William Hugh Mcmillan

6368871, Apr 9, 2002

Aug 13, 1997

08/910434

Lee Allan Christel - Palo Alto CA
Gregory T. A. Kovacs - Stanford CA
William A. McMillan - Cupertino CA
M. Allen Northrup - Berkeley CA
Kurt E. Petersen - San Jose CA
Farzad Pourahmadi - Fremont CA

Cepheid - Sunnyvale CA

G01N 110

436180, 210767, 204450, 204600, 366336, 422100, 422 681

This invention comprises an apparatus and method for the manipulation of materials, including particles, cells, macromolecules, such as proteins, nucleic acids and other moieties, in fluid samples. The apparatus comprises an enclosed chamber on a chip having an internal microstructure with surface area substantially greater than the facial surface area of the internal structure. Generally the internal microstructure comprises a continuous network of channels, each of which has a depth substantially greater than its width. The network may comprise a single channel, a single channel with multiple branches, multiple channels, multiple channels with multiple branches, and any combination thereof. The internal structure may present an inert, non-reactive surface, or be coated with a reactive ligand, or be electrically conductive and optionally be coated with an electrical insulator. Discrete portions of the internal structure may differ in structural and surface properties.

6369893, Apr 9, 2002

May 19, 1999

09/314605

Lee A. Christel - Palo Alto CA
M. Allen Northrup - Berkeley CA
Kurt E. Petersen - San Jose CA
William A. McMillan - Cupertino CA
Gregory T. A. Kovacs - Stanford CA
Steven J. Young - Los Gatos CA
Ronald Chang - Redwood City CA
Douglas B. Dority - Mill Valley CA
Raymond T. Hebert - Los Gatos CA
Gregory J. Kintz - Mountain View CA

Cepheid - Sunnyvale CA

G01N 2164

356417, 2504581, 422 8208, 436172

An apparatus for thermally controlling and optically interrogating a reaction mixture includes a vessel [ ] having a chamber [ ] for holding the mixture. The apparatus also includes a heat-exchanging module [ ] having a pair of opposing thermal plates [ A, B] for receiving the vessel [ ] between them and for heating/and or cooling the mixture contained in the vessel. The module [ ] also includes optical excitation and detection assemblies [ ] positioned to optically interrogate the mixture. The excitation assembly [ ] includes multiple light sources [ ] and a set of filters for sequentially illuminating labeled analytes in the mixture with excitation beams in multiple excitation wavelength ranges. The detection assembly [ ] includes multiple detectors [ ] and a second set of filters for detecting light emitted from the chamber [ ] in multiple emission wavelength ranges. The optics assemblies [ ] thus provide a multi-channel system for detecting a plurality of different target analytes in the mixture.

6391541, May 21, 2002

May 30, 2000

09/583807

Kurt E. Petersen - Santa Jose CA, 95054
Michael T. Taylor - Newark CA, 94560
Farzad Pourahmadi - Fremont CA, 94539
William A. McMillan - Cupertino CA, 95014
Ronald Chang - Redwood City CA, 94063
Stanley H. Sakai - Cupertino CA, 95014
Jesus Ching - Santa Clara CA, 95054
Douglas B. Dority - Mill Valley CA, 94941
Phillip Belgrader - Manteca CA, 94336
M. Allen Northrup - Berkeley CA, 94708

G01N 3353

435 5, 435 72, 435 721, 435259, 4352871, 4352872, 4352882, 435810, 436164, 436165, 436514, 436518, 436526, 436527, 436805, 436806, 436807, 436809, 436829, 422 58, 422 56, 241 2

A cartridge for separating a desired analyte from a fluid sample has a sample flow path and a lysing chamber in the sample flow path. The lysing chamber contains at least one filter for capturing cells or viruses from the sample as the sample flows through the lysing chamber. Beads are also disposed in the lysing chamber for rupturing the cells or viruses to release the analyte therefrom. An analyte flow path extends from the lysing chamber and diverges from the sample flow path. The analyte flow path preferably leads to a reaction chamber for chemically reacting and optically detecting the analyte. The cartridge also includes at least one flow controller (e. g. , valves) for directing the sample into the waste chamber after the sample flows through the lysing chamber and for directing the analyte separated from the sample into the analyte flow path.

6431476, Aug 13, 2002

Dec 21, 1999

09/469724

Michael T. Taylor - Newark CA
Phillip Belgrader - Manteca CA
Farzad Pourahmadi - Fremont CA
William A. McMillan - Cupertino CA
Ronald Chang - Redwood City CA
Douglas B. Dority - Mill Valley CA

Cepheid - Sunnyvale CA

B02C 1900

241 1, 241 2, 241301

The present invention provides an apparatus and method for disrupting cells or viruses to release the nucleic acid therefrom. The apparatus includes a container having a chamber for holding the cells or viruses. The apparatus also includes an ultrasonic transducer for contacting a wall of the chamber and for transmitting ultrasonic energy into the chamber through the wall. A support structure holds the container and the transducer against each other such that the transducer contacts the wall of the chamber. The support structure includes an elastic body, such as a spring, for applying to the container or to the transducer a substantially constant force to press together the transducer and the wall. The chamber also preferably contains beads for enhancing the disruption of the cells or viruses. The apparatus performs rapid and consistent lysis of cells or viruses, often in as little time as 5 to 10 seconds.

