Ye Hu Hu

US Patent:

20110065207, Mar 17, 2011

Filed:

Jul 20, 2010

Appl. No.:

12/839606

Inventors:

Mauro Ferrari - Houston TX, US
Xuewu Liu - Sugar Land TX, US
Ennio Tasciotti - Houston TX, US
Ali Bouamrani - Grenoble, FR
Ye Hu - Austin TX, US

Assignee:

The Board of Regents of the University of Texas System - Austin TX

International Classification:

G01N 33/53
G01N 33/00
G01N 33/68
H01J 49/26
G01N 30/02

US Classification:

436501, 204456, 436 86, 436 94, 422 69, 250282, 250288, 73 6155

Abstract:

A new fractionation device shows desirable features for exploratory screening and biomarker discovery. The constituent MSCs may be tailored for desired pore sizes and surface properties and for the sequestration and enrichment of extremely low abundant protein and peptides in desired ranges of the mass/charge spectrum. The MSCs are effective in yielding reproducible extracts from complex biological samples as small as 10 μl in a time as short as 30 minutes. They are inexpensive to manufacture, and allow for scaled up production to attain the simultaneous processing of a large number of samples. The MSCs are multiplexed, label-free diagnostic tools with the potential of biological recognition moiety modification for enhanced specificity. The MSCs may store, protect and stabilize biological fluids, enabling the simplified and cost-effective collection and transportation of clinical samples. The MSC-based device may serve as a diagnostic tool to complement histopathology, imaging, and other conventional clinical techniques. The MSCs mediated identification of disease-specific protein signatures may help in the selection of personalized therapeutic combinations, in the real-time assessment of therapeutic efficacy and toxicity, and in the rational modulation of therapy based on the changes in the protein networks associated with the prognosis and the drug resistance of the disease.