Patent Application
20120156763
The present invention generally relates to an apparatus and methods for using biological material to discriminate an agent. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus and methods that utilize a matrix of biological signatures. In one embodiment, the matrix has a plurality of elements and a dimension of N×M where N is the total number of the plurality of cells and M is the total number of the plurality of measurable quantities. Thus, the matrix has in total N×M elements, where each element represents a biological signature of one of a plurality of cells in response to an agent, and each biological signature is one of a plurality of measurable quantities. The present invention comprises a method that includes the steps of constructing such a matrix of biological signatures, exposing at least one of the plurality of cells to an agent, measuring the measurable quantities of the at least one of the plurality of cells responsive to the agent, comparing the measured measurable quantities of the at least one of the plurality of cells responsive to the agent with the corresponding biological signatures of the matrix of biological signatures, and identifying the agent from the comparison. The measured measurable quantities can be stored for further processing, analyzing, feed-backing, or the like.
The invention also relates to an apparatus for using biological material to discriminate an agent. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes means for constructing a matrix of biological signatures having a plurality of elements, wherein each element represents a biological signature of one of a plurality of cells in response to an agent, each biological signature being one of a plurality of measurable quantities, and wherein the matrix has a dimension of N×M, N being the total number of the plurality of cells and M being the total number of the plurality of measurable quantities; means for exposing at least one of the plurality of cells to an agent. The apparatus further includes means for measuring the measurable quantities of the at least one of the plurality of cells responsive to the agent, means for comparing the measured measurable quantities of the at least one of the plurality of cells responsive to the agent with the corresponding biological signatures of the matrix of biological signatures, and means for identifying the agent from the comparison.
Certain embodiments of the present invention comprise apparatus and methods for monitoring the status of a cell that is metabolically active, wherein each metabolic activity of the cell is characterized by a characterization time. More particularly, the apparatus and methods comprise means and the step for measuring at least one metabolic activity of the cell at a time period shorter than a characterization time corresponding to the measured metabolic activity of the cell, respectively.
Certain other embodiments of the present invention comprise devices and methods for detecting the response of a plurality of cells to at least one analyte of interest. More particularly, the devices and methods comprise means and the steps for contacting the plurality of cells with a plurality of analytes of interest and simultaneously detecting the response of the plurality of cells to the plurality of analytes of interest, respectively.
Certain further embodiments of the present invention comprise devices and methods for device for monitoring status of at least one cell, wherein the cell has a membrane forming a substantially enclosed structure and defining an intracellular space therein. More particularly, the devices and methods comprise means and the steps for providing a medium into the intracellular space of the cell and measuring the response of the cell to the medium, respectively.
Certain other embodiments of the present invention comprise devices and methods for measuring response of at least one cell to a medium, the response of at least one cell to a medium being characterized by a reaction time. More particularly, a device of the present invention comprises a sensor that measures the response of the cell to the medium at a time period shorter than the reaction time.
Certain additional embodiments of the present invention comprise devices and methods for discriminating an agent. More particularly, the devices and methods comprise means and the steps for constructing a decision tree having a plurality of branches, each branch corresponding to at least one defined action, wherein each branch comprises a plurality of successive branches, each successive branch corresponding to at least one defined action, providing a conditioned environment sensitive to the agent, obtaining data from response of the agent to the conditioned environment, extracting features from the obtained data, selecting a branch from the decision tree corresponding to the features, performing on the features at least one defined action corresponding to the branch, producing a classification of the agent, and iteratively repeating any or all steps until the agent is discriminated, respectively.
Certain further embodiments of the present invention comprise devices and methods for discriminating an agent. More particularly, the devices and methods comprise means and the steps for providing a plurality of L parameters, L being an integer, each parameter being related to the status of the agent, fitting the plurality of L parameters into a set of ith order differential equations, i=1, . . . , N, N being an integer, obtaining a plurality of L features corresponding to L parameters, respectively, from the set of ith order differential equations, separating the L features into a plurality of classes with a corresponding confidence level, providing a plurality of L+1 parameters, each parameter being related to the status of the agent, fitting the plurality of L+1 parameters into a set of ith+1 order differential equations, obtaining a plurality of L+1 features corresponding to L+1 parameters, respectively, from the set of ith+1 order differential equations, separating the L+1 features into a plurality of classes with a corresponding confidence level, and iteratively repeating any or all steps until a plurality of classes for the agent is separated with a desired corresponding confidence level, respectively.
Certain other embodiments of the present invention comprise devices and methods for discriminating an agent. More particularly, the devices and methods comprise means and the steps for providing a broad spectrum assay having a plurality of L cell lines, L being an integer, each cell line being able to respond to the agent, measuring responses of cell line i, i=1, . . . , L, to the agent, separating the responses into class m, m=1, . . . , O, O being an integer and the total number of available classes, with a corresponding robustness factor, selecting cell line j, j=1, . . . , L but≈i, from the knowledge of class m, measuring responses of cell line j, j=1, . . . , L butt i, to the agent, defining a set of feature extraction algorithms from the measured response of cell line j, j=1, . . . , L but≈i, selecting cell line k, k=1, . . . , L but≈i and ≈j, measuring responses of cell line k, k=1, . . . , L but≈i and ≈j, to the agent, separating the responses into class n, n=1, . . . , O, O being an integer and the total number of available classes, with a corresponding robustness factor, and iteratively repeating any or all steps until a class for the agent with a desired robustness factor is obtained, respectively.
The biological cell may act as a parallel processing, non-linear, multistate, analog computer. This analog computer can occupy a volume of less than 10−16 m3 and is primarily powered only by sugars, fats, and oxygen. The complexity of these computers is evidenced by the attempts to model ongoing biochemical processes based on Mycoplasma genitalium, a microbe with the smallest known gene set of any self-replicating organism (http:\\www.e-cell.org). However, even this simplest model requires hundreds of variables and reaction rules, and a complete model even for a mammalian cell would be much more complex, requiring in excess of 105 variables and equations.
Because the cell behaves as an analog computer, it can be programmed. Historically, a limited set of interventions has allowed physiologists and engineers to study living cells and characterize the feedback control systems that govern cell function. With the advent of genetic engineering, it is now possible to reprogram the genetic machinery of a cell, for example to turn a particular gene on or off, or to produce large quantities of a particular biochemical. However, there has been little efforts and progress for inserting man-made devices into the control system of a single living cell so as to convert the cell into a programmable computational engine.
Therefore, among other things, there is a need to merge cellular biophysics, microcircuits and microfluidics, and information technology to create, among other things, programmable microsystems that can be used for sensing, feedback, control and analysis of a single cell and/or an array of interconnected and instrumented living cells.
Additionally, current bio-sensors use biological molecules for specific agent detection via specific binding reactions. However, wide-spectrum detection is expensive, requiring a priori threat knowledge and a large quantity of specific cells. Assays are susceptible to overload from multiple threats and false detection and from non-pathogenic “spoof” organisms. Furthermore, addressing new threats involves a lengthy, costly design process. In addition, conventional assays lack cellular machinery to increase sensitivity.
Therefore, among other things, there is also a need to develop new systems and methods that are capable of providing a complete bio-functional signature of a CBW agent, environmental contaminant, unknown drug, or other threats for better, fast, sensitive accurate and efficient detection.
In one aspect, the present invention relates to a method for using biological material to discriminate an agent. In one embodiment, the method includes the step of constructing a matrix of biological signatures. The matrix has a plurality of elements and a dimension of N×M, where N is the total number of the plurality of cells and M is the total number of the plurality of measurable quantities. Thus, the matrix has in total N×M elements, where each element represents a biological signature of one of a plurality of cells in response to an agent, and each biological signature is one of a plurality of measurable quantities. The method further includes the steps of exposing at least one of the plurality of cells to an agent, measuring the measurable quantities of the at least one of the plurality of cells responsive to the agent, comparing the measured measurable quantities of the at least one of the plurality of cells responsive to the agent with the corresponding biological signatures of the matrix of biological signatures, and identifying the agent from the comparison. The measured measurable quantities can be stored for further processing, analyzing, feedbacking, or the like. The method further includes the step of quantifying an agent from the comparison.
Additionally, the method includes the steps of calibrating the matrix of biological signatures from a plurality of chemical agents subsequent to the constructing step, and applying preconditioning agents to the plurality of cells to place the plurality of cells in a desired physiological state subsequent to the calibrating step, wherein the plurality of chemical agents comprise toxins.
Each of the plurality of measurable quantities comprises a physical quantity related to cellular physiological activities of the cell exposed to the agent. In particular, each of the plurality of measurable quantities may include a physical quantity related to cellular physiological activities of the cell before and after being exposed to the agent.
In one embodiment, the measuring step can be performed by the steps of (a) measuring a first biology signature for a first cell responsive to the agent, wherein the first biology signature for a first cell corresponds to a first element of the matrix in a first row, (b) measuring a second biology signature for the first cell responsive to the agent, wherein the second biology signature corresponds to an element next to the first element of the matrix in the first row, and (c) repeating step (b) until all biology signatures corresponding to the elements in the first row of the matrix have been measured. Moreover, the measuring step can be further performed by the steps of (a) measuring a first biology signature for a second cell responsive to the agent, wherein the first biology signature for a second cell corresponds to a first element of the matrix in a second row that is next to the first row, (b) measuring a second biology signature for the second cell responsive to the agent, wherein the second biology signature corresponds to an element next to the first element of the matrix in the second row, (c) repeating step (b) until all biology signatures corresponding to the elements in the second row of the matrix have been measured, and (d) repeating steps (a)-(c) but treating the second row as the first row until all biology signatures corresponding to the elements in all N rows of the matrix have been measured. In doing so, the biology signatures corresponding to the elements in all N rows of the matrix can be measured simultaneously. Alternatively, the biology signatures corresponding to the elements in all N rows of the matrix can be measured in sequence. It will be appreciated that the method described above is just one of many ways to get the elements of the matrix measured. For example, one is free to pick any element of the matrix as a starting point to measure. Alternatively, one can pick several (up to all) elements of the matrix to be measured simultaneously.
The method further comprising the steps of keeping the exposure of the at least one of the plurality of cells to the agent under a threshold of exposure for irreversible cell damage or cell death, and adjusting the exposure of the at least one of the plurality of cells to the agent according to the measured measurable quantities.
In another aspect, the present invention relates to an apparatus for using biological material to discriminate an agent. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes means for constructing a matrix of biological signatures having a plurality of elements, wherein each element represents a biological signature of one of a plurality of cells in response to an agent, each biological signature being one of a plurality of measurable quantities, and wherein the matrix has a dimension of N×M, N being the total number of the plurality of cells and M being the total number of the plurality of measurable quantities; means for exposing at least one of the plurality of cells to an agent. The apparatus further includes means for measuring the measurable quantities of the at least one of the plurality of cells responsive to the agent, means for comparing the measured measurable quantities of the at least one of the plurality of cells responsive to the agent with the corresponding biological signatures of the matrix of biological signatures, and means for identifying the agent from the comparison.
In one embodiment, the exposing means comprises a chamber for receiving the at least one of the plurality of cells. Furthermore, the measuring means comprises a sensor. Additionally, the comparing means comprises a controller. It will be appreciated that one or more controllers can be utilized in practicing the present invention. One controller can perform a single, several tasks or both. Several controllers can communicate to each other to perform a single task, a plurality of tasks or both.
Moreover, the apparatus may further include means for calibrating the matrix of biological signatures from a plurality of chemical agents. Additionally, the apparatus may include means for storing the measured measurable quantities, wherein the storing means, for example, comprises one or more memory devices. Furthermore, the apparatus may include means for quantifying an agent from the comparison.
In a further aspect, the present invention relates to a method for using biological material to discriminate an agent. In one embodiment, the method includes the steps of providing at least one cell, exposing at least one cell to an agent, measuring the response of the cell to the agent in terms of a physical quantity related to at least one of the cellular physiological activities of the cell, and identifying the agent from the measured response. The method further includes the step of quantifying the agent from the measured response.
In yet another aspect, the present invention relates to an apparatus for using biological material to discriminate an agent. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes means for providing at least one cell, means for exposing at least one cell to an agent, means for measuring the response of the cell to the agent in terms of a physical quantity related to at least one of the cellular physiological activities of the cell, and means for identifying the agent from the measured response. The exposing means may comprise a chamber for receiving the at least one cell. The measuring means may comprise a sensor. The identifying means may comprise a controller. The apparatus further includes means for quantifying the agent from the measured response.
