Surface for label independent detection and method thereof

1. An assay support, comprising:

a substrate; and

a polymer directly or indirectly attached to the substrate, the attached polymer having a plurality of reactive groups and a plurality of inactive groups, and at least one of the reactive groups has a spacer unit (R 2 ) situated between the polymer backbone and the reactive group (X), the attached polymer comprises mers of the formula (I):

—{—CH(C(═O)(OH))—CH(C(═O)NH—R 2 —(X))—R 1 —} m —

—{—CH(C(═O)(OH))—CH(C(═O)—(Y))—CH—R 1 —} n —

—{—CH(C(═O)(OH))—CH(C(═O)NH—R 3 )—R 1 —} o —

where

R 1 is a divalent hydrocarbyl residue of a first monomer;

R 2 is a divalent spacer comprising from about 6 to about 30 atoms;

R 3 is a monovalent hydrocarbyl;

X is a reactive group or a salt thereof;

Y is a surface substantive group, or a salt thereof, that directly attaches the polymer to the substrate or indirectly to a tie layer, wherein the tie layer is attached to the outer surface of the substrate;

m is from about 10 to about 10,000,

n is from about 10 to about 10,000; and

o is from about 10 to about 10,000,

or a salt thereof.

2. The support of claim 1 , wherein the substrate comprises a plastic, a polymeric or co-polymeric substance, a ceramic, a glass, a metal, a crystalline material, a noble or semi-noble metal, a metallic or non-metallic oxide, an inorganic oxide, an inorganic nitride, a transition metal, or any combination thereof.

3. The support of claim 1 , wherein the substrate is modified with a tie layer comprising an aminosilane, a polymer comprising at least one amino group, or a combination thereof.

4. The support of claim 1 , wherein the polymer is indirectly attached to the substrate by a tie layer, and the tie layer is covalently attached, electrostatically attached, or a combination thereof, to the outer surface of the substrate.

5. The support of claim 3 , wherein the tie layer is obtained from a compound comprising at least one of: a straight or branched-chain aminosilane, aminoalkoxysilane, aminoalkylsilane, aminoarylsilane, aminoaryloxysilane, aminosiloxane thiol, or a combination thereof, or a salt thereof.

6. The support of claim 3 , wherein the tie layer is obtained from a compound comprising 3-aminopropyl trimethoxysilane, N-(beta-aminoethyl)-3-aminopropyl trimethoxysilane, N-(beta-aminoethyl)-3-aminopropyl triethoxysilane, N′-(beta-aminoethyl)-3-aminopropyl methoxysilane, or aminopropylsilsesquixoane.

7. The support of claim 1 , wherein the reactive group comprises an anhydride, an epoxy, an aldehyde, an activated ester, a succinimide, an isocyanate, an isothiocyanate, a sulfonyl chloride, a carbonate, an aryl halide, an alkyl halide, an aziridine, a maleimide, a tresyl, a vinyl sulfone, a tosyl, an acyl azides, a carbodiimide activated carboxylic acid, a carbodiimide activated phosphate, a haloacetyl, a disulfide, a pyridyl disulfide, or a combination thereof.

8. The support of claim 1 , wherein the inactive group is a positively charged group or a negatively charged group.

9. The support of claim 1 , wherein the polymer, prior to attachment, comprises a copolymer of maleic anhydride and a first monomer.

10. The support of claim 9 , wherein the first monomer provides the divalent hydrocarbyl (—R 1 —) in the attached polymer and comprises styrene, tetradecene, octadecene, methyl vinyl ether, triethylene glycol methyl vinyl ether, butylvinyl ether, divinylbenzene, ethylene, acrylamide, vinyl pyrrolidone, dimethylacrylamide, a polymerizable oligo(ethylene glycol) or oligo(ethylene oxide), propylene, isobutylene, vinyl acetate, methacrylate, acrylate, methacrylamide, or a combination thereof.

11. The support of claim 1 , wherein the polymer comprises at least one of poly(vinyl acetate-maleic anhydride), poly(styrene-co-maleic anhydride), poly(isobutylene-ah-maleic anhydride), poly(maleic anhydride-alt-1-octadecene), poly(maleic anhydride-alt-1-tetradecene), poly(maleic anhydride-alt-methyl vinyl ether), poly(triethyleneglycol methylvinyl ether-co-maleic anhydride), poly(ethylene-alt-maleic anhydride), or a combination thereof.

12. The support of claim 1 , wherein the attached polymer comprises a poly(ethylene-alt-maleic anhydride) having reactive groups, inactive groups, and at least one spacer between the polymer backbone and one reactive group.

13. The support of claim 11 , claim 1 , wherein

R 1 is a —(—CH 2 —CH 2 —)—;

R 2 is a divalent spacer comprising a poly alkylene glycol segment containing from about 2 to about 6 alkylene glycol units;

R 3 is a propyl group;

X is a sulfo-N-hydroxysuccinimide group or the salt thereof;

Y is a surface substantive group;

m is from about 10 to about 10,000;

n is from about 10 to about 10,000; and

o is from about 10 to about 10,000,

and a salt thereof.

14. The support of claim 1 , wherein R 2 comprises a divalent spacer of the formula:

—(CH 2 ) 2 —(O—CH 2 —CH 2 ) p —C(═O)—O—

where p is from about 2 to about 6.

15. The support of claim 1 , further comprising one or more biomolecules attached to the reactive group of the polymer, the biomolecule comprises a natural, synthetic or modified oligonucleotide, a natural or modified nucleotide or nucleoside, a nucleic acid (DNA or RNA) or fragment thereof, a peptide comprising natural or modified amino acid, an antibody, a hapten, a biological ligand, a chelate, an aptamer, a lipid, a saccharide, a small molecule, a lectin, a modified polysaccharide, a synthetic composite macromolecule, a functionalized nanostructure, a synthetic polymer, a fluorophore, a chromophore, or a combination thereof.

16. The support of claim 15 , wherein the biomolecule is covalently attached or electrostatically attached to the polymer.

17. The support of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of biomolecules that are present on the support and wherein the biomolecules are on discrete and defined locations on the support to produce an array.

18. The support of claim 1 , further comprising a biomolecule or a cell attached to the reactive group.

19. The support of claim 1 , wherein the ratio of reactive groups to inactive groups is from about 0.5 to about 10.