Patents by Inventor Mark E. Astill

Mark E. Astill 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).

  • Method for prediction prostate cancer patients' resistance to hormonal treatment by measuring serum concentrations of chromogranin A
    Patent number: 6238877
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for early prediction of a prostate cancer patient's response to hormonal treatment. In one embodiment, the method of the present invention involves assaying a body fluid, such as plasma or serum, from a prostate cancer patient for the presence of elevated levels of chromogranin A (CgA). Elevated levels of CgA may indicate neuroendocrine differentiation of cells within the prostate tumor, and may require altering the patient's treatment. In a further embodiment of the method of the present invention, periodic assays for CgA are conducted for a patient undergoing hormonal treatment for prostate cancer. The results of these assays are correlated to determine if the patient's levels of CgA are high (greater than 100 ng/mL) or increasing. Such assays may also be carried out in conjunction with assays for total prostate specific antigen (tPSA).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2001
    Assignee: ARUP Institute
    Inventors: James T. Wu, Mark E. Astill
  • Assay for determining analyte using mercury release followed by detection via interaction with aluminum
    Patent number: 5108889
    Abstract: An assay employing a tracer comprising a ligand having a mercury label wherein mercury label is released from at least one of a bound or free tracer phase and interacts with a metal. Analyte is determined by a change in at least one property of the metal caused by such interaction. The invention also relates to a device for such an assay wherein mercury ions released from a free or bound tracer are caused to eventually amalgamate with a metal, and the presence and/or amount of analyte is determined by changes in the metal resulting from the eventual amalgamation which may be measured electrically or by other means. The invention also relates to novel assay instruments, novel lancets, assay sensors, assay sensor packets, instrumentation and combinations of assay components, and related methods.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 1988
    Date of Patent: April 28, 1992
    Assignee: Thorne, Smith, Astill Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Roger E. Smith, Mark E. Astill
  • Medical droplet whole blood and like monitoring
    Patent number: 5047044
    Abstract: An assay employing a tracer comprising a ligand having a mercury label wherein mercury label is released from at least one of a bound or free tracer phase and interacts with a metal. Analyte is determined by a change in at least one property of the metal caused by such interaction. The invention also relates to a device for such an assay wherein mercury ions released from a free or bound tracer are caused to eventually amalgamate with a metal, and the presence and/or amount of analyte is determined by changes in the metal resulting from the eventual amalgamation which may be measured electrically or by other means. The invention also relates to novel assay instruments, novel lancets, assay sensors, assay sensor packets, instrumentation and combinations of assay components, and related methods.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 1990
    Date of Patent: September 10, 1991
    Assignee: Thorne, Smith, Astill Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Roger E. Smith, Mark E. Astill, Jay L. Smith, Gale H. Thorne
  • Medical droplet whole blood and like monitoring
    Patent number: 4995402
    Abstract: An assay employing a tracer comprising a ligand having a mercury label wherein mercury label is released from at least one of a bound or free tracer phase and iunteracts with a metal. Analyte is determined by a change in at least one property of the metal caused by such interaction. The invention also relates to a device for such an assay wherein mercury ions released from a free or bound tracer are caused to eventually amalgamate with a metal, and the presence and/or amount of analyte is determined by changes in the metal resulting from the eventual amalgamation which may be measured electrically or by other means. The invention also relates to novel assay instruments, novel lancets, assay sensors, assay sensor packets, instrumentation and combinations of assay components, and related methods.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 1988
    Date of Patent: February 26, 1991
    Assignee: Thorne, Smith, Astill Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Roger E. Smith, Mark E. Astill, Jay L. Smith, Gale H. Thorne
  • Competitive protein binding assay using an organosilane-silica gel separation medium
    Patent number: 4456689
    Abstract: An improved competitive protein binding assay comprising; incubating an analyte in the presence of labeled analyte and a protein binder suitable for competitive binding activity by the analyte and the labeled analyte to provide a mixture having free analyte, free labeled analyte, bound analyte and bound labeled analyte, substantially separating the bound analyte and the bound labeled analyte from the free analyte and free labeled analyte to form a first fraction containing substantially the bound analyte and the bound labeled analyte and a second fraction containing substantially the free analyte and the free labeled analyte by causing a predetermined level of the mixture to flow through a bed of an organo-silane coupled to silica gel, and detecting the labeled analyte of at least one of the first and second fractions to determine the concentration of the analyte by comparison to a reference.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 1982
    Date of Patent: June 26, 1984
    Assignee: Becton Dickinson and Company
    Inventors: Thomas R. Witty, Mark E. Astill