PATENT

A method of detecting, identifying and/or quan- titating nucleic acids in a sample through deter- mination of agglutination or inhibition of agglutination of suspendable particles having nucleic acids bound thereto. The nucleic acids can be bound directly to the particle surfaces or attached through a spacer molecule which can, in turn, be either covalently bound or adsorbed to the particle surfaces. The suspendable par- ticles are small enough to remain in suspension and will generally have a large particle size rela- tive to the molecular weight of the DNA or RNA attached to the surfaces. The presence or absence of nucleic acid sequences in a sample is deter- mined by detecting agglutination or inhibition of agglutination of particles having bound thereto nucleic acid sequences complementary to those of interest in the sample.

8705394

C O M P E T I T I V E E L I S A F O R T H E D E T E C T I O N O F A N T I B O D I E S

William Carl SAXINGER, Robert Charles GALLO assigned to UNITED STATES OF AMERICA represented by THE UNITE

A competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the detection of antibodies. This ELISA technique is more sensitive, more specific, and more accurate than known ELISA techniques. The competitive ELISA of this in- vention is particularly suited to the detection of human T-cell leukemia-lymphoma virus type IlI (HTLV-III). An improvement of the ELISA technique represented by the present invention lies in the use of a reaction buffer which suppres- ses non-specific adsorptive reactions between the test substrate and the test antigen. Furthermore, the ELISA technique is improved by removing contaminants from the target antigen prepara- tion.

8705399

M E T H O D O F D E T E C T I N G A N T I B O D Y A G A I N S T H T L V - I I I

Nancy T CHANG, John GHRAYEB assigned to CENTOCOR INC;

Immunochemical assays for detection of anti- bodies agaist HTLV-III core proteins. The assays are based upon recombinant HTLV-III core proteins expressed by cloned DNA seg- ments of the gag region of the HTLV-III

ABSTRACTS 95

genome. Immunoreactive, chimeric HTLV-III core proteins and methods of producing these proteins are also described.

8705400

IN V I T R O A S S A Y F O R D E T E C T I N G C E L L - M E D I A T E D

I M M U N E R E S P O N S E S

Paul Richard WOOD, Leigh Austin CORNER, 1 Yarra Court, Lower Templestowe, VIC 3107, Australia assigned to COMMONWEALTH SCIENTIFIC AND INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH OR

An in vitro method of detecting a cell-mediated immune response to a specific antigen in a human or animal, comprises the steps of: (i) in- cubating a whole blood sample from the human or animal with the specific antigen; and (ii) detec- ting the presence of gamma interferon (etalFN) released by sensitized lymphocytes in the whole blood sample to indicate a cell-mediated immune response to the specific antigen. A diagnostic kit is also disclosed.

8705593

S Y S T E M F O R B I O L O G I C A L P U R I F I C A T I O N O F W A T E R

Lars A@oke Hans GUNNARSSON, Bj@rn Hubert ROS@N, Malte Ernst L@NEGA@oRD, Blixtv@gen 2, S-243 00 H@@r, Sweden assigned to PURAC AK- TIEBOLAG

A system and a method of purifying water in a biological way by means of a two-step process, at which the water to be purified is supplied into the treatment container or reactor (1) distributed uniformly across the bottom surface. The water supplied into the container (1) is caused to pass through a first biological filter consisting of suspended biological mass (11), in which gas is generated and at the same time the organic im- purities in the water are decomposed. The water treated in the first treatment step thereafter is caused to pass through one or several stationary biological filters (13), where additional bio- logical purification takes place at the same time as a sludge rich in bacteria grows on the carrier bodies of the biological filters. The stationary biological filters (13) are cleaned by means of the gas generated in the first treatment step, which gas is collected in the upper portion of the con-

96 PATENT ABSTRACTS

~ainer (1) and recovered while the purified water rising to the upper portion of the container is drained off.

