Field assay for ligands
AssigneeBio-Metric Systems, Inc.
InventorsPatrick E. Guire, Stephen J. Chudzik
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Apparatuses and methods are disclosed which can be used in the field (i.e., outside the laboratory environment) to determine qualitatively and at least semiquantitatively the presence or absence of minute quantities of ligand. The apparatus can be in the form of a strip comprising a support means provided with a groove intermediate its ends forming a crease line upon which the strip can be folded upon itself with bibulous elements and spaced from the crease line and arranged so that when the strip is folded upon itself the bibulous elements become aligned with each other and come into liquid contact.
Claims17
Apparatus for the chemical analysis of an analyte comprising:
- A. a first bibulous element containing a chemical reaction system that includes all the reagents necessary to provide a liquid-transferable chemical species within the first element upon the addition of an analyte-containing liquid sample to the first element, the presence or amount of which species is related to the presence or amount, respectively, of analyte in the liquid sample;
- B. a second bibulous element containing a detection system responsive to the liquid-transferable chemical species to produce a perceptible signal;
- and
- C. support means carrying said bibulous elements in a normally spaced relationship but enabling one or both of the bibulous elements to move in a pre-determined path to bring the elements into liquid transferring contact, thereby enabling any transferable chemical species to be transferred to the second bibulous element and reacted with the detection system to produce a perceptible signal.
Apparatus for detecting an analyte in a liquid sample, comprising first and second separate reaction zones, the first zone including a first bibulous element and containing a chemical reaction system that includes all the reagents necessary to provide a liquid-transferable chemical species within the first bibulous element upon the addition of an analyte-containing liquid sample to the first element, the presence or amount of which species is related to the presence or amount, respectively, of analyte in the liquid sample, and the second reaction zone including a second bibulous element carrying a chemical reaction system responsive to the transferable chemical species to produce a visually perceptible signal;
- and support means carrying the reaction zones and spacing the bibulous elements in adjacent, opposed, facing, aligned orientation and enabling the elements to move into liquid-transferring contact with one another.
Apparatus for the chemical analysis of an analyte, comprising first and second reaction zones, the first zone including a first bibulous element and containing a chemical reaction system that includes all the reagents necessary to provide a liquid-transferable chemical species within the first bibulous element upon the addition of an analyte-containing liquid sample to the first reaction zone, the presence or amount of which species is related to the presence or amount, respectively, of analyte in the liquid sample, and the second reaction zone including a second bibulous element containing a chemical detection system responsive to the transferable chemical species to produce a visually perceptible signal, the apparatus including first and second support strips carrying the respective first and second reaction zones, and connection means connecting the first and second strips and orienting the same in spaced, generally parallel planes with the bibulous elements carried in aligned, facing, and spaced relationship to one another, the support strips and connector means being so constructed and arranged as to enable the support strips to be manually pinched towards one another to bring the respective bibulous elements into liquid-transferring contact, the second support strip being transparent to enable the visually perceptible signal to be viewed therethrough.
A method for detecting an analyte that is a member of a ligand-receptor pair contained in a liquid sample, the method employing;
- (a) a first reaction zone comprising a bibulous element and having bound thereto a member of the ligand-receptor pair;
- (b) a labeled ligand-receptor pair member chosen to bind to the bound member of the ligand-receptor pair or to analyte bound thereto in relation to the quantity of analyte in the liquid sample, the label being part of a signal-producing system;
- (c) a second reaction zone comprising a bibulous element carrying a label detection system responsive to said label to produce a detectable signal;
- and
- (d) support means supporting said reaction zones in a normally spaced relationship but enabling one or both of the reaction zones to be moved in a predetermined path to bring the bibulous elements thereof into liquid-transferring contact;
- said method comprising:
- adding, to the first reaction zone, the liquid sample containing analyte and the labeled ligand-receptor pair member, the amount of the latter member remaining unbound and liquid-transferable in said first reaction zone relating to the presence or quantity of analyte in said liquid sample;
- waiting a predetermined amount of time;
- moving one or both of said reaction zones in said predetermined path to bring said bibulous elements into liquid-transferring contact with one another, permitting any unbound labeled ligand-receptor pair member to transfer to the second reaction zone, the detection system in the latter producing a detectable signal in response thereto;
- and
- detecting said signal.
A method for detecting an analyte in a liquid sample comprising the steps of:
- (a) combining, in a first bibulous element a liquid sample and all the reagents necessary to react with analyte in the sample to provide a liquid-transferable chemical species within the first bibulous element, the quantity of said liquid-transferable species provided being related to the amount of analyte in the sample;
- (b) after a predetermined amount of time moving the first bibulous element along a predetermined path into liquid-transferring contact with a second bibulous element containing a detection system responsive to the liquid-transferable chemical species to produce a perceptible signal;
- and
- (c) perceiving said signal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.