In yet a further aspect, the present invention relates to a method for using biological material to discriminate an agent. In one embodiment, the method includes the steps of providing at least one cell, exposing at least one cell to an agent, measuring the response of the cell to the agent, where the response of the cell to the agent is characterized by a reaction time, at a time period shorter than the reaction time, and identifying the agent from the measured response. The method further includes the step of quantifying the agent from the measured response. The response can take various forms including a temporal response of the cell to the agent, which is measured in at least two measurements. The time between the measurements is shorter than the reaction time corresponding to the temporal response of the cell.
In another aspect, the present invention relates to an apparatus for using biological material to discriminate an agent. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes means for providing at least one cell, means for exposing at least one cell to an agent, means for measuring the response of the cell to the agent, where the response of the cell to the agent is characterized by a reaction time, at a time period shorter than the reaction time, and means for identifying the agent from the measured response. The exposing means may comprise a chamber for receiving the at least one cell. The measuring means may comprise a sensor. The identifying means may comprise a controller. The apparatus further includes means for quantifying the agent from the measured response.
In a further aspect, the present invention relates to a method for using biological material to discriminate an agent. In one embodiment, the method includes the steps of providing a plurality of cells in a conditioned environment, wherein each cell has multiple metabolic pathways for metabolic events, simultaneously monitoring of multiple metabolic pathways for each of the plurality of cells, wherein each metabolic pathway may be disturbed in the presence of an agent, detecting the changes of metabolic events for each of the plurality of cells at a time when an agent invades the conditioned environment, and identifying the agent from the detected changes of metabolic events for each of the plurality of cells within seconds from the time when the agent invades the conditioned environment. Each of the metabolic events involves a change in energy production or consumption of the cell. The method further includes the step of quantifying the agent from the measured response.
In yet another aspect, the present invention relates to an apparatus for using biological material to discriminate an agent. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes means for providing a plurality of cells in a conditioned environment, where each cell has multiple metabolic pathways for metabolic events. The apparatus further includes means for simultaneously monitoring of multiple metabolic pathways for each of the plurality of cells, wherein each metabolic pathway may be disturbed in the presence of an agent. The apparatus additionally includes means for detecting the changes of metabolic events for each of the plurality of cells at a time when an agent invades the conditioned environment, and means for identifying the agent from the detected changes of metabolic events for each of the plurality of cells within seconds from the time when the agent invades the conditioned environment. The providing means may comprise at least one chamber for receiving the plurality of cells in the conditioned environment. The identifying means may comprise a controller. The apparatus further includes means for quantifying the agent from the measured response.
In yet a further aspect, the present invention relates to an apparatus for using biological material to discriminate an agent. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes a plurality of cells, where each cell has multiple metabolic pathways for metabolic events. The apparatus further includes a first structure for receiving the plurality of cells, where the first structure has a plurality of sensing volumes, and each sensing volume is in a conditioned environment capable of receiving at least one cell. The apparatus additionally includes an array of sensors positioned underneath the first structure for simultaneously monitoring of multiple metabolic pathways for each of the plurality of cells, wherein each metabolic pathway may be disturbed in the presence of an agent. The apparatus further includes a controller coupled to each sensor of the array of the sensors. When an agent invades the conditioned environment, the array of the sensors detects the changes of metabolic events for at least one of the cells and generates at least one signal in response, and the controller receives the signal from the array of sensors and identifies the agent from the signal. The controller further includes means for quantifying the agent from the measured response.
In yet another aspect, the present invention relates to an apparatus for using biological material to discriminate an agent. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes means for providing a plurality of cells in a conditioned environment, where each cell has multiple intracellular and extracellular pathways for intracellular and extracellular events. The apparatus further includes means for simultaneously monitoring of multiple intracellular and extracellular pathways for each of the plurality of cells, wherein each intracellular and extracellular pathway may be disturbed in the presence of an agent. The apparatus additionally includes means for detecting the changes of intracellular and extracellular events for each of the plurality of cells at a time when an agent invades the conditioned environment, and means for identifying the agent from the detected changes of intracellular and extracellular events for each of the plurality of cells within seconds from the time when the agent invades the conditioned environment. The providing means may comprise at least one chamber for receiving the plurality of cells in the conditioned environment. The identifying means may comprise a controller. The apparatus further includes means for quantifying the agent from the measured response.
In yet a further aspect, the present invention relates to an apparatus for using biological material to discriminate an agent. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes a plurality of cells, where each cell has multiple intracellular and extracellular pathways for intracellular and extracellular events. The apparatus further includes a first structure for receiving the plurality of cells, where the first structure has a plurality of sensing volumes, and each sensing volume is in a conditioned environment capable of receiving at least one cell.
The apparatus additionally includes an array of sensors positioned underneath the first structure for simultaneously monitoring of multiple intracellular and extracellular pathways for each of the plurality of cells, wherein each intracellular and extracellular pathway may be disturbed in the presence of an agent. The apparatus further includes a controller coupled to each sensor of the array of the sensors. When an agent invades the conditioned environment, the array of the sensors detects the changes of intracellular and extracellular events for at least one of the cells and generates at least one signal in response, and the controller receives the signal from the array of sensors and identifies the agent from the signal. The controller further includes means for quantifying the agent from the measured response.
These and other aspects will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiment taken in conjunction with the following drawings, although variations and modifications therein may be affected without departing from the spirit and scope of the novel concepts of the disclosure.
Various embodiments of the invention are now described in detail. Referring to the drawings, like numbers indicate like parts throughout the views. As used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow, the meaning of “a,” “an,” and “the” includes plural reference unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Also, as used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow, the meaning of “in” includes “in” and “on” unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Additionally, some terms used in this specification are more specifically defined below.
The terms used in this specification generally have their ordinary meanings in the art, within the context of the invention, and in the specific context where each term is used. For example, conventional techniques of molecular biology, microbiology and recombinant DNA techniques may be employed in accordance with the present invention. Such techniques and the meanings of terms associated therewith are explained fully in the literature. See, for example, Sambrook, Fitsch & Maniatis. Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual, Second Edition (1989) Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y. (referred to herein as “Sambrook et al., 1989”); DNA Cloning: A Practical Approach, Volumes I and II (D. N. Glover ed. 1985); Oligonucleotide Synthesis (M. J. Gait ed. 1984); Nucleic Acid Hybridization (B. D. Hames & S. J. Higgins, eds. 1984); Animal Cell Culture (R. Freshney, ed. 1986); Immobilized Cells and Enzymes (IRL Press, 1986); B. E. Perbal, A Practical Guide to Molecular Cloning (1984); F. M. Ausubel et al. (eds.), Current Protocols in Molecular Biology, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (1994). See also, PCR Protocols: A Guide to Methods and Applications, Innis et al., eds., Academic Press, Inc., NewYork (1990); Saiki et al., Science 1988, 239:487; and PCR Technology: Principles and Applications for DNA Amplification, H. Erlich, Ed., Stockton Press.
Certain terms that are used to describe the invention are discussed below, or elsewhere in the specification, to provide additional guidance to the practitioner in describing the devices and methods of the invention and how to make and use them. For convenience, certain terms are highlighted, for example using italics and/or quotation marks. The use of highlighting has no influence on the scope and meaning of a term; the scope and meaning of a term is the same, in the same context, whether or not it is highlighted. It will be appreciated that the same thing can be said in more than one way. Consequently, alternative language and synonyms may be used for any one or more of the terms discussed herein, nor is any special significance to be placed upon whether or not a term is elaborated or discussed herein. Synonyms for certain terms are provided. A recital of one or more synonyms does not exclude the use of other synonyms. The use of examples anywhere in this specification, including examples of any terms discussed herein, is illustrative only, and in no way limits the scope and meaning of the invention or of any exemplified term. Likewise, the invention is not limited to various embodiments given in this specification.
As used herein, “about” or “approximately” shall generally mean within 20 percent, preferably within 10 percent, and more preferably within 5 percent of a given value or range. Numerical quantities given herein are approximate, meaning that the term “about” or “approximately” can be inferred if not expressly stated.
The term “agent” is broadly defined as anything that may have an impact on any living system such as a cell. For examples, the agent can be a chemical agent. The chemical agent may comprise a toxin. The agent can also be a biological agent. Moreover, the agent may comprise at least one unknown component, which may be identified by practicing the present invention. Additionally, the agent may comprise at least one known component, whose interaction with cells or other components of an environment may be detected by practicing the present invention. The agent can also be a physical agent. Other examples of agent include biological warfare agents, chemical warfare agents, bacterial agents, viral agents, other pathogenic microorganisms, emerging or engineered threat agents, acutely toxic industrial chemicals (“TICS”), toxic industrial materials (“TIMS”) and the like. Examples of chemical agents that may be related to practicing the present invention include Mustard (that may be simulated with chloroethyl ethyl sulphide (endothelia cells in PC)), GB-Sarin (that may be simulated with Disopropyllluorophosphate (DFP)), VX (that may be simulated with Malathion) or the like. Examples of viral agents (and their simulants) that may be related to practicing the present invention include MS2, Hepatitus or simulant or attenuated virus, Retroviruses alphaviruses or the like. Examples of bacterial agents (and their simulants) that may be related to practicing the present invention include Bacillus globigii or Bacillus subtilis as spore formers similar to anthrax, Erwinia herbicola as a simulant for vegetative bacteria (not sporagenic), E. coli or the like. Additional examples of agents can also be found in the following exemplary list of agents:
Botulinum Toxin (seven immunological types: A, B, C1, C2, D, E, F, G)
Staphylococcus enterotoxin B
Saxitoxin
Ricin (Ricinus communis)
Epsilon toxin of Clostridium perfringens
Mycotoxins
Aflatoxins that inhibit DNA and RNA synthesis
Anatoxin A
Microcystins
Cholera Toxin
Tetrodotoxin
Substance P
Bacillus anthracis (Anthrax)
Yersinia Pestis, (gram-negative coccobacillus causing the zoonotic infection Plague)
Clostridium botulinum
Francisella tularensis (a gram-negative, facultative intracellular bacterium that causes the zoonosis Tularemia)
Brucella spp (spp=several different species?)
Burkholderia mallei (Glanders)
Burkholderia pseudomallei
Chlamydia psittaci
Shigella dysenteriae
Salmonella spp
Vibrio cholerae
Cryptosporidium parvum
Clostridium perfringens
Hepatitis C
Variola major (smallpox)
Filoviruses/Arenaviruses
Alphaviruses
Cephalomyelitis Viruses
Nipah Virus (a new paramyxovirus)
Hantavirus
Tick-borne hemorrhagic fevers
Dengue (Breakbone or Dandy Fever) fever virus
Enteric Viruses
Hepatcytes and Hepatitis A
Lymphocytes
Erythrocytes
Endothelial cells
HL1 (Cardiac)
Secretory cell (depolarize and it secretes things) Beta=insulin
PC12 neural cells
HELA (Helen Lane)
HEK293 Human Epithial Kidney cells
Coxiella burnetti
Ricksettia prowazekii
VX, V-gas
G-series (GF-cyclohexyl sarin, GD-Soman, GB-Sarin, GA-Tabun)
Mustard Agents
HN-1—Nitrogen Mustard
HN-2—Nitrogen Mustard (N-Oxide Hydrochloride)
Sulfar Mustard
Adamsite
Arsines
Lewisite
Hydrogen Cyanide
Cyanogen Chloride
BZ (Benzphetamine)
LSD (Lysergic Acid Diethylamide) (enable comment for this)
Chlorine
Phosgene
CN (2-Chloroacetophenone)
Fuel & Combustion Products (Jet Fuels)
JP-4
JP-8
TMPP
Herbicides/Pesticides
Methyl Parathion (an organophosphorus insecticide)
Volatile Organic Carbons (VOC)
Benzene
Toluene (methylbenzene)
Xylene
Heavy Metals
Lead
Chromium
Mercury
Halogens
Fluorine
Bromine
Cyanides
Isocyanates
cyanides (as CN)
Hydrogen Chloride
Sulfur Dioxide
Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx)
Vinyl Chloride
Barium Nitrate
Hydrazine
DBNP-di-tris-butyl-nitrophenol.
