Patent ID: 8377702

Claim:
A method, comprising: providing a plurality of test sites, each of the test sites having a first layer including an inorganic first surface site and a second layer including an inorganic second surface site, each of the first and second surface sites forming parts of an interior of a well, the first surface site having a position within the well and having a thickness, the position and the thickness being configured for locating thereon a portion of an unidentified amino acid-containing molecule, the second surface site having another position within the well and having another thickness, the another position and the another thickness being configured for locating thereon another portion of the same unidentified amino acid-containing molecule; exposing each of a first plurality of the test sites to a fluid containing a different one of a plurality of pre-identified amino acid-containing molecules and determining a bonding signature of each of the different one of the plurality of pre-identified amino acid-containing molecules onto each of the first plurality of the test sites; exposing each of a second plurality of the test sites to another fluid containing the unidentified amino acid-containing molecule and determining a bonding signature of the unidentified amino acid-containing molecule onto each of the second plurality of the test sites; and comparing the bonding signatures of the plurality of the pre-identified amino acid-containing molecules with the bonding signature of the unidentified amino acid-containing molecule, to determine or exclude an identity of the unidentified amino acid-containing molecule.