A method of determining a percentage of cell-types in a saliva specimen includes the steps of obtaining genomic DNA from the saliva specimen, observing cytosine methylation at specific CG loci in the genomic DNA of the saliva specimen, comparing the observed methylation with the methylation observed in genomic DNA collected from a reference group of saliva specimens and correlating the CG loci methylation observed in the genomic DNA of the saliva specimen with the methylation observed in the genomic DNA of the reference group of saliva specimens to determine the percentage of cell-types in the saliva specimen.

Disclosed herein are mechanically-strained oligonucleotide constructs comprising two oligonucleotides that when hybridized results in a bent double-stranded oligonucleotide. The constructs may be used to probe oligonucleotide interactions with an analyte to detect interactions with metal ions or compounds.

Provided are a method for determining prognosis of endometrial cancer, a method for determining endometrial cancer patient compatible to preservation therapy, and a method for determining risk of endometrial cancer. The methods comprise detecting DNA methylation level at a target CpG site in a genomic DNA derived from an endometrial cell, endometrial cancer cell or tissue containing the cell. Prognosis of endometrial cancer, compatibility to preservation therapy, or risk of endometrial cancer of a subject is determined on the basis of the detected DNA methylation level.

The present disclosure is drawn to temperature-cycling microfluidic devices. In one example, a temperature-cycling microfluidic device can include a driver chip having a top surface and a heat exchange substrate having a top surface coplanar with the top surface of the driver chip. A fluid chamber can be located on the top surface of the driver chip. A first and second microfluidic loop can have fluid driving ends and fluid outlet ends connected to the fluid chamber and can include portions thereof located on the top surface of the heat exchange substrate. A first and second fluid actuator can be on the driver chip. The first and second fluid actuators can be associated with the fluid driving ends of the first and second microfluidic loops, respectively, to circulate fluid through the first and second microfluidic loops.

At least one embodiment is directed to a method reducing the growth of a pathogen by targeting the pathogen by a vibrational wave at an integer fraction of its fundamental frequency, at low amplitudes so as to not harm healthy tissue, for a minimal exposure time determined by wave amplitude and damping.

At least one embodiment is directed to a method reducing the growth of a pathogen by targeting the pathogen by a vibrational wave at an integer fraction of its fundamental frequency, at low amplitudes so as to not harm healthy tissue, for a minimal exposure time determined by wave amplitude and damping.

Provided are FRET-based biosensor constructs, and multiplexed platforms or arrays of these biosensor constructs useful for screening candidate drug molecules for efficacy and/or specificity of drug activity. Optionally the biosensor constructs may be located on an inner membrane within a cell or engineered to be located on the cell's surface. The cells or cell lines displaying the biosensors on a cell surface may be arranged as an array of cells for high throughput evaluation of the efficacy and/or specificity of drug candidates, such as a library of candidate drug compounds.

Techniques are provided for locating and validating single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) islands by scanning a reference genome. A system scans a reference genome to locate a high-variance region containing at least a minimum number of known impactful SNP locations in less than a maximum length, wherein the high-variance region is flanked by low-variance regions of at least minimum length and each having fewer than a maximum number of known relevant SNP locations. The system allows for tuning maximum and minimum region lengths, maximum and minimum SNP-location quantities, and rate-of-occurrence thresholds that define relevant and/or impactful SNP locations. Primers are designed for portions of the low-variance regions that are unique within the reference genome, wherein the primers amplify for the high-variance region. The primers are used to amplify genetic material samples in order to perform analyses to distinguish sample identity and/or to determine whether a sample corresponds to single or multiple contributors.

A method and a sensor for detecting L-cystine are disclosed. The method is implemented by assembling a sodium 3,3′-dithiodipropane sulfonate (SPS) membrane on a surface of Au membrane layer of an Au electrode and using an extended gate of field effect transistor (FET) and in-situ signal amplification of the FET to detect L-cystine sensitively. The polyanion of the SPS membrane adsorbs and binds a positively charged target L-cystine through electrostatic interaction, thus forming an electric double layer structure to generate a membrane potential identifying a monovalent organic ammonium ion. The sensor includes the FET, wherein a gate-extended gold electrode is arranged on the FET, and the SPS membrane is assembled on the surface of the Au membrane layer of the gate-extended gold electrode. The sensor has an excellent Nernst response to L-cystine.

The invention relates to a method of assembling a biosensor device comprising two or more biosensor units, wherein each unit comprises one or more biosensors comprising one or more carbon nanotubes (CNTs) coated with nucleic acid and one or more sensor molecules coupled to the nucleic acid, wherein each one of the one or more sensor molecules is capable of binding to a target molecule in a sample. Each biosensor unit is capable of detecting a different target molecule in a sample, and each unit comprises one or more biosensors each capable of detecting the same target molecule. The invention further relates to biosensor devices and methods for detecting target molecules in a sample using the same.