A system for assaying a biological sample for a presence of a target analyte, the system comprising: an assaying device having a housing, the assaying device comprising: a receptacle disposed in the housing and configured to accept an electrophoresis cell , the electrophoresis cell having a recess area configured to accept a chip including a polymeric separation medium with functional groups that covalently bond to the target analyte when activated, the chip configured to accept the biological sample; a source of activation energy configured to supply activation energy to activate the functional groups; and an electric power source disposed within the housing and fluidically isolated from the receptacle , the electric power source configured to be electrically coupled to the electrophoresis cell disposed in the receptacle and to provide electric power to at least one electrode to generate an electric field across the recess area , the recess area accepting the chip such that a surface of the polymeric separation medium is substantially flush with a non-recessed surface of the electrophoresis cell to reduce distortion in the electric field; and a computer controller operably coupled to the source of activation energy, the computer controller operable to activate the source of activation energy to direct an application of activation energy to the polymeric separation medium to activate the functional groups, the activation of the function groups enabling the computer controller to detect the presence of the target analyte. an assaying device having a housing, the assaying device comprising: a receptacle disposed in the housing and configured to accept an electrophoresis cell , the electrophoresis cell having a recess area configured to accept a chip including a polymeric separation medium with functional groups that covalently bond to the target analyte when activated, the chip configured to accept the biological sample; a source of activation energy configured to supply activation energy to activate the functional groups; and an electric power source disposed within the housing and fluidically isolated from the receptacle , the electric power source configured to be electrically coupled to the electrophoresis cell disposed in the receptacle and to provide electric power to at least one electrode to generate an electric field across the recess area , the recess area accepting the chip such that a surface of the polymeric separation medium is substantially flush with a non-recessed surface of the electrophoresis cell to reduce distortion in the electric field; and a receptacle disposed in the housing and configured to accept an electrophoresis cell , the electrophoresis cell having a recess area configured to accept a chip including a polymeric separation medium with functional groups that covalently bond to the target analyte when activated, the chip configured to accept the biological sample; a source of activation energy configured to supply activation energy to activate the functional groups; and an electric power source disposed within the housing and fluidically isolated from the receptacle , the electric power source configured to be electrically coupled to the electrophoresis cell disposed in the receptacle and to provide electric power to at least one electrode to generate an electric field across the recess area , the recess area accepting the chip such that a surface of the polymeric separation medium is substantially flush with a non-recessed surface of the electrophoresis cell to reduce distortion in the electric field; and a computer controller operably coupled to the source of activation energy, the computer controller operable to activate the source of activation energy to direct an application of activation energy to the polymeric separation medium to activate the functional groups, the activation of the function groups enabling the computer controller to detect the presence of the target analyte. <EOS>