Patent ID: 6797463
Filing Date: 2004-09-28
Classification: B82Y,G01N,Y10S

Abstract:
A method for use in detecting the presence of a selected microscopic pathogen in a sample comprising:(a) providing a substrate having a detection region thereon comprising a surface comprising microstructures including depressions having width and depth, wherein: (i) the width and depth of the depressions are selected in size to align a liquid crystal material in contact therewith; (ii) the width and depth of the depressions are selected in size to be occupied by the selected pathogen; and (iii) the width of the depressions are on the order of the size of the selected pathogen; (b) treating the surface of the detection region to provide a layer thereon that blocks non-specific binding of pathogens to the surface and that includes a binding agent that specifically binds the selected pathogen to be detected; (c) applying a sample to be tested for the presence of the specific pathogen to the surface of the detection region of the substrate, wherein when the specific pathogen is present in the sample the specific pathogen binds to the binding agent and at least partially occupies the depression; and (d) thereafter applying the liquid crystal material to the detection region that will be aligned by the microstructures on the surface of the substrate in the absence of binding pathogen particles to the surface of the substrate, wherein the presence of the selected pathogen bound to the binding agent and at least partially occupying the depression will be manifested by a visually observable disordering of the liquid crystal material.