8705608

N O V E L P E P T I D E D E R I V A T I V E S

Salo ARIELLY, Stig A(woke Ingemar GUSTAVSSON, Violgatan 3A, S-434 00 Kung- sbacka, Sweden assigned to KABIV1TRUM AB

Tripeptide derivatives, characterized by general formula: R) 1 ( - X - D-Arg- A - Arg- NH - R)2( wherein R ) I ( is hydrogen, alpha- or beta- naphtyl residue, lower alkyl residue which may be substituted with a carboxyl group, unsub- stituted or substituted phenyl- or phenylalkyl residue. X is (I), (11), (III) or a single bond with the proviso that when R ) I ( is hydrogen then and only then X is a single bond; A = Gly or Sar; R)2( = an aromatic or heterocyclic residue which gives a compound R)2(-NH)2( by en- zymatic hydrolysis, which can be determined quantitatively; or disalts and trisalts of inorganic or organic acids thereof, process for their pre- paration and method for determination ofserine proteases, especially Factor X)a(; or compo- nents which can interact with serine proteases or zymogen forms thereof.

8705624

B I O C H E M I C A L D E T E C T O R

Colin James SUCKLING, Richard Arthur PETHRICK, 62 North Grange Road, Bearsden, Glasgow G61 3AF, United Kingdom assigned to UNIVERSITY OF STRATHCLYDE

A device for use in the detection, in a liquid sam- ple, of a predetermined analyte which is reactive under predetermined enzyme catalysed condi- tions so as to produce at least one of a proton and hydrogen peroxide. The device comprises an electrically conducting polymer element (2) having spaced apart connections (9) to an elec- trical circuit means (12) for directly or indirectly detecting changes in electrical resistance in the element (2). The polymer (2) contains con- jugatable monomer units and is permeable to protons and where said analyte under said en- zyme catalyzed conditions produces hydrogen peroxide, to hydrogen peroxide. The polymer (2) further has an electrical conductivity which is variable according to the amount of protons or hydrogen peroxide in contact therewith, and an

enzyme support element (4) containing at least one enzyme and any cofactor(s) required in the predetermined enzyme-catalysed conditions, in an analyte permeable substantially non- conducting medium and also has a first face (5) in contact with the polymer element (2) and a second face (6) disposable in contact with the li- quid sample. The present invention also provides a method of detecting a predetermined analyte in a liquid sample comprising the steps of con- tacting the liquid sample with the second face (6) of the enzyme support element (4) of the device and measuring the change in resistance between the connection means (9).

8705630

D E T E R M I N E D D N A S E Q U E N C E S D E R I V E D FROM A

P A P I L L O M A V I R U S G E N O M E , THEIR USES FOR IN VITRO

D I A G N O S T I C P U R P O S E S A N D T H E P R O D U C T I O N O F

A N T I G E N I C C O M P O S I T I O N S

Stewart COLE, Rolf E STREECK, Rolf E STREECK, 4 bis, Villa Denise, F-92300 Chatil- Ion sous Bagneux, France assigned to IN- STITUT PASTEUR

DNA fragments derived from the genomic DNA of HPV-33. These fragments are selected from the group of fragments extending between the nucleotide extremities defined hereafter in relation to the nucleotide-numbering in figs. la and l b respectively: 76 - 556; 543 - 864; 867 - 2811; 2728 - 3808; 3326- 3575; 3842 - 4079; 4198 - 561 I; 5516 - 8091. The invention also relates to the use of these fragments as probes for the detection of HPV in tissue cultures.

8705632

M E T H O D F O R R A P I D T E S T I N G OF BACTERIA FOR I D E N T I F I C A T I O N

Peter YEOMAN, Arthur JAMES, 7 Orchard Close, Rowlands Gill, Tyne and Wear NE 39 IEQ, United Kingdom assigned to COGENT LIMITED

A chromogenic substrate, such as an 8- hydroxyquinoline or 8-amino quinoline deriva- tive, is enzymically cleaved by an enzyme of the microorganism to be identified. A chromogenic