Methods and systems are provided for isolating circulating tumor cells from a peripheral blood supply in order to diagnose early stage cancer and/or evaluate tumor status. In one example, a system for capturing circulating tumor cells includes a substrate having a cell-capturing region, the cell-capturing region having a curved, switchback-like shape and including an array of micropillar structures within the curved, switchback-like shape.

One aspect of the present invention is directed to a method for detecting acute Borna Disease Virus (BDV) infections. According to the invention, the presence of heterodimers of p24 BDV phosphoprotein and p40 BDV nucleoprotein in a sample is determined by means of antibodies of both proteins using a sandwich ELISA. The invention also relates to a diagnostic kit for a sandwich ELISA for detecting mute BDV infections. Said kit uses a antibody of p24 BDV phosphoprotein and a second primary antibody of p40 BDV nucleoprotein, at least one reporter-molecule-labelled secondary antibody, means for immobilising a primary antibody on a surface, and instructions for carrying out the method according to the invention. The invention also relates to the combination of the method according to the invention and the new diagnostic kit with known methods for detecting circulating immune complexes (CIC) and antibodies. Acute BDV infections are thus distinguished from chronic and latent ones (humans and animals), allowing, for example, differential diagnosis and treatment monitoring for diseased individuals but also the identification of health risks depending on infection status in healthy carriers.

The invention provides barcode libraries and methods of making and using them including obtaining a plurality of nucleic acid constructs in which each construct comprises a unique N-mer and a functional N-mer and segregating the constructs into a fluid compartments such that each compartment contains one or more copies of a unique construct. The invention further provides methods for digital PCR and for use of barcode libraries in digital PCR.

The present application is directed to methods of performing chemical reactions, including multi-step chemical reactions in which two or more of the reagents in the chemical reaction are incorporated or entrapped in a solid polymeric structure comprising pullulan. In certain embodiments, the chemical reaction or multi-step reaction serves as a sensor. Accordingly the present application is also directed to sensors for performing the methods of the application. In certain embodiments, at least one of the reagents is a biomolecule and the sensor is a biosensor. In certain other embodiments, the solid polymeric structure comprising pullulan and the reagents for performing a chemical reaction form a convenient device for performing a chemical reaction.

Disclosed herein are immunoassays for detecting an anti-thyroid peroxidase antibody in a biological sample from a subject and/or diagnosing a thyroid disease in a subject. The disclosed immunoassays employ a recombinant cynomolgus monkey thyroid peroxidase (rTPO) and assess the level of anti-thyroid peroxidase antibody-induced formation or disruption of complexes comprising a solid support and the rTPO.

A biosensor is for sensing analytes in a fluid. The biosensor may include a first structural layer having a first hydrogel, a second structural layer having a second hydrogel, and a bioactive region extending between the first structural layer and the second structural layer and having a third hydrogel. The biosensor may include a first electrode coupled to the bioactive region, and a second electrode coupled to the first structural layer and being spaced apart from the bioactive region. The second structural layer may have a through opening adjacent the bioactive region, and the bioactive region may be configured to be in fluid communication with an environment external to the biosensor for receiving the fluid comprising the analytes.

Disclosed is a method for obtaining information of a test substance, the method including: forming a complex by causing a capture substance to bind to a test substance in a specimen; selectively collecting at least the complex from the specimen; immobilizing the complex collected from the specimen, onto a base plate; and obtaining information regarding a structure of the test substance from the complex immobilized on the base plate.

The present application is directed to methods of performing chemical reactions, including multi-step chemical reactions in which two or more of the reagents in the chemical reaction are incorporated or entrapped in a solid polymeric structure comprising pullulan. In certain embodiments, the chemical reaction or multi-step reaction serves as a sensor. Accordingly the present application is also directed to sensors for performing the methods of the application. In certain embodiments, at least one of the reagents is a biomolecule and the sensor is a biosensor. In certain other embodiments, the solid polymeric structure comprising pullulan and the reagents for performing a chemical reaction form a convenient device for performing a chemical reaction.

Methods for single cell analysis by determining the presence and/or amount of one or more target molecules in a plurality of cells may include: (i) immobilizing said plurality of cells on a solid substrate, wherein the cells are immobilized in form of a monolayer; (ii) determining the position of the individual immobilized cells on the solid substrate; (iii) measuring the auto-fluorescence of the individual immobilized cells: (iv) contacting the immobilized cells with a first detection reagent comprising (a) a moiety that specifically recognizes and binds a first target molecule and (b) a fluorescent label under conditions that allow binding of the detection reagent to the first target molecule; (v) measuring the fluorescence of the fluorescent label of the detection reagent bound to the first target molecule for the individual immobilized cells; (vi) determining the presence and/or amount of the first target molecule in the individual immobilized cells by comparing the fluorescence measured in step(v) with the fluorescence measured in step (iii) on a cell-by-cell basis.

Methods and systems for performing assays in compartmentalized nano-volumes to screen for functional bispecific or multispecific biologics, including: providing a plurality of at least two distinct types of cells, wherein two or more first-type cells are engineered to express substantially a single genetic-variant per cell for a bispecific or multispecific biologic in a secreted form, wherein two or more second-type cells are selected or engineered to produce a positive reporter molecule signal that is triggered by a functional variant of the said biologic expressed by a first-type cell; providing a plurality of compartmentalized nano-volumes, wherein two or more nano-volumes are each provided with substantially one first-type cell, and one or more second-type cell(s); incubating the said nano-volumes over a period of time to allow the expression and secretion of the said biologics inside the said nano-volumes; collecting data representing the positive reporter molecule signal triggered by secreted biologics inside the said nano-volumes, and recovering cells from the nano-volumes with the positive reporter molecule signal and extracting the genetic information representing respective functional variants of the biologics.