The term “toxin” is broadly defined as any agent that may have a harmful effect or harmful effects on any living system such as a cell. Examples of toxins that may be related to practicing the present invention include cyanide, endotoxin, okadaic acid, Phorbol Myristate Acetate (“PMA”), microcystin, Dinitrophenol (“DNP”), Botulinum toxin (a common threat agent; inhibit transmitter release, whole cell MB), Staphylococcus enterotoxin B, ricin (inhibits protein synthesis and ribosmone, OT), mycotoxins, aflatoxins, cholera toxin (activates C1 pump, vesicle MB, NBR), Saxatoxin or tetrodotoxin (Na channel blocker, vesicle MB), Microcystins (hepatocyte metabolism in PC) and organophosphates. Other examples of toxins may be also discussed somewhere else in the specification. Additional examples of toxins can also be found in the market. For example, the following is an exemplary list of toxins with their corresponding product number that are readily available from a commercial source at gotnet.com:
Bordetella pertussis, Adenylate Cyclase Toxin
Bordetella pertussis, Filamentous Hemagglutinin
Bordetella pertussis, Pertussis Toxin, Liquid in Glycerol Buffer
Bordetella pertussis, Pertussis Toxin, Lyophilized in Buffer
Bordetella pertussis, Pertussis Toxin, Lyophilized, Salt Free
Bordetella pertussis, Pertussis Toxin A Protomer
Bordetella pertussis, Pertussis Toxin B Oligomer
Botulinum Neurotoxin Type A from Clostridium botulinum
Botulinum Neurotoxin Type A Heavy Chain
Botulinum Neurotoxin Type A Light Chain
Botulinum Neurotoxin Type A Toxoid
Botulinum Neurotoxin Type B from Clostridium botulinum
Botulinum Neurotoxin Type B Heavy Chain
Botulinum Neurotoxin Type B Light Chain
Botulinum Neurotoxin Type B Toxoid
Clostridium botulinum, Botulinum Neurotoxin Type A
Clostridium botulinum, Botulinum Neurotoxin Type A Heavy Chain
Clostridium botulinum, Botulinum Neurotoxin Type A Light Chain
Clostridium botulinum, Botulinum Neurotoxin Type A Toxoid
Clostridium botulinum, Botulinum Neurotoxin Type B
Clostridium botulinum, Botulinum Neurotoxin Type B Heavy Chain
Clostridium botulinum, Botulinum Neurotoxin Type B Light Chain
Clostridium botulinum, Botulinum Neurotoxin Type B Toxoid
Clostridium botulinum, Exoenzyme C3
Clostridium difficile, Anti-Toxin A, Goat Antibody for Toxin A from Clostridium difficile
Clostridium difficile, Toxin A
Clostridium difficile, Toxin A Toxoid
Clostridium difficile, Toxin B
Clostridium tetani, Tetanolysin
Clostridium tetani, Tetanus Toxin
Clostridium tetani, Tetanus Toxin C-Fragment
Clostridium tetani, Tetanus Toxoid
Corynebacterium diphtheriae, Diphtheria Toxin CRM Mutant
Corynebacterium diphtheriae, Diphtheria Toxin, Unnicked
Corynebacterium diphtheriae, Diphtheria Toxoid
Escherichia coli J5 (Rc), Lipopolysaccharide
Escherichia coli K12, D31m4, Primarily Diphosphoryl Lipid A
Escherichia coli K12, D31m4 (Re), Lipopolysaccharide
Escherichia coli K12 strain LCD25, [3H]Lipopolysaccharide
Escherichia coli K12 strain LCD25, Lipopolysaccharide
Escherichia coli O111:B4, Lipopolysaccharide
Escherichia coli O55:B5, Lipopolysaccharide
Escherichia coli, Stable Toxin
Pasteurella Multocida Toxin
Pertussis Toxin, Liquid in Glycerol Buffer from Bordetella pertussis
Pertussis Toxin, Lyophilized in Buffer
Pertussis Toxin, Lyophilized, Salt Free
Pertussis Toxin A Protomer
Pertussis Toxin B Oligomer
Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Anti-Exotoxin A, Goat Antibody for Exotoxin A from Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Exotoxin A
Salmonella minnesota R595, Primarily Monophosphoryl, Lipid A
Salmonella minnesota R595 (Re), Lipopolysaccharide
Salmonella typhimurium, Lipopolysaccharide
Staphylococcus aureus, Alpha Toxin
Staphylococcus aureus, Enterotoxin Type B
Vibrio cholerae, Anti-Choleragenoid, Goat Antibody for Cholera Toxin B Subunit
Vibrio cholerae, Cholera Toxin
Vibrio cholerae, Cholera Toxin, Azide Free
Vibrio cholerae, Cholera Toxin A Subunit
Vibrio cholerae, Cholera Toxin B Subunit
Vibrio cholerae, Cholera Toxin B Subunit, Low Salt Recommended for Tract Tracing
It will be appreciated that all these toxins, in addition to other toxins given in the specification, are given as specific examples of toxins that may be related to practicing the present invention. Other known or unknown toxins can also be related to or used and may be preferred for certain, particular applications.
The term “molecule” means any distinct or distinguishable structural unit of matter comprising one or more atoms, and includes for example polypeptides and polynucleotides.
“DNA” (deoxyribonucleic acid) means any chain or sequence of the chemical building blocks adenine (A), guanine (G), cytosine (C) and thymine (T), called nucleotide bases, that are linked together on a deoxyribose sugar backbone. DNA can have one strand of nucleotide bases, or two complimentary strands which may form a double helix structure. “RNA” (ribonucleic acid) means any chain or sequence of the chemical building blocks adenine (A), guanine (G), cytosine (C) and uracil (U), called nucleotide bases, that are linked together on a ribose sugar backbone. RNA typically has one strand of nucleotide bases.
As used herein, “cell” means any cell or cells, as well as viruses or any other particles having a microscopic size, e.g. a size that is similar to that of a biological cell, and includes any prokaryotic or eukaryotic cell, e.g., bacteria, fungi, plant and animal cells. Cells are typically spherical, but can also be elongated, flattened, deformable and asymmetrical, i.e., non-spherical. The size or diameter of a cell typically ranges from about 0.1 to 120 microns, and typically is from about 1 to 50 microns. A cell may be living or dead. As used herein, a cell is generally living unless otherwise indicated. As used herein, a cell may be charged or uncharged. For example, charged beads may be used to facilitate flow or detection, or as a reporter. Biological cells, living or dead, may be charged for example by using a surfactant, such as SDS (sodium dodecyl sulfate). Cell or a plurality of cells can also comprise cell lines. Example of cell lines include liver cell, macrophage cell, neuroblastoma cell, endothelial cell, intestine cell, hybridoma, CHO, fibroblast cell lines, red blood cells, electrically excitable cells, e.g. Cardiac cell, myocytes (AT1 cells), cells grown in co-culture, NG108-15 cells (a widely used neuroblastoma X glioma hybrid cell line, ATCC# HB-12317), primary neurons, a primary cardiac myocyte isolated from either the ventricles or atria of an animal neonate, an AT-1 atrial tumor cardiac cell, Liver cells are also known as Hepatocytes, Secretory cell (depolarize and it secretes things) pancreatic beta cells secrete insulin, HELA cells (Helen Lane), HEK293 Human Epithial Kidney c, Erythrocytes (primary red blood cells), Lymphocytes and the like. Each cell line may include one or more cells, same or different. For examples, the liver cell comprises at least one of Human hepatocellular carcinoma (“HEPG2”) cell, CCL-13 cell, and H4IIE cell, the macrophage cells comprises at least one of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (“PBMC”), and skin fibroblast cells, the neuroblastoma cell comprises a U937 cell, the endothelial cell comprises a human umbilical vein-endothelial cell (“Huv-ec-c”), and the intestine cell comprises a CCL-6 cell.
A “reporter” is any molecule, or a portion thereof, that is detectable, or measurable, for example, by optical detection. In addition, the reporter associates with a molecule or cell or with a particular marker or characteristic of the molecule or cell, or is itself detectable, to permit identification of the molecule or cell, or the presence or absence of a characteristic of the molecule or cell. In the case of molecules such as polynucleotides such characteristics include size, molecular weight, the presence or absence of particular constituents or moieties (such as particular nucleotide sequences or restrictions sites). The term “label” can be used interchangeably with “reporter”. The reporter is typically a dye, fluorescent, ultraviolet, or chemiluminescent agent, chromophore, or radio-label, any of which may be detected with or without some kind of stimulatory event, e.g., fluoresce with or without a reagent. Typical reporters for molecular fingerprinting include without limitation fluorescently-labeled single nucleotides such as fluorescein-dNTP, rhodamine-dNTP, Cy3-dNTP, Cy5-dNTP, where dNTP represents DATP, dTTP, dUTP or dCTP. The reporter can also be chemically-modified single nucleotides, such as biotin-dNTP. Alternatively, chemicals can be used that react with an attached functional group such as biotin.
A “marker” is a characteristic of a molecule or cell that is detectable or is made detectable by a reporter, or which may be coexpressed with a reporter. For molecules, a marker can be particular constituents or moieties, such as restrictions sites or particular nucleic acid sequences in the case of polynucleotides. The marker may be directly or indirectly associated with the reporter or can itself be a reporter. Thus, a marker is generally a distinguishing feature of a molecule, and a reporter is generally an agent which directly or indirectly identifies or permits measurement of a marker. These terms may, however, be used interchangeably.
A “measurable quantity” is a physical quantity that is measurable by a device, or obtainable by simulations. For examples, a measurable quantity can comprise a physical quantity related to cellular physiological activities of a cell exposed to an agent. Because cellular physiological activities of a cell involve a lot of activities across a wide spectrum, the plurality of physical quantities related to the impact of the agent on the cell physiology of the cell exposed to the agent are numerous such as heat production, oxygen consumption, uncoupling ratio between heat production and oxygen consumption, free radical synthesis, fraction of oxygen diverted to free radical synthesis, reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (“NAD(P)H”), acid production, glucose uptake, lactate release, gluconeogenesis, transmembrane potential, intracellular messengers, membrane conductance, transmembrane pump and transporter rates, messenger RNA expression, neurotransmitter secretion, intracellular glycolytic stores, transmembrane action potential amplitude and firing rate, heat-shock protein expression, intracellular calcium, calcium spark rate and the like.
The term “channel” is broadly defined as any ionic pathway that is associated with cellular physiological activities of a cell. There are various types of channels. For examples, a channel can be a Voltage-gated channel, a Ligand-gated channel, Resting K+ channels (that are inwardly rectifying K, leak channels), Stretch activated channels, Volume-regulated channels and the like. Examples of Voltage-gated channel include K, Na, Ca and Cl. Examples of Ligand-gated channel include Neurotranmitter (glutamate {NMDA, AMPA, KAINATE}, GABA, ACH (nicotinic), 5HT, glycine, histamine, Cyclic nucleotide-gated (cAMP, cGMP from inside of cell), some K-selective, some non-specific cation channels, G-protein activated (mostly potassium; pertussis toxin-inhibited), Calcium-activated (K channels activated by voltage and Ca) and the like.
A “sensor” is broadly defined as any device that can measure a measurable quantity. For examples, a sensor can be a thermal detector, an electrical detector, a chemical detector, an optical detector, an ion detector, a biological detector, a radioisotope detector, an electrochemical detector, a radiation detector, an acoustic detector, a magnetic detector, a capacitive detector, a pressure detector, an ultrasonic detector, an infrared detector, a microwave motion detector, a radar detector, an electric eye, an image sensor, any combination of them and the like. A variety of sensors can be chosen to practice the present invention.
A “controller” is broadly defined as any device that can receive, process and present information. For examples, a controller can be one microprocessor, several microprocessors coupled together, a computer, several computers coupled together, and the like.
The term “biosignature” means a marker for a particular signaling or metabolic pathway affected by an agent.
The term “analyte” means a material that can be consumed or produced by a cell. Examples of analyte of interest include pH, K, oxygen, lactate, glucose, ascorbate, serotonin, dopamine, ammonina, glutamate, purine, calcium, sodium, potassium, NADH, protons, insulin, NO (nitric oxide) and the like.
The term “flow” means any movement of fluid such as a liquid or solid through a device or in a method of the invention, and encompasses without limitation any fluid stream, and any material moving with, within or against the stream, whether or not the material is carried by the stream. For example, the movement of molecules or cells through a device or in a method of the invention, e.g. through channels of a microfluidic chip of the invention, comprises a flow. This is so according to the invention, whether or not the molecules or cells are carried by a stream of fluid also comprising a flow, or whether the molecules or cells are caused to move by some other direct or indirect force or motivation, and whether or not the nature of any motivating force is known or understood. The application of any force may be used to provide a flow, including without limitation, pressure, capillary action, electroosmosis, electrophoresis, dielectrophoresis, optical tweezers, and combinations thereof, without regard for any particular theory or mechanism of action, so long as molecules or cells are directed for detection, measurement or sorting according to the invention.
A “medium” is a fluid that may contain one or more agents, one or more analytes, or any combination of them. A medium can be provided with one or more analytes to be consumed by one or more cells. A medium can have one or more analytes generated by one or more cells. A medium can also have at the same time one or more analytes to be consumed by one or more cells and one or more analytes generated by one or more cells.
