INNOVATION:  UCLA inventors have developed a micro-fluidic device that analyzes very small amounts of radiolabeled probe molecules and quantifies these probe molecules with two-dimensional resolution as a function of time. This technology provides high sensitivity (~100pCi) and resolution (~0.01mm2) as well as dramatically reduced cost compared to existing technologies.

This device can be used as a microchip-based protein array to quantify interactions between surfaced-immobilized proteins and charged particle-emitting imaging probes. Whole, live cells have been immobilized on the device to create a microchip-based cellular array to measure the interactions between surface immobilized cell and imaging probes. A further application of this device is to monitor the production purity and yield of radiolabeled imaging probes.

POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS 

• Microchip-based protein array and microchip-based cellular array detecting interactions with particle-emitting imaging probes
• Monitor the purity and yield of radiolabeled imaging probes

ADVANTAGES

• Very small amounts of sample are required
• Provides for high sensitivity and spatial resolution
• Low cost
• The design of the radiation detector results in increased detection efficiency of the charged particles (60% versus 5% for PET)
• The device lowers the detection limit of the radiation in a given sample
• Device can detect not only positrons, but also other charged particle emitters ( β- and α )

Reference: UCLA Case No. 2006-388