Patent ID: 7566572

Claim:
A method of measuring, using a chip, the amount of an antigen to be measured that is contained in a sample solution, wherein the chip comprises a reaction chamber, a wash solution retaining chamber, an effluent chamber, and an injection port for injecting the sample solution, the injection port and the reaction chamber are connected to each other through a first channel, the injection port and the wash solution retaining chamber are connected to each other through a second channel, the wash solution retaining chamber and the reaction chamber are connected to each other through a third channel, the reaction chamber and the effluent chamber are connected to each other through a fourth channel, the method comprises steps of: injecting the sample solution from the injection port and dividing the sample solution into the reaction chamber and the wash solution retaining chamber through the first channel and the second channel, respectively; obtaining an antigen-antibody complex by allowing an antigen to be measured that is contained in the sample solution to bind to an antibody that specifically binds to the antigen to be measured, in the reaction chamber; separating the antigen-antibody complex and the antibody that has not bound to the antigen to be measured from each other by injecting the sample solution retained in the wash solution retaining chamber into the reaction chamber through the third channel and washing the reaction chamber including the antigen-antibody complex to leave one selected from: i) the antigen-antibody complex; and ii) the antibody that has not bound to the antigen to be measured, in the reaction chamber and to move the other into the effluent chamber; measuring the amount of the antigen-antibody complex or the antibody that has not bound to the antigen to be measured; and calculating the amount of the antigen to be measured that is contained in the sample solution, from the resultant amount of the antigen-antibody complex or the antibody that has not bound to the antigen to be measured.