Patents by Inventor Megan Spence

Megan Spence 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).

  • Patent number: 7061237
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for remote NMR/MRI spectroscopy having an encoding coil with a sample chamber, a supply of signal carriers, preferably hyperpolarized xenon and a detector allowing the spatial and temporal separation of signal preparation and signal detection steps. This separation allows the physical conditions and methods of the encoding and detection steps to be optimized independently. The encoding of the carrier molecules may take place in a high or a low magnetic field and conventional NMR pulse sequences can be split between encoding and detection steps. In one embodiment, the detector is a high magnetic field NMR apparatus. In another embodiment, the detector is a superconducting quantum interference device. A further embodiment uses optical detection of Rb—Xe spin exchange. Another embodiment uses an optical magnetometer using non-linear Faraday rotation. Concentration of the signal carriers in the detector can greatly improve the signal to noise ratio.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2006
    Assignee: The Regents of the University of California
    Inventors: Alexander Pines, Sunil Saxena, Adam Moule, Megan Spence, Juliette A. Seeley, Kimberly L. Pierce, Song-I Han, Josef Granwehr
  • Publication number: 20040062715
    Abstract: A functionalized active-nucleus complex sensor that selectively associates with one or more target species. The functionalized active-nucleus complex comprises an active-nucleus and a targeting carrier. The targeting carrier comprises a first binding region having at least a minimal transient binding of the active-nucleus to form the functionalized active-nucleus complex that produces a detectable signal when the functionalized active-nucleus complex associates with the target species and a second binding region that selectively associates with the target species. Included is a method for assaying and screening for one or a plurality of target species utilizing one or a plurality of functionalized active-nucleus complexes with at least two of the functionalized active-nucleus complexes having an attraction affinity to different corresponding target species.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 15, 2003
    Publication date: April 1, 2004
    Inventors: Alexander Pines, David E. Wemmer, Megan Spence, Seth Rubin
  • Patent number: 6652833
    Abstract: A functionalized active-nucleus complex sensor that selectively associates with one or more target species, and a method for assaying and screening for one or a plurality of target species utilizing one or a plurality of functionalized active-nucleus complexes with at least two of the functionalized active-nucleus complexes having an attraction affinity to different corresponding target species. The functionalized active-nucleus complex has an active-nucleus and a targeting carrier. The method involves functionalizing an active-nucleus, for each functionalized active-nucleus complex, by incorporating the active-nucleus into a macromolucular or molecular complex that is capable of binding one of the target species and then bringing the macromolecular or molecular complexes into contact with the target species and detecting the occurrence of or change in a nuclear magnetic resonance signal from each of the active-nuclei in each of the functionalized active-nucleus complexes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2003
    Assignee: The Regents of the University of California
    Inventors: Alexander Pines, David E. Wemmer, Megan Spence, Seth Rubin
  • Publication number: 20030165431
    Abstract: An active-nucleus sensor or a functionalized active-nucleus complex sensor is utilized in a method for detecting conformational change and binding event information in a targeted molecule, wherein the sensor does not participate in the conformational change or binding event. The method directly or indirectly detects the occurrence, deletion, shift, or any measurable change in a magnetic resonance signal with a unique magnetic resonance property from the active-nuclei, frequently hyperpolarized 129Xe.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 9, 2002
    Publication date: September 4, 2003
    Applicant: THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
    Inventors: Alexander Pines, David E. Wemmer, Megan Spence, Seth Rubin, E. Janette Ruiz, Ivan E. Dimitrov
  • Publication number: 20030077224
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for remote NMR/MRI spectroscopy having an encoding coil with a sample chamber, a supply of signal carriers, preferably hyperpolarized xenon and a detector allowing the spatial and temporal separation of signal preparation and signal detection steps. This separation allows the physical conditions and methods of the encoding and detection steps to be optimized independently. The encoding of the carrier molecules may take place in a high or a low magnetic field and conventional NMR pulse sequences can be split between encoding and detection steps. In one embodiment, the detector is a high magnetic field NMR apparatus. In another embodiment, the detector is a superconducting quantum interference device. A further embodiment uses optical detection of Rb-Xe spin exchange. Another embodiment uses an optical magnetometer using non-linear Faraday rotation. Concentration of the signal carriers in the detector can greatly improve the signal to noise ratio.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 9, 2002
    Publication date: April 24, 2003
    Applicant: THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
    Inventors: Alexander Pines, Sunil Saxena, Adam Moule, Megan Spence, Juliette A. Seeley, Kimberly L. Pierce, Song-I Han, Josef Granwehr
  • Publication number: 20020037253
    Abstract: A functionalized active-nucleus complex sensor that selectively associates with one or more target species, and a method for assaying and screening for one or a plurality of target species utilizing one or a plurality of functionalized active-nucleus complexes with at least two of the functionalized active-nucleus complexes having an attraction affinity to different corresponding target species. The functionalized active-nucleus complex has an active-nucleus and a targeting carrier. The method involves functionalizing an active-nucleus, for each functionalized active-nucleus complex, by incorporating the active-nucleus into a macromolucular or molecular complex that is capable of binding one of the target species and then bringing the macromolecular or molecular complexes into contact with the target species and detecting the occurrence of or change in a nuclear magnetic resonance signal from each of the active-nuclei in each of the functionalized active-nucleus complexes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 11, 2001
    Publication date: March 28, 2002
    Applicant: The Reagents of the University of California
    Inventors: Alexander Pines, David E. Wemmer, Megan Spence, Seth Rubin