Patent ID: 6927062

Claim:
A method for performing a solution assay for determining whether a test sample contains an analyte, which comprises: (a) providing at least one porous support impregnated with a known sample of the analyte so that the analyte remains detectable over time when eluted from the porous support; (b) providing a sample to be tested for the presence of the analyte; (c) contacting the impregnated porous support with a buffer for a time sufficient to elute analyte from the porous support to provide a control sample for the assay; (d) performing the assay with the eluted control sample and separately with the test sample in the buffer; and (e) determining whether the test sample contains the analyte by comparing the assay results produced by the test sample to the results produced by the control sample wherein the results indicate that the test sample contains the analyte.