An “inlet region” is an area of a microfabricated chip that receives molecules or cells for detection measurement. The inlet region may contain an inlet channel, a well or reservoir, an opening, and other features which facilitate the entry of molecules or cells into the device. A chip may contain more than one inlet region if desired. The inlet region is in fluid communication with the main channel and is upstream therefrom.
An “outlet region” is an area of a microfabricated chip that collects or dispenses molecules or cells after detection, measurement. An outlet region is downstream from a discrimination region, and may contain branch channels or outlet channels. A chip may contain more than one outlet region if desired.
An “analysis unit” is a microfabricated substrate, e.g., a microfabricated chip, having at least one inlet region, at least one main channel, at least one detection region and at least one outlet region. A device of the invention may comprise a plurality of analysis units.
A “main channel” is a channel of the chip of the invention which permits the flow of molecules or cells past a detection region for detection (identification), or measurement. The detection and discrimination regions can be placed or fabricated into the main channel. The main channel is typically in fluid communication with an inlet channel or inlet region, which permit the flow of molecules or cells into the main channel. The main channel is also typically in fluid communication with an outlet region and optionally with branch channels, each of which may have an outlet channel or waste channel. These channels permit the flow of molecules or cells out of the main channel.
A “detection region” or “sensing volume” or “chamber” is a location within the chip, typically in or coincident with the main channel (or a portion thereof) and/or in or coincident with a detection loop, where molecules or cells to be identified, characterized, hybridized, measured, analyzed or maintained (etc.), are examined on the basis of a predetermined characteristic. In one embodiment, molecules or cells are examined one at a time. In other embodiments, molecules, cells or samples are examined together, for example in groups, in arrays, in rapid, simultaneous or contemporaneous serial or parallel arrangements, or by affinity chromatography.
A “branch channel” is a channel which is in communication with a discrimination region and a main channel. Typically, a branch channel receives molecules or cells depending on the molecule or cell characteristic of interest as detected by the detection region and sorted at the discrimination region. A branch channel may be in communication with other channels to permit additional sorting. Alternatively, a branch channel may also have an outlet region and/or terminate with a well or reservoir to allow collection or disposal of the molecules or cells.
A “gene” is a sequence of nucleotides which code for a functional polypeptide. For the purposes of the invention a gene includes an mRNA sequence which may be found in the cell. For example, measuring gene expression levels according to the invention may correspond to measuring mRNA levels. “Genomic sequences” are the total set of genes in a organism. The term “genome” denotes the coding sequences of the total genome.
“Preconditioning” is the process by which the physiological state of a cell or cells is adjusted by application of a known drug, toxin, analyte, or other chemical or physiological stimulus for the purpose of adjusting the response of the cell to a subsequently applied toxin. For example, if a cell is in a resting state, an agent that decreases metabolic level may not alter the cell's metabolism below the already-low resting state. But if the cell is preconditioned to be in a level of high metabolic activity, the subsequent application of that same agent would produce a much larger signal.
“Feedback” refers to the process by which a measured signal is amplified and transformed in a manner that it can be used to control or alter the property of the system in a manner that in turn affects the measured variable. Negative feedback would be feedback applied in a manner to reduce the amplitude of the measured variable. Positive feedback would be feedback applied in a manner to increase the amplitude of the measured variable.
“Actuator” is a device that can, under electrical, mechanical, or chemical control, or the like, perform an action in such a manner as to effect a change to a system. For example, a valve is an actuator that can control the release of an analyte.
“Feedback Control” is the process by which sensors and actuators are used to control the state of a system by means of positive or negative feedback, or both, such that the state of the system either remains constant in time or changes in accord with a desired sequence of changes. For example, the sensing of intracellular pH could be used to increase the flow of fluidic media into a cell to wash away the protons that are acidifying the sensing volume as a result of cell metabolism. As another example, a glucose sensor that detects a decrease in the glucose level in the sensing volume could use an actuator to increase the inflow of glucose into the sensing volume to stabilize the glucose levels to which the cell is exposed despite metabolic changes that affect the cell's utilization of glucose. The feedback signal can in turn provide direct information about, for example, the glucose consumption of the cell.
“Reaction time” is the time that a system of interest requires to respond to a change. For example, the reaction time of a cell is the time required for at least one of the physiological processes of a cell to adapt or respond to the application of an agent. The reaction time of a sensor is the time required for the sensor to respond to a change in the quantity that it is sensing. For example, the reaction time of an electrochemical sensor is set by the size of the sensor and the thickness and nature of protective coatings on the activated surfaces of the sensor. The reaction time of a microfluidic system is determined by the reaction time of the cell to changes in the environment, the time required for chemical species to diffuse throughout the sensing volume, the reaction time of the sensor(s), the reaction time of the actuators and the diffusion time of the analyte being controlled by the actuators. It follows that stable feedback control of a physiological parameter requires that the diffusion, sensor and actuator reaction times are less than the reaction time of the cell.
In one aspect, the present invention relates to a system and methods for using biological material to discriminate an agent. In one embodiment as shown in
The system 100 additionally includes an array 102 of sensors 106 positioned underneath the biolayer 101 for simultaneously monitoring of multiple metabolic pathways 104 for each of the plurality of cells, where each metabolic pathway may be disturbed in the presence of an agent (not shown). The system 100 further includes at least one controller 107 coupled to each sensor 106 of the array 102. When an agent invades the conditioned environment, the array of the sensors 102 detects the changes of metabolic events for at least one of the cells and generates at least one signal in response, and the controller 107 receives the signal from the array of sensors 102 and identifies the agent from the signal. The controller 107 further includes means for quantifying the agent from the measured response. Thus, among other things, contrary to traditional approaches to discriminate an agent from testing the agent, one aspect of the present invention is to discriminate, and quantify, an agent from the response of a living cell to the agent.
Moreover, because a living cell behaves as an analog computer, it can be programmed. However, the cell controls its physiological status through an internal cellular control mechanism. Therefore, in order to program the cell, i.e. direct the cell to do what it is taught to do, the internal cellular control mechanism of the cell has to be overridden. Historically, a limited set of interventions has allowed physiologists and engineers to study living cells and characterize the feedback control systems that govern cell function. With the advent of genetic engineering, it is now possible to reprogram the genetic machinery of a cell, for example to turn a particular gene on or off, or to produce large quantities of a particular biochemical. However, as yet there has been little work on inserting man-made devices into the control system of a single living cell so as to convert the cell into a programmable computational engine. The present invention merges cellular biophysics, microcircuits and microfluidics, and information technology to create programmable Multicellular Bio-Silicon Hybrid Microsystems such as system 100 as shown in
Thus, as shown in
Accordingly, the system 100 provides a programmable cellular microsystem that has a true bi-directional, bioionic-silicon interface. Development of the system 100 and related devices involves not only the building of cell-based biosensors, but also the creation of biological and solid-state processes needed to form a functioning assembly of sensors and actuators. One challenge is to identify the computations or tasks for which this technology is best suited. Nevertheless, the present invention provides multiple biosilicon microsystems that can be combined to form larger analog biomicrocomputers capable of solving particular classes of problems with higher speed and lower power consumption than could be implemented in silicon and software.
In one application, the system 100 can be utilized to discriminate an agent. In one embodiment, at least one cell 105 is provided and is exposed to the agent, which may be contained in a medium, the response of the cell to the agent is measured in terms of a physical quantity related to at least one of the cellular physiological activities of the cell, and from the measured response the agent can be identified. Furthermore, the agent (such as its concentration in the medium) can be quantified from the measured response. When cell(s) are used as a canary to detect an agent, the present invention has the tremendous advantage of non-specificity, in that it reveals information only about overall cellular metabolic activity and hence it is not necessary to develop a particular sensor for each anticipated agent such as toxin.
In another embodiment, at least one cell is provided and is exposed to the agent, which may be contained in a medium, the response of the cell to the agent is measured, where the response of the cell to the agent is characterized by a reaction time, at a time period shorter than the reaction time, and from the measured response the agent can be identified. Furthermore, the agent (such as its concentration in the medium) can be quantified from the measured response. The response can take various forms including a temporal response of the cell to the agent, which is measured in at least two measurements. The time between the measurements is shorter than the reaction time corresponding to the temporal response of the cell. Indeed, as discussed below, among other things, one aspect of the present invention is that it provides devices and methods in which the diffusion time from the cell to the sensor is comparable to the response time of the sensor such that the response of the cell to the agent can be measured faster and better than what prior art could offer.
Exemplary devices and methods according to the embodiments of the present invention are given below. Note that titles or subtitles may be used in the examples for convenience of a reader, which in no way should limit the scope of the invention.
In one aspect of the present invention, a wide-spectrum, activity-detection technology is developed that employs several novel cell and membrane-based sensing technologies, in order to provide a complete bio-functional signature of a CBW agent, unknown drug, or other threat. The bio-functional signatures can be used with advanced algorithms to discriminate between different agents. The system and devices are extraordinarily versatile and general; because one unique feature of the present invention, among other things, is that the biological impact of the toxins is detected and measured, rather than the toxins themselves.
Today, biosensors use biological molecules (antibodies, enzymes, nucleic acids, etc.) for specific agent detection via specific binding reactions. Wide-spectrum detection is expensive, requiring a priori threat knowledge and a large quantity of specific cells. Assays are susceptible to overload from multiple threats and false detection and from non-pathogenic ‘spoof’ organisms. Furthermore, addressing new threats involves a lengthy, costly design process. In addition, conventional assays do not employ cellular machinery to increase sensitivity.
An alternative is to monitor the state of a set of optimized biological systems so that a departure from normal homeostasis sounds an alert of a possible CB attack. A broad set of physiological tests on a combination of receptor, ion-channel, cell, and tissue-based biosensors can provide a rapid, sensitive, and accurate differential diagnosis of cellular pathophysiology. One challenge is to develop sound methods for achieving clear signatures of the patho-physiological effects of CBW agents. This approach discerns both the identities of known CBW agents, and the mechanism of action for unknown agents. Such information will help guide countermeasures.
Accordingly, a spectrum of on-line biosensors for physiological responses in model systems or living cells are developed, in order to obtain and discriminate bio-functional signatures of CBW agents. These biosensors can measure heat generation, metabolic products, ion-channel conductance, transmembrane potential, intracellular conductance, the expression of optically tagged proteins for cardiac myocytes, neurons, and endothelial cells, and intracellular and intercellular signalling, which includes the secretion of neurotransmitters, hormones, and growth factors. These modalities are chosen to span the broad range of physiological mechanisms affected by the spectrum of possible CBW agents. The multi-phasic measurements can be used to track toxin-induced, temporal responses, and test hypotheses regarding prophylactic or therapeutic measures in support of a differential diagnosis.
Referring now to
Outputs 957 can be obtained in several ways. In one embodiment, for example, one can start to measure element 961 in the first row, then element 963, until all elements in the first row of the matrix 950 have been measured. Then, one can continue to measure element 971 in the second row, then element 973, until all elements in the second row of the matrix 950 have been measured. This process is repeated for the rest rows of the matrix 950 until all biology signatures corresponding to the elements in all N rows of the matrix have been measured. This process of measurements may be termed as an orthogonal measurement. Note that the elements in all N rows of the matrix can be measured simultaneously. Alternatively, the elements in all N rows of the matrix can be measured in sequence, or any way one chooses to proceed. It will be appreciated that the method described above is just one of many ways to get the elements of the matrix measured. For example, one is free to pick any element of the matrix as a starting point to measure. Alternatively, one can pick several (up to all) elements of the matrix to be measured simultaneously.
Calibration(s) may be performed before the measurements. Moreover, before the measurements, preconditioning agents may be applied to the cells 951 to place the cells in a desired physiological state. Cells 951 can be placed in one or more chambers 958. Each chamber 958 may receive one or more cells. Additionally, during the measurements, a medium containing analytes may be supplied to cells in each chamber so as to maintain a preconditioned environment to keep the cells of interest alive. Different chambers may receive different mediums in term of content through proper fluid control. Moreover, the exposure of the cells to the agent needs to be kept under a threshold of exposure for irreversible cell damage or cell death to keep the cells of interest alive. The exposure of the cells to the agent can be adjusted according to the measured measurable quantities. Some or all of the activities discussed above can be coordinated, performed, or processed by a computer or a computer associated with a network.
