Patent ID: 7615343

Claim:
A method for measuring the binding of analyte molecules to probe molecules, the method comprising the following steps: (a) providing a circuit surface having a spatially separated array of circuits, each circuit having an electronic detector circuit, a metal counterelectrode and a contact spot; (b) immobilizing a field of probe molecules in spatial proximity to each of the circuits wherein the probe molecules are the same for each circuit, but differ from circuit to circuit; (c) binding nanoparticles having a metal surface that forms an electrochemical series with the metal counterelectrode to the analyte molecules with adhesion molecules to form analyte structures; (d) placing the analyte structures in the vicinity of the probe molecules in order to facilitate binding of the analyte molecules to the probe molecules; (e) introducing an electrolyte adjacent the circuit surface so that in each circuit where nanoparticles are bound to proximal probe molecules via analyte molecules, the counterelectrode and the metal surfaces of the nanoparticles form electrodes of a galvanic cell; (f) in each circuit where nanoparticles are bound to the proximal probe molecules, physically moving the nanoparticles to establish an electrical contact between the metal surfaces on the nanoparticles and the contact spot; and (g) determining in which circuits galvanic cells have formed by detecting one of a galvanic cell current and a galvanic cell voltage between the counterelectrode and the contact spot with the electronic detector circuit, so that the spatial pattern of circuits in which galvanic cells have formed measures the binding of the analyte molecules to the probe molecules.