Patent ID: 6344360
Filing Date: 2002-02-05
Classification: C07F,C09K,G01N,Y10T

Abstract:
An indicator molecule for detecting the concentration of an unlabeled analyte, comprising a fluorescent lanthanide metal chelate complex having the formula:M(â€”Ch(â€”RX))Y wherein:M is a lanthanide metal ion; Ch is a chelator comprising a ligand; R is an analyte-specific recognition element comprising a boronate, arsenite or germanate group, or combinations thereof and X represents the number of recognition elements R bound to each chelator; X=0 to 4, and Y=1 to 4; and the number of recognition elements R may be the same or different, provided that for one or more chelators, X>0; and wherein the concentration of the analyte is detected by measuring any change in fluorescence emitted by the lanthanide metal chelate complex upon binding of the analyte to one or more chelators of the complex through the recognition element, wherein the ligand of the one or more chelators is an organic ligand comprising any one or more of a &bgr;-diketone or a nitrogen analog thereof, a cyclen, a dihydroxy, a carboxyl coordinating heterocycle, an enol, a macrobicyclic cryptand, a polyamino-polycarboxylic acid, a phenylphosphonic acid, an alkene group containing 1 to 10 carbon atoms, a heterocycle of nitrogen, sulfur or linked carboxyls, a phosphine oxide or a carbocyclic moiety, and wherein at least one ligand comprises, in addition to a member of the foregoing group, an aromatic group that does not directly chelate the lanthanide metal ion, said aromatic group being separated from said lanthanide metal ion by up to five atoms, and wherein the one or more chelators are anionic and contain a total of eight sites capable of coordination with the lanthanide metal ion.