Patent ID: 7759067
Filing Date: 2010-07-20
Classification: B01F,B01J,B01L,G01N,H01J,Y10S

Abstract:
1. A microscale method for the determination of the amount of an analyte in one or more samples by the formation of an affinity complex comprising a ligand and a binder, which have affinity for each other, wherein said method comprises the steps of: (i) providing a disc-shaped microfluidic device comprising a plurality of microchannel structures that are under common flow control, each microchannel structure comprising a reaction microcavity in which there is a solid phase to which an affinity reactant which is capable of being incorporated into the affinity complex retained in step (ii) is immobilized, wherein the reaction microcavity has a volume smaller than an upstream metering microcavity; (ii) performing in parallel an experiment in each of two or more of the plurality of microchannel structures, the experiment utilizes a sample selected from said one or more samples and forming the complex in immobilized form during flow through the reaction microcavity and retaining said form during flow through the same reaction microcavity, the amount of the complex formed being a function of the amount of the analyte in the sample for each experiment, wherein said flow is created by providing a fluid volume from the upstream metering microcavity into and through the reaction microcavity, and wherein said fluid volume is lamer than the volume of the reaction microcavity; (iii) measuring the amount of the complex in said reaction microcavity in each of said two or more microchannel structures; and (iv) determining the amount of analyte in the sample for each of said two or more microchannel structures based on the measured amounts obtained in step (iii).