Outputs 957 can be obtained through various apparatus. In one embodiment as shown in
Referring now to
An example of cellular pathways can be monitored with discrimination matrix 950 and sensor array 957 of the present invention. Cellular processes are metabolically-driven, energy-requiring events. The basal energy requirements are derived from the oxidation of metabolic substrates, e.g., glucose 1602, either by oxidative phosphoralation 1611 involving the aerobic TCA or Kreb's cycle 1609 or anerobic glycolysis 1602. When glycolysis is the major source of energy, the metabolic activity of cells can be estimated by monitoring the rate at which the cells excrete acidic products of metabolism 1605, e.g., lactate 1606 and CO2 1607. In the case of aerobic metabolism, the consumption of extracellular oxygen 1603 and the production of oxidative free radicals 1604 are reflective of the energy requirements of the cell. Intracellular oxidation-reduction potential can be measured by autofluorescent measurement of the NADH 1611 and NAD+1610 ratio. The amount of energy, e.g., heat 1608, released by the cell is derived from analytical values for substances produced and/or consumed during metabolism which under normal settings can be predicted from the amount of oxygen consumed (4.82 kcal/l O2). The coupling between heat production and oxygen utilization can be disturbed by toxins. Direct microcalorimetry measures the temperature rise of a thermally isolated sample. Thus when combined with measurements of oxygen consumption calorimetry can used to detect the uncoupling activity of toxins. The devices disclosed in this specification are designed to measure, among other things, the following variables: glucose 1602, lactate 1606, CO2 1607, NADH 1611 and NAD+1610 ratio, heat 1608, O2 consumption 1603, and free-radical production 1604. Some metabolic activities of cells of interest are listed in the following Table 1.1.
The energy requiring events within the cells are sensitive to the availability of energy in the form of ATPase and NADH(NADPH) to sustain the activity. Those energy-consuming events include maintenance of the membrane potential, intracellular pH, and osmotic balance. Moreover, many of the cell signaling events that control cell growth, programmed cell death (apoptosis), cellular cytoskeleton and cell specific function (e.g., immune response of macrophages and gluconeogenesis and albumin synthesis by hepatocytes) are very sensitive to metabolic stress. Thus, one aspect of the present invention is to take advantage of the unique characteristics of cells to develop signatures that will allow for discrimination. For example, the sodium potassium ATPase, which is the major consumer of ATPase in the resting cell, is reliant on adequate cellular ATPase availability to maintain a transmembrane potential. Without this potential, cell viability is dramatically compromised. Toxins that target the pump or the cellular ATPase levels will produce identifiable and measurable signatures.
The approach to monitor specific metabolic pathways has the tremendous advantage of non-specificity, in that it reveals information about overall cellular metabolic activity and hence it is not necessary to develop a particular sensor for each anticipated toxin. Yet by monitoring specific features of the metabolic response in multiple cells types, we can define the discrimination algorithm. Clearly the response to a toxin can be cell specific. For example, the ECBC laboratory demonstrated that parathion and paraoxon have opposite effects on hepatocyte and neuroblastoma cell metabolism. The cell lines utilized in the present invention include, for examples, macrophages (PBMC,U937), liver (HEPG2,CCL-13,H4IIE), neural (HTB-11) and endothelial (HUV-ECC-C), and intestinal (CCL-6) cells. They represent cells that are derived from organs, which are targets of biotoxins. The liver is a major target of toxins (aflotoxin, organophosphates, viral hepatitis) both because of its anatomical location, (i.e., is exposed to all toxins absorbed via the alimentary tract) and because it is metabolically active and plays such a central role in biodetoxification in the organism. The intestine is directly exposed to toxins (e.g., bacteria, virus, enterotoxin) entering via the oral route. Neuronal cells are targets of a number of toxins (organophosphates) that alter ion channel function.
Macrophages serve as one of the most important sentinels for the presence of many biotoxins. They are ideally located at the major routes of potential toxin entry: respiratory airways, intestine, liver and skin. The alveolar macrophage (AM) lives on the mammalian bronchial surfaces and is exposed to inhaled polluted air. Acting as a scavenger, it protects the pulmonary tissue from invading microorganisms and inhaled particles and hence is an ideal sentinel for air quality. Macrophages upon stimulation have a characteristic “respiratory burst”. This is a manifest as large increase in oxygen consumption and oxygen free radical production. The free radicals inactivate toxins such as viruses and bacteria. Given their robustness and the rapidity of the “respiratory burst” responses to toxins, macrophages can serve as early responders in the discrimination matrix 950.
An example of toxin discrimination by simultaneous monitoring of multiple metabolic signals according to the present invention following the exposure of some toxins is shown in
Generally in response to stress, the increase in heat production is driven by an increase in the metabolic requirements of the cell. This increase may be met by a general increase in oxygen consumption that is driven by an increase in mitochondrial respiration and oxygen consumption. The increase in caloric requirements can be met by a facilitation of glucose entry. The glucose can either enter the glycolytic pathway and be released as lactate or it can be completely oxidized to carbon dioxide and water via mitochondrial respiration. Depending on the site of action of the toxin, and the cell type, one or both pathways may be used. Some toxins (e.g., cyanide) target mitochondrial respiration. Thus, despite adequate oxygen availability, the cell is unable to use oxygen to make ATP. Thus, glycolysis (glucose conversion to lactate) serves a greater role in meeting the energy demands of the cell and the release of carbon dioxide is not longer the primary fate of the glucose carbon and instead lactate release increases with glucose uptake. In contrast other agents such as DNP (dinitrophenol) decrease the efficiency of the mitochondrial process such that the oxygen requirements are greater for a given ATPase requirement of the cell. The result is that the cell consumes more oxygen and produces more heat to meet the ATPase demands. This may manifest as a unique signature whereby oxygen consumption and heat production both increase. To meet the increase in energy demands, glucose uptake is increased. In this case as shown in
As displayed in these figures, the energy signature of the activated macrophage and the stimulated hepatocyte can be markedly different. Macrophages have a characteristically rapid increase in oxygen consumption, which wanes despite the presence of the stimulus. In contrast the hepatocyte exhibits a response that is slower in onset and sustained until the removal of the stimulus. The controlled addition of a known amount of endotoxin will result in an increase in hepatic energy consumption to support the very high metabolic activity of the liver. When unknown toxins are administered that uncouple or inhibit this process, for example dinitrophenol or cyanide, the normal energy demanding functions of the liver, such as gluconeogenesis, are compromised. The consequent cell specific change in metabolic activity can be monitored and used as a canary to detect toxins.
The nerve gas VX and other organophosphates inhibit glycolysis in neuroblastoma cells. However, pre-exposure of neuroblastoma cells to Phenobarbital may enhance the enzyme cytochrome P450, which in turn may result in the cellular conversion of these toxins to a more potent toxin (bioactivation). Thus following bioactivation of hepatocytes with Phenobarbital, the reduction of glycolysis with VX and parathion may be markedly enhanced.
Additionally, environment may be manipulated to determine where in a given metabolic pathway the toxin is acting. This may be most effective if a toxin takes advantage of a metabolic signaling pathway to exert its action. One important pathway in cell signaling that is affected by a number of toxins is the protein kinase A/cyclic AMP system. This system when activated has profound and well-characterized metabolic responses, which include increases in gluconeogenesis and glycogen breakdown, and inhibition of glycolysis. As one example of pathway modulation, the response of a hepatocyte to an increase in the available glucose will depend upon whether an agent blocks a particular enzyme pathway. Okadaic acid and microcystins inhibit protein phosphatase 1 and 2A activity. Okadaic acid has been shown to regulate cyclic AMP mediated events. Thus in the presence of okadaic acid, an increase in glucose concentration will not increase hepatic glucose uptake.
Other toxins may alter glycogen metabolism as well via their effect on cell signaling pathways. An increase in lactate release that is disproportionate to the increase in glucose uptake, this would suggest an endogenous source of glucose (i.e., glycogen). Increases in lactate release disproportional to the increase in glucose consumption could reflect toxins that either increases cyclic-AMP or intracellular calcium (e.g., organophosphates including the chemical warfare agents Sarin and VX). Increases in cyclic-AMP or calcium will activate hepatic glycogen phosphorylase, which will enhance glycogen breakdown. Since glycogen is a glucose polymer, upon its hydrolysis the cell will release glucose or metabolize the glucose and release it as lactate. By applying specific measurements of intracellular calcium and calcium conductance, for example, one may combine knowledge of metabolic pathways with specific manipulations that allow one to dissect how a specific toxin exerts its action on metabolism.
The effect of Soman on an action potential of a neuron is shown as an example. The course of the action potential depends on the proper function of various ion channels and functionally associated enzymes. Block of individual channels, like sodium channels with TTX, results in an immediate change of the action potential, which is easily detected. Likewise, blocking an associated enzyme, like the Na/K exchanger with Oubain, results in a marked change of the action potential. Blocking the Ca-channel in cardiac tissue with verapamil changes the shape of the action potential dramatically, which could be extracted from the data and being reflected in the action potential duration. For neural cells more so than for cardiac cells, the fitting of a Hodgkin-Huxley-type model to the observed action-potential shape can be used to estimate the conductance variation of key channels.
Thus, among other things, the present invention provides a matrix of biological signatures that can be used to define an orthogonal set of cell lines, assays, and measurements for detecting previously known or unknown toxins, determining mechanisms of toxin activity through real-time biochemistry and autonomous hypothesis generation and testing, and using a bio-silicon circuit to specify and deliver the appropriate antitoxin for cellular-level defense. Additionally, the matrix of biological signatures can be integrated into a field deployable, configurable, and fully automatic device to detect a large number of toxic agents with unsurpassed sensitivity, which does not require the development of specific assays to new toxin threats. Again, this generality arises because the present invention allows measuring the biological impact of toxins rather than the toxins themselves.
In one aspect, the present invention relates to an apparatus for monitoring the status of a cell, more particularly, for screening physiological and biochemical effect of one or more cells on the nanoliter to picoliter scale. Such an apparatus according to the present invention may be termed as a Nanophysiometer, which in no way should limit the scope of the invention.
The volume 704 is bounded on one side by a flexible membrane 705 that can be deflected, e.g., by pressurizing a closed volume 715 below the flexible membrane 705 through the channels 710 or 711, which are parts of a channel 723 that is in fluid communication with a supply or reservoir of fluid such as an air pump (not shown). The flow in each of the channels 710, 711 can also be controlled by valves (not shown), individually or in cooperation. Channel 723 is defined by a first substrate 731.
The volume 704 is bounded on the other side by a second substrate 733 having a first surface 735 and a second surface 737. The second surface 737 of the second substrate 733 and the first substrate 731 defines the channel 721. Several sensors 702 are positioned on the second surface 737 of the second substrate 733 to measure the concentration of analytes in the sensing volume 704. The sensors 702 could be thin film electrodes and can be used to measure various analytes in the sensing volume 704 to monitor the status of the cell 701. The sensors 702 are coupled through leads 709 to a sensing unit (not shown), respectively. Note that by deflecting the membrane 705 forces may be applied to the cell 701, in particular when the cell 701 is attached to the membrane 705, so that the response of the cell 701 to the applied force can be detected. Further note that device 700 can be utilized to grow a cell. For instance, a cell can be attached to the membrane 705, and the status of the cell can be monitored by sensors 702.
Cells are placed into the wells 1251. Each well has a volume of less than 1 nL and may receive one or more cells to be confined therein. The electrochemical sensors 1206, 1207, 1208 monitor the metabolic state of each cell or cells. The microchannels 1202 with cross-sections on the order of 10 μm×10 μm supply analytes to the cells, remove waste, and allow for the introduction of biological agents into the wells. One to several cells can be placed into each well with a micropipette or through the fluid channels. Among other things, device 1200 has external pumps and valves for automated control of the flow and introduction of the analytes. Moreover, device 1200 has planar electrochemical sensors 1206, and nanoLiter sized volumes 1251 resulting in high sensitivity and fast response times. Additionally, device 1200 has on-chip sealed wells and channels for cell storage, delivery of analytes and biological agents, and removal of waste. Utilization of sensors 1206, 1207, 1208 having different electrochemical characteristics allows for multispectral readout. The transparency of the cover 1204 also makes optical detecting available.
Referring now to
Device 1300 shows how external pumps utilized in device 1200 as shown in
An exemplary electrode can be utilized to practice the present invention including utilization in any embodiment of Nanophysiometer is shown in
Referring now to
Referring now to
Referring now to
Referring now to
All the embodiments of a Nanophysiometer according to the present invention shown above can be utilized, among other things, to monitor the status of a cell that consumes or produces energy. The energy consumption or production of the cell includes consumption of a chemical component by the cell that relates to the metabolic status of the cell, where the chemical component can be any of pH, K, oxygen, lactate, glucose, ascorbate, serotonin, dopamine, ammonina, glutamate, purine, calcium, sodium, and potassium. As an example,
More specifically, in
In
Note that the pH response of a system can be characterized by the time it takes for the pH to drop by a certain amount. For
Table 2.1 gives a list of events and corresponding characterization times for the events to take place. As one can see, some events related to changes in the metabolism of cells happen in a few milliseconds.
