US Patent 7405434 - Quantum dot conjugates in a nanofluidic channel

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7405434.html

Quantum dot nanocrystals have often been employed as fluorescent tags for biomolecules and nanofluidic channels have been used for chemical sorting. This patent from Cornell Research combines both these techniques in a molecular analysis system. Claim 1 reads:


1. A device comprising:

a channel having a narrow detection portion sized to promote single molecule flow through the channel;

a laser for focusing light substantially uniformly across a width of the detection portion;

means for moving different types of quantum dot and molecule conjugates through the detection portion; and

a detector for detecting emissions from the quantum dots.