GSJ: Received June 8 2005: http://wbabin.net/saba/saba52.htm

Previously described was the use of microarrays of different peptide capture probes to address different ligands (including macromolecules), viruses and/or cells (1). Therein a sentence was devoted to the formation of supramolecular structures.

Herein, as exemplified in Figure 1, is a somewhat more detailed presentation of the concept of fabricating supramolecular complexes (including nanostructures) via addressing 'epitopes'.

Herein the peptide 'epitopes', being bound by the addressed antibodies, are engineered into the sequence of an identical protein. Conversely, an 'epitope' could be the binding site of an antibody.

Furthermore, a capture 'epitope' in the broadest sense need not comprise amino acids. For example it could be a small synthetic organic conjugated to a carbon nanotubule, and recognized by an antibody.

Complexes comprising a multitude of different precisely positioned components have considerable potential in technology and medicine. For example, in biotechnology and medicine ligands, viruses or cells can be precisely positioned to other ligands, viruses or cells. In electronics, multiple components could be precisely arrayed. For example a multicolored photosensitive pixel could be constructed by precisely positioning components (perhaps proteins) sensitive to different frequencies of light. The utility appears virtually unlimited.

This invention is considered valuable and a US patent application is anticipated to be filed. However, it is hoped that others with laboratory facilities will investigate its full potential.

The following provisional claims are an attempt to encompass important aspects of this invention, yet due to my very limited knowledge of this extensive intensely studied field, these claims are certainly very crude.

Claims