Method of analyzing nucleic acids using an array of encoded beads
View Patent ↗A method and apparatus for the manipulation of colloidal particulates and biomolecules at the interface between an insulating electrode such as silicon oxide and an electrolyte solution. Light-controlled electrokinetic assembly of particles near surfaces relies on the combination of three functional elements: the AC electric field-induced assembly of planar aggregates; the patterning of the electrolyte/silicon oxide/silicon interface to exert spatial control over the assembly process; and the real-time control of the assembly process via external illumination. The present invention provides a set of fundamental operations enabling interactive control over the creation and placement of planar arrays of several types of particles and biomolecules and the manipulation of array shape and size. The present invention enables sample preparation and handling for diagnostic assays and biochemical analysis in an array format, and the functional integration of these operations. In addition, the present invention provides a procedure for the creation of material surfaces with desired properties and for the fabrication of surface-mounted optical components.
1. A method for concurrently analyzing nucleic acid sequences, comprising:
providing a set of probe nucleic acids including different probe nucleic acids in the set, wherein said different probe nucleic acids are encoded by attachment to differently-encoded microparticles;
providing a set of target nucleic acids including different target nucleic acids having different subsequences in the set, wherein a number of probe nucleic acids are each complementary to one target nucleic acid subsequence;
forming one or more complexes between one or more complementary probe nucleic acids and one or more target nucleic acids;
forming said microparticles into a crystalline planar array on a patterned substrate; and
analyzing the subsequences in the set of probe nucleic acids by detecting one or more complexes associated with specific microparticles.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the microparticles are formed into the crystalline planar array in a designated region of the patterned substrate.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein the crystalline planar array is a densely packed raft of bubbles.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein the microparticles are encoded with oligonucleotides.
5. The method of claim 4 wherein the encoding is binary.