Patent ID: 6953550

Claim:
An apparatus for detecting a particulate in a fluid, the apparatus comprising a platform comprising a substrate having a surface, wherein said surface defines a detection chamber comprising an area that is coated with a specific binding reagent that specifically binds to the particulate to be detected; a fluid sample input means in fluid communication with the detection chamber that is coated with the specific binding reagent; a wash buffer reservoir containing a wash buffer in fluid communication with the detection chamber that is coated with the specific binding reagent; a fluid waste receptacle in fluid communication with the detection chamber that is coated with the specific binding reagent; wherein an amount of a fluid sample comprising a particulate is moved from the fluid sample input means to the detection chamber and incubated thereon for a time sufficient to result in specific binding between the particulate in the fluid sample and the specific binding reagent in the detection chamber; and wherein the fluid sample is replaced with the wash buffer and displaced into the fluid waste receptacle; and wherein the wash buffer is further displaced into the fluid waste receptacle; and wherein a particulate specifically bound to the detection chamber is specifically bound to the specific binding reagent and is detected thereupon, further comprising a device, wherein the device has a surface or cavity that accommodates the platform, and a light source positioned to illuminate the platform and wherein the detection chamber further comprises alternating transparent and reflective regions.