6440725, Aug 27, 2002

Jun 25, 1999

09/331911

Farzad Pourahmadi - Fremont CA
William A. McMillan - Cupertino CA
Jesus Ching - Santa Clara CA
Ronald Chang - Redwood City CA
Lee A. Christel - Palo Alto CA
Gregory T. A. Kovacs - Stanford CA
M. Allen Northrup - Berkeley CA
Kurt E. Petersen - San Jose CA

Cepheid - Sunnyvale CA

C12M 134

4352885, 4352872, 4352886, 4353061, 4352865, 422 681, 422100, 422101, 422102

A cartridge ( ) for separating a desired analyte from a fluid sample includes a sample port ( ) and a sample flow path extending from the port through the body of the cartridge. The sample flow path includes at least one flow-through component ( ), e. g. , filter paper or a microfabricated chip, for capturing the desired analyte from the sample as the sample flows through the cartridge. The cartridge also includes an elution flow path for carrying elution fluid through the component ( ) to release captured analyte from the component into the elution fluid. The elution flow path diverges from the sample flow path after passing through the component ( ). Flow controllers ( A) and ( B) direct the remaining fluid sample into a waste chamber ( ) after the sample flows through the component ( ) and direct the elution fluid and eluted analyte into a reagent chamber ( ) and reaction chamber ( ). The continuous-flow design of the cartridge permits the rapid processing of a fluid sample that is larger in volume than any interactive region within the cartridge, allowing increased sensitivity in the detection of low copy concentrations of analytes, such as nucleic acid.

6565815, May 20, 2003

Jul 25, 2000

09/194374

Ronald Chang - Redwood City CA
Lee A. Christel - Palo Alto CA
Gregory T. A. Kovacs - Stanford CA
William A. McMillan - Cupertino CA
M. Allen Northrup - Berkeley CA
Kurt E. Petersen - Santa Clara CA
Farzad Pourahmadi - Fremont CA
Steven J. Young - Los Gatos CA
Robert Yuan - Belmont CA
Douglas B. Dority - Mill Valley CA

Cepheid - Sunnyvale CA

F28D 700

422198, 422100, 422 58, 422 681, 422 8205, 422102, 4352887, 4353031, 356246, 356340, 356442, 250238

The present invention provides a reaction vessel and apparatus for performing heat-exchanging reactions. The vessel has a chamber for holding a sample, the chamber being defined by a plurality of walls, at least two of the walls being light transmissive to provide optical windows to the chamber. The apparatus comprises at least one heating surface for contacting at least one of the plurality of walls, a heat source for heating the surface, and optics positioned to optically interrogate the chamber while the heating surface is in contact with at least one of the plurality of walls. The optics include at least one light source for transmitting light to the chamber through a first one of the light transmissive walls and at least one detector for detecting light exiting the chamber through a second one of the light transmissive walls.

6534645, Mar 18, 2003

Aug 8, 2001

09/925123

William A. McMillan - Cupertino CA

Cepheid - Sunnyvale CA

C07H 2104

536 243, 536 231, 536 235, 536 2432, 536 2433, 435 6, 435 911, 435 912, 435810

The present invention provides compositions and methods for performing an amplification reaction of nucleic acids with internal controls that test the integrity of all aspects of the amplification reaction.

6664104, Dec 16, 2003

Nov 7, 2001

10/006850

Farzad Pourahmadi - Fremont CA
William A. McMillan - Cupertino CA
Jesus Ching - Santa Clara CA
Ronald Chang - Redwood City CA
Lee A. Christel - Palo Alto CA
Gregory T. A. Kovacs - Sanford CA
M. Allen Northrup - Berkeley CA
Kurt E. Petersen - Fremont CA

Cepheid - Sunnyvale CA

C12M 134

4352886, 4352872, 4352885, 422 70, 422101

A device for separating an analyte from a fluid sample comprises a cartridge incorporating a flow-through microfluidic chip. The microfluidic chip includes an extraction chamber having an array of microstructures for capturing the analyte and for subsequently releasing the captured analyte into an elution fluid. Each of the microstructures has an aspect ratio of at least 2:1. The cartridge also includes channels and at least one low controller (e. g. , one or more valves) for directing the flow of the sample and elution fluid through the microfluidic chip. The cartridge may optionally include a lysing region for lysing sample components (e. g. , cells spores, or microorganisms), a waste chamber for storing waste fluid, and reaction or detection chambers for amplifying or detecting the analyte.