Patent ID: 6649357
Filing Date: 2003-11-18
Classification: G01N,Y10S,Y10T

Abstract:
A method of detecting and identifying analytes in a biological sample, comprising the steps of:(a) providing a microelectronic device comprising: a substrate; a plurality of micro-locations defined on the substrate, wherein each micro-location is for linking a macromolecule; an independent photodetector integrated at each micro-location and optically coupled to each micro-location, each photodetector being configured to generate a sensed signal responsive to the photons of light emitted at the corresponding micro-location when a light-emitting chemical reaction occurs at that micro-location, each photodetector being independent from the photodetectors optically coupled to the other micro-locations; and an electronic circuit coupled to each photodetector and configured to read the sensed signal generated by each photodetector and to generate output data signals therefrom that are indicative of the light emitted at each micro-location by the light-emitting chemical reactions, whereby the device detects photons of light emitted by light-emitting chemical reactions, wherein each micro-location is defined by a portion of the surface of the device; (b) attaching a macromolecule or plurality of different macromolecules to the substrate at each micro-location on the device, wherein the macromolecule is specific for binding to a selected analyte present in the biological sample; (c) contacting the sample with the surface of the microelectronic device, whereby any of the selected analytes that are present in the sample bind to the macromolecule attached to the surface at each micro-location; (d) exposing the surface of the microelectronic device to a second macromolecule or plurality thereof which bind to the selected analyte already bound to the first macromolecule at each micro-location, wherein the second macromolecule comprises a component of a bioluminescence generating reaction; (e) initiating the bioluminescence generating reaction by contacting the surface of the device with the remaining components of the bioluminescence generation reaction; and (f) detecting photons of light emitted by the bio-luminescent reaction using the photodetector optically coupled to each micro-location, each photodetector generating a sensed signal representative of the bioluminescence generation at the respective micro-location.