METHODS OF BEAD MANIPULATION AND FORMING BEAD ARRAYS

• Main Authors: VANN CHARLES S, INMAN CHRISTINA E, FRY GEORGE A, HUNKAPILLER TIMOTHY, BRIDGHAM JOHN
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 05.03.2015
• Subjects: BEER; BIOCHEMISTRY; CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOIDCHEMISTRY; CHEMISTRY; COMPOSITIONS OR TEST PAPERS THEREFOR; CONDITION-RESPONSIVE CONTROL IN MICROBIOLOGICAL ORENZYMOLOGICAL PROCESSES; ENZYMOLOGY; MEASURING OR TESTING PROCESSES INVOLVING ENZYMES, NUCLEICACIDS OR MICROORGANISMS; METALLURGY; MICROBIOLOGY; MIXING, e.g. DISSOLVING, EMULSIFYING, DISPERSING; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL; PROCESSES OF PREPARING SUCH COMPOSITIONS; SPIRITS; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS; TRANSPORTING; VINEGAR; WINE

According to various embodiments, a method is provided that comprises washing an array of DNA-coated beads on a substrate, with a wash solution to remove stacked beads from the substrate. The wash solution can include inert solid beads in a carrier. The DNA-coated beads can have an average diameter and the solid beads in the wash solution can have an average diameter that is at least twice the diameter of the DNA-coated beads. The washing can form dislodged DNA-coated beads and a monolayer of DNA-coated beads. In some embodiments, first beads for forming an array are contacted with a poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) solution comprising a PEG having a molecular weight of about 350 Da or less. In some embodiments, slides for forming bead arrays are provided as are systems for imaging the same.