Nanogen issued new patent for active biological sample preparation

Nanogen announced today that it was issued U.S. Patent No. 6,824,740, "Apparatus for Active Biological Sample Preparation," by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

The '740 patent relates to methods and devices for performing active, multi-step molecular and biological sample preparation and diagnostic analyses, whereby electrocharged molecules such as nucleic acids are isolated from blood cells to be enriched and analyzed. This new patent expands Nanogen's intellectual property portfolio covering technologies involved in development of sample-to-answer molecular diagnostics and is the company's 81st patent issued in the U.S.

The patent allows for an integrated system in which some or all of the processes involved in sample preparation are performed together. These include receipt of biological materials, cell lysing, sample purification, sample concentration, buffer exchange, complexity reduction, diagnosis and analysis. Claims of the '740 patent also cover the design of an apparatus intended to improve sensitivity, specificity and reproducibility of general sample preparation and handling.