For further comparison, Dn=Diffusion time calculated for Oxygen, where n=25, and lactate n=5, for spherical geometry (indexed as “s”) and cubic geometry (indexed as “c”), respectively, is given below:
Oxygen noise 10 micromolar, sensitivity scales with area
Glucose noise 100 micromolar
Flux at surface; signal-to-noise scales with area:
In one aspect, the present invention relates to a device as shown in FIGS. 11(A)-(C) for detecting at least one analyte of interest either produced or consumed by at least one cell or cells 1107, wherein the at least one cell or cells 1107 is placed in a chamber 1128. In one embodiment of the present invention as shown in FIGS. 11(A)-(C), a device or a sensor head 1100 includes a body portion 1151 and a substrate 1153 defining a chamber 1128. The body portion 1151 can be circular, oval, square, or any other geometric shape cross-sectionally. In the embodiment shown, the body portion 1151 has a circular cross section. The substrate 1153 has a first surface 1155 and an opposite, second surface 1157. A membrane 1127 is positioned on the first surface 1155 of the substrate 1153. The membrane 1127 is partially transparent to allow optical signals passing through. For instance, in one embodiment as shown in FIGS. 11(A)-(C), the membrane 1127 comprises a Si/SiN membrane. An insert 1129 that contains the living cells 1107 is placed into the chamber 1128 and is sealed to the body portion 1151 by an O-ring 1136 that fits into a corresponding O-ring groove 1137 formed on the body portion 1151.
An inlet 1101 is in fluid communication with the chamber 1128 through an end portion 1122. Inlet 1101 may also be in fluid communication with one or more reservoirs of mediums (not shown), where each medium may contain a different analyte of interest. The device 1100 also has a first electrode 1124 having a first electrochemical characteristic, and a second electrode 1126 positioned away from the first electrode 1124 and having a second electrochemical characteristic. The device 1100 may further have a reference electrode 1125. In cooperation with the reference electrode 1125, the first electrode 1124 can detect a first analyte of interest either produced or consumed by at least one cell or cells 1107, and the second electrode 1126 can detects second analyte of interest by at least one cell or cells 1107, respectively and simultaneously. Alternatively, in cooperation with the reference electrode 1125, the first electrode 1124 and the second electrode 1126 can detect one analyte of interest either produced or consumed by at least one cell or cells 1107 in the chamber 1128. Analytes of interest can be introduced to the chamber 1128 through the inlet 1101, 1122. An outlet 1104 is in fluid communication with the chamber 1128 through an end portion 1123 for introducing medium away from the chamber 1128.
The device 1100 may utilize an amperemeter electrically coupled to the first electrode 1124 and the second electrode 1126 for detecting a current as a function of the two analytes of interest either produced or consumed by at least one cell or cells 1107 in the chamber 1128. Alternatively, the device 1100 has a potentiostat 1103 electrically coupled to the first electrode 1124 and the second electrode 1126 for detecting a voltage as a function of the two analytes of interest either produced or consumed by at least one cell or cells 1107 in the chamber 1128. Meters such as potentiostat 1103 can be further interfaced to a data acquisition computer so as to save, process and analyze detected signals.
Moreover, the device 1100 may further have additional electrodes, each having a different electrochemical characteristic to one of the first electrode 1124 and the second electrode 1126 and being positioned away from the first and second electrode 1126s. For examples, the device 1100 may have a third electrode 1146 positioned away from the first electrode 1124 and the second electrode 1126. In the embodiment as shown in FIGS. 11(A)-(C), the first electrode 1124 is a gold electrode and the second electrode 1126 and the third electrode 1146 both are a platinum electrode. Moreover, Additionally, the first electrode 1124 has a cross section larger than that of both the second electrode 1126 and the third electrode 1146, which are substantially similar to each other for the embodiment as shown (they are indeed platinum wires). Using the platinum electrodes 1126 and 1146 as a counter electrode, the device 1100 adds the ability to perform electrochemical and spectrochemical analysis within the sensor head 1100. Of course, the first electrode 1124, the second electrode 1126 and the third electrode 1146 each can have different surface film, coating, shape, material modifications to accommodate the needs for detecting one or more desired analytes of interest.
Furthermore, the device 1100 has a fiber-coupled optical system 1102 that has a first end 1162, a second end 1164 and an optical fiber body portion 1166 defined therebetween. The first end 1162 of the optical fiber body portion 1166 reaches in the chamber 1128 capable of detecting an optical signal related to the analytes of interest either produced or consumed by cell or cells 1107. Thus, the fiber-coupled optical system 1102 can monitor fluorescence of the cells by light 1121 emitted into the chamber 1128.
Thus, the device 1100 with the electrodes embedded in a chemically stable epoxy, can measure oxygen, glucose, lactate and oxidation-reduction potential in addition to the pH measurement that is currently available from the membrane 1127 in the bottom of the chamber 1128 and illuminated from below through an optical window 1138, to form a light-addressable potentiometric sensor. The fiber-coupled optical system 1102 can use autofluoresence to measure intracellular NADH/NAD ratios and voltage and calcium-sensitive dyes to determine transmembrane potential and intracellular calcium. The ability of all sensors to function simultaneously allows the specification of a self-consistent set of metabolic fluxes.
Moreover, in one embodiment as shown in
In operation, monochometer 1401 selects wavelength of light to be measured by the photodetector 1409. The light source 1402 is coupled to an optical fiber 1403 and the dichroic beamsplitter 1404 that delivers light to the chamber 1428 where a droplet of perfusate 1405 containing at least one cell 1406. The fiber 1403 is coupled through the transparent substrate 1408, which is supported by sidewalls 1407, to obtain the signals regarding the status of the cell 1406.
Note that while the optical detector 1400 is discussed here in connection with a sensor head, the optical detector 1400 can be readily utilized with devices disclosed in other examples of the present invention including the NanoPhysiometer, the well plates, the Microbottles, and the Picocalorimeter.
Additionally, the optical detection method and instrument of the present invention can be combined with any of the sensors disclosed in this specification. The optical detection method and instrument uses an optical fiber technique to illuminate the wells and to extract the fluorescence and luminescence signals. Imaging an entire cell onto a single sensor element offers greatly enhanced signal-to-noise ratios, among other things.
Perhaps with the exception of NADH/NADPH autofluorescence, the optical detection method and instrument may need the introduction of some fluorescent probes into the cell. Some fluorescence dyes do not require direct intracellular access and can be directly incorporated in the sensing platform and read out with the fiber optics system disclosed herein. Optical dyes could be administered and purged through the fluidics channels already incorporated in the cell physiometer.
To enhance the efficiency of wavelength separation, one may use Bragg-filters embedded in the optical fibers. Light indicator can either utilize a photomultiplier or a photodiode.
In one aspect, the present invention relates to a device 500 for monitoring status of cell 501 or cells as shown in
The device 500 also includes a third substrate 580 having a first surface 581 and an opposite second surface 583. Sensors (not shown) can be added to the second surface 583 of the third substrate 580 having a first surface 581 and an opposite second surface 583 to measure the concentrations of analytes in the extracellular fluid 515 of chamber 590, as can optical sensors 1400 in
The device 500 further includes at least one sensor 505 positioned in the first passage 511 proximate to the opening 569, wherein a cell 501 is positioned in the chamber 590. In one embodiment, the cell 501 is sealed to the second substrate 560 by at least one gigaohm seal 503. The cell 501 has a membrane 541 forming a substantially enclosed structure and defining an intracellular space 543 therein. The intracellular space 543 of the cell 501 is in fluid communication with the first passage 511 through the opening 569 of the second substrate 560.
The membrane 541 of the cell 501 defines an opening 549 through which the intracellular space 543 of the cell 501 is in fluid communication with the first passage 511 through the opening 569 of the second substrate 560. The device 500 further includes a punching element 506 positioned underneath the opening 569 of the second substrate 560 for making the opening 549 on the membrane 541 of the cell 501. The punching element 560 can be a mechanical device such as a pressure-based suction device (not shown) or an electroporation device such as an electric potential sucking device.
As such formed, the device 500 allows cells with intracellular and extracellular spaces in fluid communication through microfluidic channels such as passages 511, 591, 593, 595.
In one operation mode, when a first medium is introduced into the first passage 511, the intracellular space 543 of the cell 501 is in fluid communication with the first passage 511 with the first medium, the sensor 505 measures the response of the cell 501 to the first medium. The response can be viewed as an intracellular response to the first medium, which may contain agent or agents. The measured signals can be amplified by amplifier 512 to generate an output 513 and/or transmitted to a controller 508 as a feedback, which in turn can control the flow of the first medium through fluid control 509b (and 509a, 509c). The first medium can also be used to provide nutrition to the cell 501 and to maintain the cell 501 at a desired status.
In another operation mode, when a second medium is introduced into the chamber 590 through the second passage 591, at least part of the membrane 541 of the cell 501 is in contact with the second medium in the chamber 590, the sensor 505 measures the response of the cell 501 to the second medium. The response can be viewed as an extracellular response to the second medium, which may contain agent or agents. The measured signals can be amplified by amplifier 512 to generate an output 513 and/or transmitted to a controller 508 as a feedback, which in turn can control the flow of the first medium through fluid control 521a (and 521b). The second medium can also be used to provide nutrition to the cell 501 and to maintain the cell 501 at a desired status.
In yet another operation mode, when a first medium is introduced into the first passage 511 and a second medium is introduced into the chamber 590 through the second passage 591, respectively, the intracellular space 543 of the cell 501 is in fluid communication with the first passage 511 with the first medium and at least part of the membrane of the cell 501 is in contact with the second medium in the chamber 590, the sensor 505 measures the responses of the cell 501 to the first medium and the second medium. From these measurements, the status of the cell 501 can be monitored.
If a plurality of sensors is utilized to practice the present invention, they can be substantially the same. Or, alternatively, at least two of them can be different from each other.
In another application, the device 500 can be utilized to control the physiological status of at least one cell. Normally, a cell controls its physiological status through an internal cellular control mechanism. In one embodiment, the device 500 can be used to provide at least one medium to the cell 501 such that at least part of the membrane of the cell 501 is in contact with the medium to override the internal cellular control mechanism.
In one operation mode, a first medium is supplied into the intracellular space 543 of the cell 501 through the opening 569 in the membrane 541, and a second medium is supplied into the chamber 590 such that at least part of the membrane 541 of the cell 501 is in contact with the second medium. The response of the cell 501 to the second medium is measured, and the composition of the second medium is adjusted based on the response to affect the overriding of the internal cellular control mechanism. Moreover or alternatively, the response of the cell 501 to the first medium is measured, and the composition of the first medium is adjusted based on the response to affect the overriding of the internal cellular control mechanism.
In another operation mode, the concentration of at least one selected component of the medium can be monitored and the composition of the medium can be adjusted based on the monitored concentration of at least one selected component of the medium to affect the overriding of the internal cellular control mechanism.
Still referring to
The device 500 according to the present invention may be termed as a “microbottle,” which in no way should limit the scope of the present invention. FIGS. 3(A)-(C) shows another embodiment of the microbottle according to the present invention. In
Accordingly, the microbottle provided by the present invention in various embodiments can provide direct interface for measuring and controlling ion concentrations on both sides of a cell or synthetic membrane. The microbottle according to the present invention can be adapted to a variety of applications where the biological element is an active component in the circuit design. The microbottle can be used as a sensing element and allows the release of its content or in case of a cellular cap simulates the cell change cell function. In one embodiment of the present invention, as shown in
As illustrated in
Silicon Base Layer: Microelectronic sensors can be chosen for the measurement of Microbottle input and output parameters. They can be used to control the physio-chemical parameters in the silicon container and the environment of hermetically sealed devices. They can also be used to detect changes of the cellular behavior in response to an experimental treatment.
The basic sensor types to monitor the container content of microbottle, among other things, may include microelectrodes, electrochemical sensors, amperimetric sensors, potentiometric sensors, oxygen and other electrochemical sensors and field effects transistors (FET), where the gate electrode is made of or is coated with an electrochemically active material. This material can affect the source/drain current by binding charge from the contents in the microbottle to its surface, creating a voltage drop across the gate insulator. FET-based sensors can be used for different measurement tasks. The addition of special chemical membranes on the gate insulator of a basic-FET allows the realization of ISFETs (Ion sensitive FETs) for different ions (Ca2+, Na+, K+, . . . ) or ENFETs (enzyme sensitive FETs) for other metabolites (glucose, lactose, . . . ). Typical sensitivities of ISFETs are 50 mV/pH and 30 mV/pNa(pK) for FETs made with Si3N4 and Al2O3 gate insulators, respectively. ENFETs for glucose currently have slow response times (3-5 min) and go into saturation. Sensors for the neurotransmitters adrenaline and serotonin incorporate the use of Au nanoparticles they reach sensitivities of 1×10−6M and 6×10−3 M, respectively. Typical ISFET sensing gate areas are large, typically 400 μm×20 μm, to maximize their sensitivity.
