Patent ID: 7368288

Claim:
A method for recognizing an analyte relative to a set of reference compounds based on crystallization patterns, comprising: A, creating a database of signatures for the set of reference compounds, wherein each signature for each reference compound represents a sequence of responses of crystallization patterns of a plurality of reporters to the presence of the reference compound, as the following: 1, for each of the reference compounds from the set, creating: a, a series of first samples comprising mixtures of a solution of the reference compound with solutions of the plurality of reporters, wherein each of the solutions comprises a different reporter; b, a series of second samples comprising the solutions of the plurality of reporters; wherein the solutions of the plurality of reporters in the first samples and the second samples are close to identical; 2, depositing aliquots of the series of first samples and the series of second samples on a substrate and drying them under identical conditions to allow formation of a series of crystallization patterns for the first samples, “first crystallization patterns”, and for the second samples, “second crystallization patterns”; 3, acquiring images of the first crystallization patterns and the second crystallization patterns and comparing the images of the first crystallization patterns with the images of the second crystallization patterns pairwise; 4, creating a signature for each of the reference compounds by assigning: a, a positive response for any change in the crystallization pattern of each of the reporters caused by the presence of the reference compound; and b, a negative response for lack of any change in the crystallization pattern of each of the reporters despite of the presence of the reference compound; B, repeating steps 1-4 for the analyte, thus creating a signature for the analyte; C, comparing the signature of the analyte with the signatures of the set of reference compounds from the database; and D, recognizing the analyte: 1, as one of the reference compounds from the database, if the signature for the analyte coincides with one of the signatures of the set of the reference compounds from the database; or 2, as a new compound relative to the set of the reference compounds, if the signature of the analyte does not coincide with any signature of the set of the reference compounds from the database.