Patent ID: 8652421

Claim:
A device for conducting immunoassays comprising a holder formed of a material selected from the group consisting of plastic, paper, metal, ceramic and combinations thereof, the holder having a top portion and a bottom portion, a porous support formed in the bottom portion of the holder and a flow distributor formed in the top portion of the holder, the distributor having an upper and lower surface, the support having an upper and lower surface and the lower surface of the distributor faces the upper surface of the support, wherein each of the top and bottom portions of the holder has an outer edge, the holder has a means for releasably securing the support and distributor to each other and wherein the outer edges of the top and bottom portions of the holder are formed of a material selected from the group consisting of metal, plastic, paper and elastomers, the porous support is selected from the group consisting of screen, a grid, a sintered porous membrane, a woven paper, a non-woven paper, a polypropylene fabric, a polyethylene fabric, a glass mat, a glass paper and a 1-10 micron microporous filter and the distributor is a hydrophilic membrane having low protein binding characteristics to provide even liquid distribution over one or more layers of membrane supported on the porous support, the one or more membranes being mounted on top of the porous support and the lower surface of the flow distributor being in contact with an upper surface of the one or more membranes when inserted into the holder and wherein the device is capable of allowing liquid to flow from the upper surface of the distributor to the lower surface of the support through the holder.