US Patent 7892781 - Metal nanoparticle bioprobe

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7892781.html

This latest patent from Nanoprobes Inc. has priority going back to 2001 and includes some basic claims to nanoparticle biomarkers. Claim 1 reads:

1. A composite probe, comprising:

at least one directing agent for attaching the composite probe to a target in a test sample;

at least one nanoparticle conjugated to the at least one directing agent, the at least one nanoparticle comprising a plurality of metal atoms; and

an enzyme, chemically linked to the at least one directing agent, for reacting with an enzyme substrate after the composite probe is bound to the target.