligonucleotides attached thereto and uses therefor." The co-inventors are Chad A. Mirkin, Wilmette, Ill., Robert L. Letsinger, Wilmette, Ill., Robert C. Mucic, Glendale, Calif., James J. Storhoff, Evanston, Ill., Robert Elghanian, Wilmette, Ill., and Thomas A. Taton, Little Canada, Minn.The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: "The invention provides methods of detecting a nucleic acid. The methods comprise contacting the nucleic acid with one or more types of particles having oligonucleotides attached thereto. In one embodiment of the method, the oligonucleotides are attached to nanoparticles and have sequences complementary to portions of the sequence of the nucleic acid. A detectable change (preferably a color change) is brought about as a result of the hybridization of the oligonucleotides on the nanoparticles to the nucleic acid. The invention also provides compositions and kits comprising particles. The invention further provides methods of synthesizing unique nanoparticle-oligonucleotide conjugates, the conjugates produced by the methods, and methods of using the conjugates. In addition, the invention provides nanomaterials and nanostructures comprising nanoparticles and methods of nanofabrication utilizing nanoparticles. Finally, the invention provides a method of separating a selected nucleic acid from other nucleic acids."

The patent application was filed on Feb. 2, 2007 (11/702,002). The full-text of the patent can be found at http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=83,23,888.PN.&OS=PN/83,23,888&RS=PN/83,23,888

Written by Kusum Sangma; edited by Anand Kumar.

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