Patent ID: 9586346
Date: 2017-03-07
CPC Classifications: B29C,B29L

Claim:
1. A method of forming a microarray or nanoarray having functionalized entities arranged on a substrate in a spatially addressable array, the method comprising the following steps in the order of: i) providing a casting surface having a plurality of wells therein, each well having a well surface; ii) depositing one or more beads in a bottom of each of some or all of the wells such that each bead is in contact with the well surface; iii) after the depositing one or more beads such that each bead is in contact with the well surface, pouring a casting material over the casting surface to cast the one or more beads in contact with the well surface onto the casting material and curing the casting material to form a reverse casting that includes a substrate and a plurality of posts upstanding from the substrate, each post defined by a respective one of the wells, the plurality of posts having beads immobilized in the casting material at a top of the posts according to the deposition of the beads in the wells of the casting surface; and iv) separating the reverse casting from the casting surface to form a unitary bead microarray platform or bead nanoarray platform with the plurality of posts upstanding from the substrate; wherein before, during or after the beads are immobilized in the casting material some or all of the beads are selectively chemically modified to provide one or more functionalities selected from the group consisting of interacting, reacting, binding, sensing, detecting, identifying and labeling.