Patent ID: 9217746
Filing Date: 2015-12-22
Classification: G01N,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A bioassay method for measuring concentration of receptor-ligand binding with a polarization value, the method comprising: (a) preparing metallic nanostructures immobilized on a surface wherein the metallic nanostructures have positioned thereon a receptor molecule having affinity for the ligand; (b) contacting the metallic nanostructures attached to the receptor molecule with a sample suspected of comprising the ligand of interest, wherein any ligand in the sample will bind to the receptor molecule to form a receptor-ligand complex; (c) contacting the receptor-ligand complex with a detector molecule having affinity for the ligand to form a receptor-ligand-detector complex, wherein the detector molecule is attached to a metallic nanostructure, wherein binding of the ligand to the receptor forms a metal complex comprising metallic nanostructures on opposing ends of receptor-ligand-detector molecule complex; (d) exposing the metal complex to electromagnetic radiation at a frequency that is absorbed and/or scattered by the metallic nanostructures; (e) measuring the polarization value of scattered light of plasmonic emissions from the metal complexes, wherein as opposing metallic nanostructures approach each other the polarization value of plasmonic scatter changes due to aggregation and the polarization value decreases proportionally to the concentration of the binding ligand of interest; and (f) comparing the polarization value to a control polarization value to determine the concentration of receptor-ligand binding.