Thomas R Roth

US Patent:

20100300895, Dec 2, 2010

Filed:

May 24, 2010

Appl. No.:

12/785716

Inventors:

John Nobile - Guilford CT, US
Thomas Roth - Guilford CT, US
Todd Rearick - Cheshire CT, US
Jonathan Schultz - Oxford MA, US
Jonathan Rothberg - Guilford CT, US
David Marran - Durham CT, US

Assignee:

ION TORRENT SYSTEMS, INC. - South San Francisco CA

International Classification:

G01N 27/26

US Classification:

205775, 204435

Abstract:

The invention is directed to apparatus and methods for delivering multiple reagents to, and monitoring, a plurality of analytical reactions carried out on a large-scale array of electronic sensors underminimal noise conditions. In one aspect, the invention provides method of improving signal-to-noise ratios of output signals from the electronic sensors sensing analytes or reaction byproducts by subtracting an average of output signals measured from neighboring sensors where analyte or reaction byproducts are absent. In other aspects, the invention provides an array of electronic sensors integrated with a microwell array for confining analytes and/or particles for analytical reactions and a method for identifying microwells containing analytes and/or particles by passing a sensor-active reagent over the array and correlating sensor response times to the presence or absence of analytes or particles. Such detection of analyte- or particle-containing microwells may be used as a step in additional noise reduction methods.