Patents by Inventor Laurie Locascio

Laurie Locascio has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20050207274
    Abstract: Disclosed is an apparatus and method for the mixing of two microfluidic channels wherein several wells are oriented diagonally across the width of a mixing channel. The device effectively mixes the confluent streams with electrokinetic flow, and to a lesser degree, with pressure driven flow. The device and method may be further adapted to split a pair of confluent streams into two or more streams of equal or non-equal concentrations of reactants. Further, under electrokinetic flow, the surfaces of said wells may be specially coated so that the differing electroosmotic mobility between the surfaces of the wells and the surfaces of the channel may increase the mixing efficiency. The device and method are applicable to the steady state mixing as well as the dynamic application of mixing a plug of reagent with a confluent stream.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 16, 2005
    Publication date: September 22, 2005
    Inventors: Timothy Johnson, David Ross, Laurie Locascio
  • Publication number: 20050112184
    Abstract: Methods for the formation of liposomes that encapsulate reagents in a continuous 2-phase flow microfluidic network with precision control of size, for example, from 100 nm to 300 nm, by manipulation of liquid flow rates are described. By creating a solvent-aqueous interfacial region in a microfluidic format that is homogenous and controllable on the length scale of a liposome, fine control of liposome size and polydispersity can be achieved.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 21, 2004
    Publication date: May 26, 2005
    Inventors: Andreas Jahn, Wyatt Vreeland, Laurie Locascio, Michael Gaitan
  • Publication number: 20050074900
    Abstract: Described are microfluidic devices for, preferably, high-throughput, multi-analyte, affinity capture and detection of affinity-bindable analytes in biological fluids. Particularly, the devices can be used for immunoassays of biological fluids using multiple antibodies for capture and detection of multiple analytes, including proteins. The devices can be used for the simultaneous isolation and quantization of multiple proteins from microliter samples of biological fluids. Also described are methods for detecting and, optionally, quantifying, affinity-bindable analytes in biological fluids using these devices.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 2, 2004
    Publication date: April 7, 2005
    Inventors: Nicole Morgan, Michael Gaitan, Laurie Locascio, Terry Phillips, Thomas Pohida, Paul Smith
  • Patent number: 5389523
    Abstract: A method of immunoanalysis combines immobilized immunochemistry with the technique of flow injection analysis, and employs microscopic spherical structures called liposomes, or lipid vesicles, as carriers of detectable reagents. Liposomes are modified on their surface with analytical reagents, and carry in their internal volume a very large number of fluorescent or electroactive molecules. Aspects of this embodiment of the invention include the chemistry for covalent immobilization of antibody fragments in a specified orientation, the use of liposomes in a flow injection analysis system, and the combination of automated sampling and analysis with reusable immunoreactants. Another aspect of the invention involves the non-covalent binding of liposomes to a receptor for use in a homogeneous assay. In another aspect of the invention the intensity of scattered light is quantitated as a measure of liposome aggregation in response to a concentration-dependent immunospecific reaction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 1992
    Date of Patent: February 14, 1995
    Assignee: The United States of Americas, as represented by the Secretary of Commerce
    Inventors: Anne L. Plant, Laurie Locascio-Brown, Richard A. Durst