Microelectrodes can be used to measure potential differences between the inside of the Microbottle and a reference electrode that will be either in a different container or on the other side of the membrane cap. The electrode material is very important in this type of application. Corrosion must be taken into account and avoided in order to make accurate, repeatable measurements. Possible electrode materials include gold and silver (Ag—AgCl). Since FETs and microelectrodes are fabricated using standard microelectronic processes, integrating them with standard CMOS preamplifier and signal processing logic is feasible. While the processes are similar, the materials needed to form the FET gates and the microelectrodes are not standard to CMOS processing. Therefore, careful consideration should be made to the integration of these possibly incompatible materials together in a single “chip”. Also proper passivation materials can be utilized to prevent ionic contamination from the cellular solution in CMOS devices. The integration of these specialized sensors with the CMOS circuitry may increase the performance of the Microbottle and enable the coupling of various Microbottles to form programmable multicellular units.
Microfluidics: The micro fluidics layer allows the control of fluids on both sides of the membrane cap. The microfluidics layer can be either anodic or fusion bonded to silicon layer containing sensing and control elements. Some embodiments are shown and disclosed in the specification using liquid PDMS BioMEMS fabrication technology. In one embodiment, alternatively, a microfluidics layer includes channels and silicon containers with submicron holes. The channels and containers are etched into the substrate by Reactive Ion Etching (RIE) of silicon nitride mask and a non-isotropic KOH etch. The silicon nitride mask is typically less than one micron thick and can also be used for membrane structures without additional fabrication steps. The pyramidal container is therefore spanned with a silicon nitride membrane. The submicron hole in the membrane can be fabricated by focused ion beam.
The channels can be connected to tubing leading to external valves and pumps. Active and passive valves can be incorporated as well. A passive valve acts as flow restrictor and includes a metal and a polyamide membrane with holes in different positions. An active valve includes an electrostatic- or pneumatic-deflectable membrane on a segmented hole.
Device Fabrication: The etching of channels and insulation layers, the fabrication of the boron-doped diamond microelectrodes, and the nanoscale machining such as the drilling of the holes for the Microbottle are developed accordingly for the present invention. The oxygen sensor, MEMS microfabrication, thermometer deposition and micromachined infrared detectors are also developed and utilized.
Membrane Cap: In one embodiment, the silicon container is spanned by either a biological membrane harvested from a cell (approximately 10 μm) or by a synthetic membrane assembled on the microfluidics layer. The membrane forms a seal not only acting as chemical barrier but also preventing leakage of currents from the Microbottle electrode to the reference electrode. The resistance is critical for determining the electrical background noise from which the channel currents need to be separated. In a typical patch clamp experiment, where the membrane is attached to a glass pipette the resistance is typically gigaohms. Active elements like voltage sensitive channel are inserted into the membrane cap and are either used as sensors or actuators. The voltage sensitive channels could be switches with an electrode configuration on the rim of the hole.
Synthetic Membrane: One of the common applications of lipid bilayers has been to study ion channel transport characteristics. Several issues are important in the application of bilayers as biosensors. The most critical physical properties are membrane uniformity and membrane stability and the present invention is capable of addressing these issues. Lipid bilayers have been deposited on solid platinum, gold and silicon surfaces. There are several examples of bilayer spanning applications such as across micro-machined polyimide 40 μm diameter apertures. The microbottle may be temporarily filled with a support material, while the bilayer is formed. An enzymatic cleavage strategy can be utilized to remove the gels through the fluid channel access ports of the microbottle. The individual molecules forming ion channels can be inserted in artificial lipid bilayers. Far more complex systems, which employ high-gain biological amplification and therefore the detection of single molecules, e.g., hormone receptor systems, may also be employed.
Natural Membrane: The Microbottle according to the present invention allows fluids to be sucked through one of the holes in the silicon container. By sucking and manipulating a cell onto the top of the silicon container the cell membrane can be punched open allowing access to the intracellular space. Natural membrane can be extracted from various different cells by rupturing the cell membrane.
Cellular Cap: The Microbottle of the present invention allows fluids to be sucked through at least one hole in the silicon container. By sucking and manipulating a cell onto the top of the silicon container the cell membrane can be punched open allowing fluidic and electrical access to the intracellular space. The extracellular space can also be monitored through a second fluidics layer encapsulation the cell. The cell is now an active elements; the intra- and extra cellular space is monitored and controlled through the silicon base layer and the microfluidics layers. Such an embodiment is shown in
In tiny patches the probability of the appearance of any other charge-translocation processes is reduced in proportion to the patch area. Furthermore the formation of a reliable seal becomes increasingly more difficult as the size of the pipette tip is increased. The wide planar rim of the silicon chip utilized in the present invention is expected to reduce the shunt resistance, leads to a greater stability and a significantly higher success rate in a patch clamp process. In general the stability of those small patches is expected to be enormously high with a seal resistance of several hundred gigaohms allowing long-term recordings. The microbottle would not only simplify and overcome the limitations of patch-clamp techniques but also move towards integrating biologically active components into electronic circuits on silicon wafers.
A plurality of Microbottles of the present invention can be arranged in complex array structures allowing to readout and stimulation of cellular networks. The cellular network would be fabricated with a technique called soft lithography. According to one embodiment of the present invention, in the first step pits and connecting channels are etched into silicon substrates. After etching, the channels and pits are coated with an adhesive protein (polylysine), which promotes cell adhesion and cell growth. After coating, neural or cardiac cells are platted onto the silicon substrate the cells adhere in the pits and form dentrides along the channels connecting to neighboring cells. The chip with the patterned cellular networks is “flip chipped” to the silicon wafer containing the Microbottles. Since the Microbottles probe and control the intracellular space, a well-defined cell-silicon coupling can be realized. Conventional techniques like microelectrode arrays or cell potential FETS (CPFETs) suffer from poor coupling and therefore reduced signal amplitudes. Recordings are generally on the order of 10-200 μV compared to 80 mV in patch clamp techniques.
Picocalorimeter and Bioreactor
In one aspect, the present invention relates to a device for measuring response of at least one cell 203 to a medium, the response of at least one cell 203 to a medium being characterized by a reaction time. In one embodiment as shown in
The device 200 also includes a biocompatible coating layer (not shown) applied to the first surface 251 of the membrane 206. The membrane 206 comprises a material with sufficiently low thermal conductivity to yield a high degree of thermal isolation between the center of the membrane 206 and the edges. For examples, the membrane 206 may comprise a dielectric material. The membrane 206 may also comprise a silicon nitride membrane 206. Moreover, the membrane 206 is at least partially transparent so that the response of the cell 203 can be optically detected through an optical sensor.
The inside surface 261 of the side substrate 212 makes contact with the first surface 251 of the membrane 206 to define the sample well 269, wherein the side substrate 212 is thermally isolated from the membrane 206. A hydrophobic layer 204 can be applied to the inside surface 261 of the side substrate 212.
In one embodiment as best shown in
The sensor 205 can be any type of sensor as defined and discussed above. As an example shown in
The device 200 further includes an actuator 202 that is mechanically coupled to the inlet 210. The inlet 210 has a main portion 271 and an end portion 273 in fluid communication with the main portion 271. The end portion 273 is movable between a first position 273a that is distant from the cell 203 and a second position 273b that is proximate to the cell 203. When a medium is to be introduced into the sample well 269, the actuator 202 causes the end portion 273 to move away from the first position 273a to the second position 273b or a position therebetween the first position 273a and the second position 273b for delivering the medium to the sample well 269 to form a droplet 209 to isolate the cell 203. After a medium is introduced into the sample well 269 and droplet 209 is formed, the actuator 202 can cause the end portion 273 to move toward to the first position 273a from the second position 273b or a position therebetween the first position 273a and the second position 273b for keeping the end portion 273 away from the droplet 209 isolating the cell 203.
The device 200 further has a control 201 positioned inside the main portion 271 of the inlet 210 for controlling the flow of the medium. Additional controls 201 can be positioned at branches in fluid communication with main portion 271, as best shown in
The device 200 also has an outlet 211 in fluid communication with the sample well 269 for introducing medium away from the sample well 269. An actuator 252 mechanically coupled to the outlet 211. The outlet 211 has a main portion 281 and an end portion 283 in fluid communication with the main portion 281. The end portion 283 is movable between a first position 283b that is proximate to the cell 203 and a second position 283a that is distant from the cell 203. When a medium is to be introduced away from the sample well 269, the actuator 252 causes the end portion 283 to move away from the first position 283b to the second position 283a or a position therebetween the first position 283b and the second position 283a for introducing the medium away from the sample well 269. After a medium is introduced away from the sample well 269, the actuator 252 may cause the end portion 283 to move back to the first position 283b from a position therebetween the first position 283b and the second position 283a. The device 200 further has a control 251 positioned inside the main portion 281 of the outlet 211 for controlling the flow of the medium. Additional controls 251 can be positioned at branches in fluid communication with main portion 281, as best shown in
Thus, a device according to the present invention is shown to be able to measure the energy generation and consumption of a single or multiple cells. In some embodiments, such a device is termed as a Picocalorimeter. As shown in
Moreover, in another embodiment (not shown), MEMS and microfluidic technologies are utilized to provide a flow-through system in which the heat production of a small number of cells may be monitored before and after the cell stream merges with the injected flow of medium containing agent such as toxin. Micropipes can be electrically actuated by piezo bimorphs so that they can be separated from the droplet to thermally insulate the cell on the membrane in the thermal measurement interval. Beside heat generation, oxygen, pH and Redox potential sensors can be integrated on chip as well as advanced readout and control electronics.
In another aspect, the present invention relates to a device for measuring at least one of cellular physiological activities of at least one cell or cells, where each of the cellular physiological activities can be characterized by a reaction time. In one embodiment as shown in
As discussed above and below related to the present invention, among other things, it can be done by limiting the dimensions of the device, positioning the sensor(s) proximate to the cell(s), and/or choosing cellular physiological activities to be measured such that quantities related to the status of a cell, being a response to an agent or a cellular physiological activity, can be obtained quickly before a corresponding reaction time such as a diffusion time. Thus, one unique aspect of the present invention is that small is faster and better. It will be appreciated, however, that in addition to a reaction time that characterizes a response to an agent or a cellular physiological activity of a cell, other quantities may be considered as well. For examples, in one embodiment, the device 2500 can be utilized to detect signals corresponding to the amount of heat generated by cells as a function of time or intervention. This can either be as a measurement of power, or total energy change. The characteristics of the media that are in fluid communication with the cells include the thermal conductivity and the heat capacity. These may combine to give the response time and response amplitude for the system when cells within the sample well produce heat. Device 2500, like other embodiments of the present invention, allows one to obtain proper signals at proper places within a proper time period.
The device 2500 also may include a biocompatible coating layer (not shown) applied to the first surface 2551 of the membrane 2505 for better housing the cells 2503. The membrane 2505 comprises a material with sufficiently low thermal conductivity to yield a high degree of thermal isolation between the center of the membrane 2505 and the edges 2555. For examples, the membrane 2505 may comprise a dielectric material. The membrane 2505 may also comprise a silicon nitride membrane 2505. Moreover, the membrane 2505 is at least partially transparent so that the response of the cell 2503 can be optically detected. The dimensions of the membrane 2505 can be chosen such that measurements can be performed at a desired time period that is shorter than a corresponding reaction time. For examples, in one embodiment as shown in
The inside surface 2561 of the side substrate 2504 makes contact with the edges 2555 of the membrane 2505 to define the sample well 2501, wherein the side substrate 2504 is thermally isolated from the membrane 2505. A hydrophobic layer (not shown) can be applied to the inside surface 2561 of the side substrate 2504.
In one embodiment, the inside surface 2561 of the side substrate 2504 has a slope with an angle β such that cross-sectionally the bottom surface 2567 of the side substrate 2504 is wider than the top surface 2565 of the side substrate 2504. The side substrate 2504 comprises a material with sufficiently high thermal conductivity such that the side substrate 2504 functions as a heat sink for the membrane 2505. For examples, the side substrate 2504 may comprise a semiconductor material such as silicon.
