A Method and System for Measuring a Modified Property of a Sample Comprising Magnetic Particles in Liquid Suspension

Simple SummaryContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

This invention describes a method and system for measuring changes in a property of samples containing magnetic particles in liquid suspension, by applying time-varying and offset magnetic fields. The system detects subtle physical or chemical changes—such as the binding of target molecules (e.g., proteins, antibodies, viruses)—to the magnetic particles by tracking phase shifts in specific higher harmonics of the particles’ non-linear magnetization response. These phase changes serve as highly sensitive indicators of interactions or environmental changes affecting the particles.

Use CasesContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Rapid detection of biomolecules (e.g., proteins, antibodies, viruses, DNA, RNA) for medical diagnostics, such as infection or immune status testing.
• Quantitative measurement of target analyte concentrations in biomedical assays, offering an alternative to ELISA and flow cytometry.
• Monitoring environmental or solution properties (e.g., viscosity, temperature) that alter the relaxation dynamics of magnetic nanoparticles.
• Quality control and process monitoring in pharmaceutical and biochemical manufacturing, where rapid and robust analyte detection is required.
• Screening and characterization of nanoparticle functionalization in research and industry.
• Sensitive magnetic field sensing for physical or biomedical applications.

BenefitsContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Fast and robust detection—measurements can be performed in milliseconds, much quicker than conventional biochemical assays.
• High sensitivity to small physical or chemical changes, enabling detection of low concentrations of analytes.
• No need for complex sample preparation, wash steps, or long incubation times, facilitating point-of-care and on-site testing.
• Reduced dependence on sophisticated hardware and personnel—system design permits simpler instrumentation and easier use compared to state-of-the-art techniques like standard MPS or ACS.
• Robustness against hardware drift (e.g., temperature, amplitude instability), making the method reliable in diverse environments.
• Potential to multiplex or parallelize assays using different harmonics or sample arrangements.
• Versatility; the method can be adapted for various targets and environments, from biological analyte detection to physical property measurement (e.g., magnetic field, viscosity).

Technical Classifications (CPCs)

Inventors & Applicants

Patent Abstract

A method for measuring a modified property of a sample comprising magnetic particles in suspension using time variable magnetic fields comprises the steps of: applying a time-varying magnetic excitation field, the excitation field having an excitation amplitude and an excitation frequency, and an offset magnetic field to the sample, such that the magnetic particles are driven into a non-linear magnetization response regime; recording a non-linear magnetization response of the sample for obtaining a signal metric indicative for a phase of a higher harmonic with respect to the excitation frequency in the non-linear magnetization response; and determining a measurement signal indicative of the modified property, the measurement signal being based on the signal metric obtained for the sample and the same signal metric obtained for a reference sample without the modified property, the reference sample also comprising the magnetic particles in suspension.