Patent ID: 9594054
Date: 2017-03-14
CPC Classifications: G01N

Claim:
1. A method for determining whether an antigen is immobilized on a blotting membrane by contacting an antibody with said antigen, said method comprising: (a) placing said blotting membrane in contact with a porous hydrophilic sheet having a laterally delimited region therein that is bordered by a hydrophobic or impermeable barrier and in which said antibody is retained, while aligning said laterally delimited region with a spot on said blotting membrane where said antigen resides if so immobilized on said blotting membrane; (b) causing transfer of said antibody from said laterally delimited region of said porous hydrophilic sheet to said spot, wherein the causing transfer comprises placing a first buffer solution-wetted sheet of absorbent material on a side of said blotting membrane opposite the side in contact with said porous hydrophilic sheet, and a second buffer solution-wetted sheet of absorbent material on a side of said porous hydrophilic sheet opposite the side in contact with said blotting membrane, to form a transfer stack, and passing an electrical current across said transfer stack in a direction causing said transfer; and (c) detecting any occurrence of a binding reaction between said antibody and said antigen as an indication of the presence of said antigen in said spot.