Patent ID: 8735055

Claim:
A method of concentrating an analyte present in a fluid sample provided to a receptacle having a plurality of interconnected chambers, the method comprising the steps of: (a) forming a first volume in a first chamber of the receptacle, the first volume comprising the fluid sample and a liquid reagent containing a solid support; (b) immobilizing the analyte on the solid support; (c) moving an aliquot of the first volume from the first chamber to a directly connected second chamber of the receptacle by applying one or more compressive forces to a flexible portion of the first chamber with one or more actuators, wherein the volume capacity of the second chamber is less than the first volume; (d) isolating the analyte immobilized on the solid support in the second chamber; (e) moving non-analyte components of the sample from the second chamber to a directly connected waste chamber of the receptacle by applying a compressive force to a flexible portion of the second chamber with an actuator; (f) repeating steps (c) through (e) one or more times while retaining immobilized analyte in the second chamber, thereby accumulating concentrated analyte in the second chamber; and (g) after step (f), moving the concentrated analyte accumulated in the second chamber to a directly connected third chamber by applying a compressive force to a flexible portion of the second chamber with an actuator.