Patent ID: 6558959
Filing Date: 2003-05-06
Classification: G01N,Y10S

Abstract:
A method of determining the presence of at least one target substance that may be present in a liquid sample comprising:a) applying said liquid sample to an exposed sample-contacting surface of a reaction membrane of an analytical device, said reaction membrane having at least one receptor area located in a limited region of said exposed sample-contacting surface to which said target substance, if present in said sample, specifically binds, wherein said reaction membrane contains a surfactant that is at a higher concentration within said limited region relative to portions of said reaction membrane that are peripheral to said limited region, and wherein said reaction membrane has been pre-treated with a surfactant-containing solution comprising at least about 0.2% surfactant that results in said higher concentration of said surfactant within said limited region; b) applying a detection reagent to said reaction membrane that specifically binds to said target substance if present in said liquid sample; and c) determining whether said detection reagent is present in said receptor area.