University of California obtains United States patent.(Brief Article)

BIOTECH Patent News, January, 2002

University of California (Oakland, CA) has patented methods and compositions for detecting changes in membrane potential in membranes biological systems. In one aspect, the method comprises; a) providing a living cell with a first reagent comprising a charged hydrophobic molecule which is typically a fluorescence resonance energy transfer acceptor or donor, or is a quencher and is capable of redistributing within the membrane of a biological membrane in response to changes in the potential across the membrane; b) providing the cell with a second reagent that can label the first face or the second face of a biological membrane within the cell; c) detecting light emission from the first reagent or the second reagent.

(US 6,342,379)