Patent ID: 6103536
Filing Date: 2000-08-15
Classification: G01N

Abstract:
A device for the detection of at least one analyte in a sample solution, comprising a solid support containing:(a) a sample application zone, which can be the same or different from a particle zone;(b) the particle zone, which contains at least one population of particles which are transported along the solid support by the sample solution suspected of containing the analyte, wherein the population of particles is composed of at least one subpopulation of particles containing the first member of an inverse ligand-receptor pair, the first member of a direct ligand-receptor pair, and a signal means; and(c) at least one signal ratio area, comprising a first and a second signal zone wherein, for the population of particles, the first signal zone contains the second member of an inverse ligand-receptor pair non-diffusively bound to the solid support, and the second signal zone contains the second member of the direct ligand-receptor pair non-diffusively bound to the solid support;wherein:the above elements are arranged in fluid communication whereby a sample solution suspected of containing an analyte flows sequentially through the sample application zone, the particle zone and then through the first and subsequently the second signal zone of each signal ratio area;the analyte is a member of an inverse ligand-receptor pair or an analog thereof;the members of each inverse ligand-receptor pair neither cross-react with the members of any other inverse ligand-receptor pair nor cross-react with the members of any direct ligand-receptor pair and vice-versa, nor with any non-analyte component of the sample solution;in any one population of particles, the total amount of the first member of an inverse ligand-receptor pair is less than the total amount of the second member of the same inverse ligand-receptor pair in the inverse signal zone; and the total amount of the first member of a direct ligand receptor pair is less than the total amount of the second member of the same ligand-receptor pair in the direct signal zone; andat least the one population of particles has a total amount of the first member of the inverse ligand-receptor pair whereby one or more predetermined concentrations of analyte can be discerned in a signal ratio area from a ratio of signals in the first and second signal zones.