Chemistry: molecular biology and microbiology – Measuring or testing process involving enzymes or... – Involving nucleic acid
Patent
1996-03-29
1998-06-09
Myers, Carla J.
Chemistry: molecular biology and microbiology
Measuring or testing process involving enzymes or...
Involving nucleic acid
435 4, 435912, 536 243, 536 2433, 252305, 364550, 36447803, 935 78, C12Q 168, C07H 2104, G01P 1300
Patent
active
057631760
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to a security device and a method which enables an ultrasensitive microtrace to be used to demonstrate a direct relationship or interaction between any material, article or item (solid, liquid or gaseous) and man under appropriate conditions where it is required to demonstrate that a relationship or interaction occurred. In particular the security device will demonstrate that a given individual or individuals attempted to steal or did steal a material article or item protected by the security device.
The present invention also relates more generally to methods of marking a material and subsequently detecting that the material has been marked and identifying the marker.
There is a widespread requirement to be able to trace the path taken by a given material as it moves from one location to another. The movement may be of natural materials (e.g. the flow of water in sub-surface aquifers) or materials which have been processed or manufactured by man (e.g. any article constructed by man in a manufacturing process or natural resources such as grains and minerals). In all these situations there may be reasons why it is necessary to develop specific procedures to trace these movements. It may be that direct observation is not possible, e.g., when following the path of a stream underground. It may be that it is necessary to monitor the movement of goods without the direct knowledge of the transporters or, for legal reasons, to prove that the appearance of a material at a particular point in the biosphere was due to at the same material originating from a known starting point.
For example, the articles of manufacture may be stolen in transit or resold at a much lower price than that set by the supplier by an unscrupulous distributor for example car boot sales. A key problem in bringing a conviction is identification of the particular articles sold, to establish that the goods have been stolen or resold from a particular distributor. Problems also occur with liquids such as petroleum which are routinely washed out of carriers into the sea. It is almost impossible to identify which carrier has discharged the oil and as such prosecutions and convictions for polluting the seas are rarely brought.
Further problems are associated with the movement of natural materials, for example the movement of grain. It is particularly difficult to distinguish one batch of such natural materials from another. In the case of grain, problems occur in the European Community with the grain being moved across several different borders to collect a number of EU subsidies for the same batch of grain. A method of marking the grain which may be readily detected is necessary to prevent such fraud.
Our co-pending patent application published under No. WO91/17265 discloses in general terms ways in which materials may be labelled in particular using a DNA molecule to label the material. Our co-pending PCT application published 3 Mar. 1994 under No. WO94/04918, discloses a method of marking a liquid in particular with two labels one of which is not a nucleic acid tag and one of which comprises DNA molecules. In each case, the unique microtrace comprising DNA molecules is added to the material, the resulting material is sampled after movement thereof, and the presence of the microtrace additive in the sample is detected, analyzed and decoded.
In a preferred aspect described, the material being monitored is a liquid hydrocarbon, such as oil, and the microtrace additive is designed such that it cannot be easily removed from the hydrocarbon by aqueous washing. Various methods are proposed for ensuring that the DNA microtrace remains in the hydrocarbon rather than partitioning into the aqueous phase, including linking the DNA to hydrophobic beads typically of from 1 to 5 .mu.m diameter, designed to be retained in hydrocarbons and not the aqueous phase. A method of marking a liquid and subsequently detecting that the liquid has been marked is disclosed, which method comprises: adding to the liquid an additive comprising a plurality
REFERENCES:
patent: 3853987 (1974-12-01), Dreyer
International Search Report; PCT/GB94/01506; 28 Sep. 1994; Osborne, H.
Minton John Edward
Slater James Howard
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