Patent ID: 6582970
Filing Date: 2003-06-24
Classification: A47J,G01N,Y10S

Abstract:
An apparatus for an immunochemical semi-quantitative assay according to immunochromatography, the apparatus comprising a plurality of units, each unit comprising:an antibody-fixed portion (B) where an antibody for trapping an amount of an analyte in a sample is present and fixed in a predetermined amount, a labeled substance presence portion (C) where a labeled substance as an index for detecting the presence of the analyte is present in a chromatographically mobile state, and a detection portion (D) where a detecting substance for detecting the labeled substance is present and fixed; the apparatus comprising:a plurality of said units arranged and spaced from each other, one sample addition portion (A) for adding the sample containing the analyte, the sample addition portion (A) provided for the plurality of said units, and an absorption portion (E) or absorption portions (E) for removing the labeled substance which does not participate in the detection of the analyte, together with the added sample, by absorption, the absorption portion (E) provided for the plurality of said units or the absorption portions (E) provided for the plurality of said units such that one unit has one absorption portion (E); wherein the amount of the trapping antibody fixed in the antibody-fixed portion (B) of each unit differs from one unit to another and the amounts of the trapping antibodies are consecutively varied stepwise, the amount of the trapping antibody in one unit is zero, and the amount of the trapping antibody in at least one of the remaining units is an amount such that the analyte in the sample after trapping by the trapping antibody has a concentration below detection sensitivity, and wherein the analyte is a complete antigen, the labeled substance is a labeled antibody which recognizes an antigenic determinant on the analyte different from the trapping antibody, fixed to the antibody-fixed portion (B), and the detecting substance is a detecting antibody which recognizes an antigenic determinant on the analyte at least different from the labeled antibody.