UCLA investigators have developed a miniaturized kinase assay that holds several advantages over conventional kinase radioassays. By utilizing a microfluidic platform with a solid state beta camera, this invention lowers the cell and radioactive input requirements and allows for improvements in cost, efficiency, speed, and labor.
There is a broad interest in targeting kinases for drug discovery and patient diagnosis. For example, kinases are important biomarkers in cancer diagnostics and treatment, or their activity can be monitored to determine the state of a cell (e.g. via PET imaging). This interest led to the development of numerous kinase assay technologies.
Generally, radiometric assays are adopted as the primary technology used by companies that provide kinase profiling services. However, they suffer from several limitations. The input amounts required for these assays make it difficult to study kinase activity on a small level. Also, these assays are labor-intensive, expensive, and are potentially hazardous to those handling the radioactive materials. Further, regulations that control the levels of a specific radioisotope that can be used may limit the desired work pace.
The invention uses a polydimethylsiloxane microfluidic platform with a solid state beta camera to measure kinase activity on a limited amount of patient samples. Miniaturizing the radiometric kinase assay brings several advantages over current radiometric assays. The amount of cell input required is reduced by 1,000 times over conventional assays. This allows for direct experimentation on clinical samples that are expensive or perishable. Also, the amount of radioactivity is reduced by at least one magnitude, alleviating radiation safety concerns. Further, the chips are inexpensive to custom design and produce. Finally, since most of the steps in the assay are under digital control, the performances of these assays are more efficient, faster, and less labor-intensive.
A working prototype has been developed.
Country | Type | Number | Dated | Case |
United States Of America | Issued Patent | 9,448,178 | 09/20/2016 | 2011-129 |
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