An improved point-of-care diagnostic assay cartridge

A microfluidic system comprising:

• a cartridge coupled to a motor and adapted to move a fluid sample to a plurality of locations on the cartridge, wherein the cartridge is configured to rotate on an inclined plane with respect to a horizontal plane;
• the cartridge comprises a reaction chamber having at least three zones, a first zone positioned near one end of the reaction chamber to define a detection zone, a second zone positioned proximal to the first zone and a third zone positioned near the other end of the reaction chamber, wherein each of the second zone and the third zone comprise a reagent zone;
• and
• the motor and a control module is configured to provide a combination of centrifugal force and gravitational force to move said fluid sample between the at least three zones, wherein the first zone comprises a single cuvette positioned adjacent to the outer diameter of the cartridge and configured to allow for optical measurement of each phase of a reaction.