Patent ID: 7220541

Claim:
A method for assaying sequence-specific hybridization, said method comprising: providing a target comprising at least one target biopolymer sequence; providing a probe comprising at least one probe biopolymer sequence; adding said probe and said target to a binding medium to provide a test sample; applying a first stimulus to said test sample to provide a first stimulated test sample; detecting a first signal from said first stimulated test sample, wherein said first signal is correlated with a binding affinity between said probe and said target; applying a second stimulus to said first stimulated test sample to provide a second stimulated test sample; detecting a second signal from said second stimulated test sample, wherein said second signal is correlated with said binding affinity between said probe and said target; and comparing said first signal and said second signal to accomplish said assaying; wherein: (a) at least one label is provided in said test sample, (b) said first stimulus, said second stimulus, said first signal and said second signal are photonic or electronic, (c) at least one of said first stimulus and said second stimulus is photonic, (d) when said first stimulus and said second stimulus are photonic, an intermediate electronic stimulus is applied to said test sample after said first stimulus and before said second stimulus, (e) said probe biopolymer sequence and said target biopolymer sequence contain nucleobases and said probe hybridizes specifically with said target to form a homologous duplex, a homologous triplex, a homologous quadruplex, a Watson-Crick triplex or a Watson-Crick quadruplex, and (f) said method is conducted without separating probe-target complexes from free probes and targets.