Biomolecule diagnostic devices and method for producing biomolecule diagnostic devices

1. A method of making a biosensor, comprising the steps of:

coating a photo-inactivating agent onto a surface of a substrate member;

coating a receptive material layer over the photo-inactivating agent generally uniformly over the surface of the substrate member, the layer containing a receptive material specific for an analyte of interest;

placing a mask over the substrate member, the mask having a configuration so as to shield at least one underlying area of the substrate member while exposing at least one adjacent area;

irradiating the substrate member and mask combination with an energy source sufficient to chemically activate the photo-inactivating agent underlying the receptive material layer in the areas exposed by the mask, the chemically-activated photo-inactivating agent rendering the receptive material inactive in the exposed areas;

removing the mask from the substrate member; and

wherein a resulting pattern of active and inactive areas of the receptive material are defined, the inactive areas corresponding to the areas exposed by the mask and the active areas corresponding to the areas shielded by the mask such that when the biosensor is exposed to a medium containing the analyte of interest, the analyte binds to the receptive material in the active areas and subsequently facilitates diffraction of transmitted or reflected light in a diffraction pattern corresponding to the active areas.

2. The method as in claim 1 , comprising selecting the substrate member from the group of materials consisting of plastics, metal coated plastics and glass, functionalized plastics and glass, silicon wafers, glass, and foils.

3. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the photo-reactive agent is a photo-oxidant and the substrate member comprises a polymer film coated with a metal.

4. The method as in claim 3 , wherein the polymer film comprises polyethylene-terephthalate.

5. The method as in claim 1 , comprising viewing the diffraction pattern of active areas of receptive material with a naked eye.

6. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the receptive material is protein based.

7. The method as in claim 6 , wherein the receptive material is an antibody.

8. The method as in claim 1 , comprising irradiating the substrate member with UV light at a wavelength sufficient for activating the photo-inactivating agent exposed through the mask.

9. The method as in claim 1 , comprising selecting the receptive material from at least one of antigens, antibodies, nucleotides, chelators, enzymes, bacteria, yeasts, fungi, viruses, bacterial pill, bacterial flagellar materials, nucleic acids, polysaccharides, lipids, proteins, carbohydrates, metals, hormones, aptamers, peptides, and respective receptors for said materials.

10. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the analyte of interest is selected from at least one of a bacteria, yeast, fungus, virus, rheumatoid factor, IgG, IgM, IgA, IgD, and IgE antibodies, carcinoembryonic antigen, streptococcus Group A antigen, viral antigens, antigens associated with autoimmune disease, allergens, tumor antigens, streptococcus group B antigen, HIV I or HIV II antigen, antibodies viruses, antigens specific to RSV, an antibody, antigen, enzyme, hormone, polysaccharide, protein, lipid, carbohydrate, drug, nucleic acid, Neisseria meningitides groups A, B, C, Y and W sub 135, Streptococcus pneumoniae, E. coli K1, Haemophilus influenza type A/B, an antigen derived from microorganisms, PSA and CRP antigens, a hapten, a drug of abuse, a therapeutic drug, an environmental agents, or antigens specific to Hepatitis.

11. The method as in claim 1 , further comprising defining a plurality of exposed regions in the mask in a desired pattern, the exposed regions defining the pattern of inactive areas.

12. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the photo-inactivating agent is a photo-acid agent.

13. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the photo-inactivating agent is a photo-oxidant agent.

14. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the photo-inactivating agent is applied as a layer on the substrate member.