Methods for reducing the range in concentrations of analyte species in a sample

Abstract

The present invention relates to the fields of molecular biology, combinatorial chemistry and biochemistry. Particularly, the present invention describes methods and kits for dynamically reducing the variance between analyte taken from complex mixtures.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This is a continuation-in-part application claiming the benefit of provisional application Ser. No. 60 / 559,108, filed Apr. 2, 2004, provisional application Ser. No. 60 / 582,650, filed Jun. 23, 2004, provisional application Ser. No. 60 / 587,585, filed Jul. 12, 2004, provisional application Ser. No. 60 / 643,483, filed Jan. 12, 2005, and European patent application Ser. No. 04290775.8, filed Mar. 23, 2004, the disclosures of which are incorporated in their entireties herein by reference.FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention relates to the fields of combinatorial chemistry, protein chemistry and biochemistry. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] Proteomics seeks to generate an identity profile of the entire proteome of an organism and, through analysis of this information, to identify potential diagnostic and therapeutic entities. Current technologies for resolving protein mixtures include two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and m...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0010] This invention provides a method to compress the range of concentrations between different analyte species in a complex sample while substantially maintaining the diversity of the population of analyte species in the sample. More specifically, the method decreases the concentration of more abundant species relative to the concentration of less abundant species but does not involve substantially eliminating from the sample analyte species based on physical-chemical characteristics.

[0011] As noted, each analytical technology has a dynamic range of detection. When the amount of an analyte in a sample is above the dynamic range, its signal saturates the detection system and the amount cannot be measured accurately. When the amount of an analyte in a sample is below the sensitivity range of the detection system, the analyte also cannot be detected. Furthermore, signals from abundant analytes may interfere with the ability to detect less abundant analytes even if the less abundant analytes are within the dynamic range of detection. The methods of this invention compress the range of concentrations between analyte species in a sample. This allows one to provide an increased number of analyte molecules to the detector system so as to be above the sensitivity threshold of detection, while, as the same time, to decrease the amount of the abundant analtyes submitted for detection so that there is considerably less saturation of the detection system by abundant analytes and, consequently, reduced interference with the ability to detect less abundant species above the sensitivity threshold. The result is an ability to detect more analyte species in a sample. Using this method, one can detect at least 1.5 times as many species from serum by mass spectrometry. Frequently, this number is between two and four times as many detectable species.

[0012] The method of this invention contrasts with other methods of manipulating a sample for detection. For example, depletion of selected abundant species does not significantly decrease the range in concentrations of the wide number of species in a sample. Fractionation decreases the range in concentration of analytes, but does so by substantially decreasing the diversity of the species within the population of the compartment.

[0014] The amount of the library also must be selected so that the binding moieties are saturated by at least the more abundant species in the sample. In this way, the relative amounts of abundant and rare species in the sample that are captured will be much closer than their relative concentrations in the original sample. This results in compression of the concentration range, which allows a greater number of signals produced by both abundant and rare species during detection that are within the dynamic range of the selected detection system.

[0015] It is an object of this invention to increase significantly the number of species detectable in a sample and, in particular, the discovery of new species within a sample. Certain kinds of libraries of binding moieties are preferred for achieving this end. In particular, one can best achieve this end by using libraries of large numbers of different binding moieties that have not been pre-selected for their ability to bind partciular analytes in a sample. Such libraries are referred to herein as “non-selective” libraries. (The fact that binding specificities of some binding moieties in such a library may be apparent after using the library does not render the same library “selective.”) Using such libraries increases the likelihood of capturing species throughout the population without discrimination. Thus, for example, a library of antibodies in which each antibody is directed to a known binding partner will select only the species to which each antibody is directed; in contrast a germline antibody library of the same size does not contain antibodies that bind to pre-selected analytes. Such a library is more likely to select species not known to exist in a sample. One can create non-selective libraries by employing combinatorial chemistry or by randomly assembling chemical moieties. Furthermore, by increasing the size of a library, whether selective or non-selective, one can increase the number of different analyte species in a sample captured and detected. Examples of non-selective libraries of binding moieties include germ line antibody libraries, phage display libraries of recombinant binding proteins, dye libraries and non-combinatorial libraries in which the binding specificity of the members is not pre-selected, combinatorial libraries of various sorts and portions thereof.

Problems solved by technology

When the amount of an analyte in a sample is above the dynamic range, its signal saturates the detection system and the amount cannot be measured accurately.

When the amount of an analyte in a sample is below the sensitivity range of the detection system, the analyte also cannot be detected.

Furthermore, signals from abundant analytes may interfere with the ability to detect less abundant analytes even if the less abundant analytes are within the dynamic range of detection.

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