Patent ID: 11971406
Assignee: THE GENERAL HOSPITAL CORPORATION
Field: Measurement (Instruments)
Classification: CPC G | IPC G

Claim 0:
1. A system for capturing and releasing one or more target particles from a sample, the system comprising:
(a) a particle capture device comprising
a substrate,
a first layer of gelatin bound to the substrate by physical adsorption without gelling, wherein the first layer of gelatin is functionalized with a plurality of first members of a binding pair;
a second layer of temperature-responsive gelatin wherein the second layer of gelatin is functionalized with a plurality of the first members of the binding pair and the second layer of gelatin is bound to the first layer via a plurality of second members of the binding pair that are associated with the first members of the binding pair on both the first and the second layers of gelatin;
optionally, one or more subsequent layers of gelatin, each functionalized with a plurality of the first members of the binding pair and each bound to a previous layer by the second members of the binding pair; and
a plurality of particle-binding moieties that selectively bind to the target particles, wherein the particle-binding moieties are bound to a top layer of gelatin of the particle capture device via a plurality of second members of the binding pair that are associated with the first members of the top gelatin layer; and

(b) a microtip device for selectively releasing one or more target particles from one or more of the layers of the gelatin, the device comprising:
(i) a microtip having two ends positioned to enable contact of one end of the microtip to one or more of the layers of gelatin on the substrate; and
(ii) a vibrator connected to the other end of the microtip and capable of moving the microtip at a controlled frequency,

wherein when the microtip is contacted to the one or more layers of gelatin, the microtip produces a localized shear stress in the one or more layers of gelatin at the controlled frequency, thereby inducing the release of one or more particles from one or more layers of the gelatin.