Patent ID: 11918999
Assignee: GATTACO INC.
Field: Chemical engineering (Chemistry)
Classification: CPC B | IPC B

Claim 13:
14. A method comprising:
providing a lateral flow device comprising:
a lateral flow membrane,
a transfer pad overlapping and in contact with the lateral flow membrane,
a spacer laterally adjacent to the transfer pad,
a pooling layer disposed on top of the spacer and the transfer pad and laterally defining a filtrate pooling chamber,
a sample pad disposed on top of the pooling layer to vertically define the filtrate pooling chamber between the sample pad on one side and the spacer and transfer pad on the other side, and
a soluble matrix contained in the filtrate pooling chamber and in contact with both a downstream surface of the sample pad and the spacer;

extracting filtrate from the sample pad passively under capillary action to fill the filtrate pooling chamber, wherein the soluble matrix is used to overcome an initial breakthrough pressure of the sample pad, the soluble matrix at least partially dissolving or disintegrating in and thereby releasing the extracted filtrate into the filtrate pooling chamber, causing a meniscus to form between the downstream surface of the sample pad and a bottom surface of the filtrate pooling chamber, the meniscus to flow across the downstream surface of the sample pad as the filtrate continues to be drawn into the filtrate pooling chamber;
drawing the filtrate from the filtrate pooling chamber into the transfer pad; and
drawing the filtrate from the transfer pad into the lateral flow membrane.