Again, the sensor 2506 can be any type of sensor 2506 as defined below. As an example, the sensor 2506 can be a thermal detector. In one embodiment as shown in
Thus, a Picocalorimeter according to one embodiment of the present invention combines the highly complex and evolved sensing architecture of cellular systems and a new micro-machined silicon transducer device capable of detecting minute heat changes arising from changes in the metabolism of a single cell with a response time of a few milliseconds. The Picocalorimeter, with a sensitivity of 1-50 pW, results in an improvement of more than four orders of magnitude and hence achieve single cell sensitivity. The measured specifications of micromachined calorimeters, and calculated values for optimized shown in the following table.
The Picocalorimeter can be fabricated by employing micro-machining techniques. As discussed above, a Picocalorimeter includes a silicon nitride (SiN) membrane, thermally insulated from the silicon wafer, and one or more thermometers in the center of the membrane. The thermometer is typically a series of resistors or thermocouples forming a thermopile. The heat quantity evolved or absorbed is equal or proportional to the product between temperature change and the heat capacity of the calorimetric vessel and its contents. Since the membrane dimensions are small and silicon nitride has an extremely low-thermal conductivity and heat capacity, the device is intrinsically sensitive. By minimizing the total thermal conductance, a small quantity of heat transferred to or from the sample results in a large, measurable temperature rise. For the optimized device, about 20 μW of power will raise the Picocalorimeter temperature by 1 K. The mK sensitivity of the thermometer gives pW resolution. This may be achieved by employing micromachining fabrication to produce a rigid membrane only 0.6 μm thick or less.
The contents of the Picocalorimeter can be single or multiple cells grown or placed onto the SiN membrane and a drop of liquid surrounding the cell. Several measurements on membranes have shown a high mechanical stability of the silicon nitride membrane and its ability to support a liquid droplet, and growing cells directly on the membrane. The liquid contains all required nutrients and may be periodically exchanged by two nanoliter injectors (not shown) between measurement intervals. Two nanoliter injectors are mounted on computer-controlled micro-positioners, which can also be used to position the cells on the SiN membrane or to introduce agents that alter the metabolism of the cell. The following table shows the metabolic activity of various cell lines of interest.
The metabolically complex liver cell generates 350 pW/cell and may be an ideal sample to demonstrate the applicability of the Picocalorimeter. Such a single liver hepatocyte could be monitored with a 5:1 signal to noise ratio. The sensitivity of the Picocalorimeter can be utilized to measure the dose-response relationship between a beta-adrenergic agonist and heat production in hepatocytes. The effects of Dinitrophenol, which uncouples heat production from oxygen consumption, on heat production can then be examined, which in turn can be used to optimize the Picocalorimeter and determine its sensitivity and the response times to fluctuations in heat production.
The microfluidic components and controls discussed else where in the specification may be adapted, incorporated and enhanced to allow for thermal isolation of each cell environment. The Picocalorimeter with the living cell may be hermetically sealed with a cap to protect the cell environment from contamination. Supply and waste microchannels may connect to micropipettes that can be moved in and out of the liquid drop surrounding the cell. Actuation of the micropipettes can be accomplished by either deflection of piezo bimorphs connected to the micropipettes, or deflection of the sealing membrane by the piezoelectric filament array also used to actuate the pumps and valves.
In yet another aspect, the present invention relates to a device for measuring at least one of cellular physiological activities of at least one cell, where each of the cellular physiological activities can be characterized by a reaction time. In particular, the device can be utilized to measure the energy generation and consumption of a single or multiple cells. In one embodiment as shown in FIGS. 6(A)-(D), a device 600 includes a membrane 606 having a first surface 651, an opposite second surface 653 and a thickness, wherein the membrane 606 has a sensing area 659 for receiving the at least one cell 611 such that the membrane 606 is underneath the at least one cell 611. The device 600 further includes a substrate 602 positioned opposite to the membrane 606 and having an inside surface 661 and an opposite outside surface 663, wherein the inside surface 661 of the substrate 602 cooperates with the first surface 651 of the membrane 606 to define passage 670 therebetween. The substrate 602 has a first flexible portion 665 located at one side of the sensing area 659 of the membrane 606 and a second flexible portion 667 located at another side of the sensing area 659. A sensor 607 is positioned underneath the sensing area 659 of the membrane 606 for measuring at least one of cellular physiological activities of the cell 611. The membrane 606 and the sensor 607 are arranged such that at least one of cellular physiological activities of the cell 611 is measured at a time period shorter than the reaction time.
The device 600 may also include a biocompatible coating layer (not shown) applied to the first surface 651 of the membrane 606. The membrane 606 comprises a material with sufficiently low thermal conductivity to yield a high degree of thermal isolation between the center or sensing area 659 of the membrane 606 and the edges. For examples, the membrane 606 may comprise a dielectric material. The membrane 606 may also comprise a silicon nitride membrane 606. Moreover, the membrane 606 is at least partially transparent so that the status and/or response of the cell 611 can be optically detected. The dimensions of the membrane 606 can be chosen to meet different needs.
The first flexible portion 665 of the substrate 602 has a first diaphragm that is actionable by a force. When a force is applied to the first diaphragm, the first diaphragm moves along the direction of the force. As an example, the first diaphragm can be a PDMS membrane.
The second flexible portion 667 of the substrate 602 has a second diaphragm that is actionable by a force. When a force is applied to the second diaphragm, the second diaphragm moves along the direction of the force. As an example, the second diaphragm can be a PDMS membrane. In the embodiment as shown in FIGS. 6(A)-(D), the substrate 602 is a PDMS membrane.
The first diaphragm and the second diaphragm can be utilized jointly or individually in operation. For examples, when a first force is applied to the first diaphragm towards the outside surface 663 of the substrate 602, the first diaphragm moves along the direction of the force to reach to the first surface 651 of the membrane 606, and when a second force is applied to the second diaphragm towards the outside surface 663 of the substrate 602, the second diaphragm moves along the direction of the force to reach to the first surface 651 of the membrane 606, thereby to form an isolated region therebetween. In the embodiment as shown in FIGS. 6(A)-(D), the first flexible portion 665 and the second flexible portion 667, when pushed by air pressure through inlets 601, form an enclosed measurement volume 617 containing the cell 611 therein and isolating the cell 611 from communication with fluid outside the measurement volume 617. Note that the first diaphragm and the second diaphragm can be separate elements, or integral parts of a ring-shaped diaphragm that substantially encircles the measurement volume 617, as shown in
Conversely, when at least one of the first force and the second force is withdrawn, a corresponding one of the first diaphragm and the second diaphragm moves away from the first surface 651 of the membrane 606, thereby to allow the isolated region inside measurement volume 617 in fluid communication at least partially with the passage 670.
Thus, as shown in FIGS. 6(A)-(D), device 600 can be utilized to measure the energy generation and consumption of a single or multiple cells. The device 600 uses a first membrane 606 that is sufficiently thin with a sensor 607 to measure the basal energy generated by a cell 611 in a measurement volume 617 thermally isolated from the surrounding using a gas/air filled space bounded by a second membrane 602 that is sufficiently thin. By pressurizing the gas filled chamber 613 through the inlets 601, the chamber 613 can be expanded to isolate the liquid media surrounding the cell 611 in the passage 670 to form a droplet, which has inlet 615 and outlet 616 for supplying a stream of fresh media and draining spend media from the measurement volume 617, respectively. Valves 610 can be utilized to allow the control of the inflow and outflow of the stream through the passage 670. On top of the measurement volume 617, there is a gas filled chamber 604, which is stiffened by bridges 612 or is pressurized to avoid a collapse or deformation of the measurement volume 617 when the membrane 602 is inflated during the measurement cycle. Additional electrodes 608 can be used to monitor various metabolites in the droplet in order to detect, for example, metabolic pathway switching. The electrodes 608 can be coupled through the lead 614 to a sensing unit (not shown). It will be appreciated that means other than pressurized gas can be used to move the first flexible portion 665 and the second flexible portion 667, which could also be any other low-thermal conductivity barrier or object that may be mechanically placed around the cell with a piezoelectric or other mechanical actuator and the like.
It will be appreciated that practicing the present invention often involves apparatuses or devices that have biological, electronic and microfluidic components interfacing each other and interacting together. To build these devices, a design theory is developed that is supported by an integrated modeling paradigm (language) that allows the modeling, analysis, simulation, and synthesis of these hybrid systems. The information or INFO component of the present invention develops this modeling language, and selects and/or builds analysis and synthesis tools for the present invention. One of them is a Bio-Micro CAD tool that can be used by biologists, biochemists, and diagnosticians to produce biocontrollers.
Currently, there is no integrated effort that would address all of the needs of a bio-silicon hybrid device. Silicon behavioral (analog or digital circuit) simulators exist, and there are efforts for engineering biological processes using (circuit) simulation techniques, but there is no integrated modeling and analysis framework that would combine the two. In one aspect, the present invention provides an integrated bio-silicon-hybrid system design environment to meet the need.
As schematically shown in
In one aspect, the present invention relates to a method for discriminating an agent. To do so, a process for agent classification needs to be defined. In one embodiment, overall agent classification can be implemented in the design environment 800 by successive refinement of diagnostic hypotheses. The steps in this process can be defined using a diagnosis tree having a plurality of branches. At each branch of the tree, a context-sensitive experiment is conducted and data acquired and analyzed. The context is a result of all prior experiments and decisions. At each experiment/assay, the following steps are performed:
Setting assay conditions, including: (a) Selecting the type and quantity of cells to be exposed; (b) Modifying the ‘set-points’ of the cell, (e.g., changing pH to make the cell metabolism more sensitive to a particular protein, etc.); (c) applying the unknown agent to the cells with a user-specified profile;
Acquiring data from the sensors, and processing it into “features”. Features represent processed information from the raw signal, converting a time sequence of raw A/D sample counts into a small number of parameters. Arbitrarily complex feature extraction algorithms can be defined by connecting software modules from a library of signal analysis functions (e.g., slope, frequency analysis, parametric modeling, etc.) in a Lab View-like environment; and
Applying a discrimination function to evaluate the features, dividing into classes of responses. The classification assurance will be assessed and used to select the next branch of the decision tree. Discrimination functions can be implemented to form a library of techniques (Principal Component/Factor Analysis, Statistical Clustering/Maximum Likelihood Estimation, Parametric Model/System Identification, Neural Networks, User-Defined, etc.).
In operation, care should be taken to integrate control and diagnosis to conserve valuable resources (limited number of cells, limited quantity of reagents), and modify cell conditions to enhance sensitivity of the biological systems to improve quality (e.g., to increase probability of detect, to reduce false alarm rate, etc.).
Defining the diagnosis tree is an experiment- and data-intensive, iterative process. As shown in
Discrimination can be achieved in several ways according to the present invention. Referring now to
Accordingly, as shown in
In doing so, as shown in
Different signal classification algorithms can be utilized to classify an agent. In one embodiment as shown in
Indeed, an important phase of signal classification is the initial feature extraction. Feature extraction can take the form of simple mathematical operations on signals (add/subtract, compute slope/area-under-curve) or can incorporate metabolic or other physiological information such as intracellular or intercellular signaling activity via parameter matching to biological models. Design of the feature extraction algorithms is an iterative process as partially shown in
In the lower half of
Classified data are stored in a database for further use. However, when building the experimental classification database in an unsupervised mode, the input to the algorithms are unlabelled examples. Unsupervised classification algorithms are used to discover natural structures in the data and can provide valuable insight into the problem and guide the development of classification system. As described above, the design environment 800 can be used for a wide range of applications. On one end of the spectrum, it can be used to design decision trees that are based entirely on deep physiological knowledge. In this scenario, the number of features at each decision node would be relatively limited and assignment to one class or the other would be made on the goodness of fit between data and model. On the other end of the spectrum it can be used to design classification systems even if very little is known about physiological principles. In this scenario, the number of features would be large, the system provided with labeled examples, and it would simply compute decision boundaries in the feature space.
Accordingly, as shown in
While there has been shown various embodiments of the present invention, it is to be understood that certain changes can be made in the form and arrangement of the elements of the system and steps of the methods to practice the present invention as would be known to one skilled in the art without departing from the underlying scope of the invention as is particularly set forth in the Claims. Furthermore, the embodiments described above are only intended to illustrate the principles of the present invention and are not intended to limit the claims to the disclosed elements.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/310,652, which was filed on Aug. 6, 2001, in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Some references, which may include patents, patent applications and various publications, are cited and discussed in the description of this invention. The citation and/or discussion of such references is provided merely to clarify the description of the present invention and is not an admission that any such reference is “prior art” to the invention described herein. All references cited and discussed in this specification are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety and to the same extent as if each reference was individually incorporated by reference.
The present invention was made with Government support under Grant No. N66001-01-C-8064 awarded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Administration. The United States Government may have certain rights to this invention pursuant to these grants.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60310652 | Aug 2001 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 10212918 | Aug 2002 | US |
| Child | 13218287 | US |
