Patent ID: 7258990

Claim:
A method for the determination of the presence of one or more targets in a sample being analyzed, which method comprises: providing a substrate having an upper surface, attaching a plurality of 3-dimensional porous microspots of hydrogel to said surface, providing different capture agents within the pores of at least some of said plurality of microspots to create a microarray on said surface, contacting said microarray with a solution containing targets of a size that allows binding with said capture agents within said porous hydrogel microspots, washing said microarray with a liquid following said contacting which liquid contains minute solid particles that carry containing a digester which particles are of such size that they and said digester do not enter said 3-dimensional microspots whereby said digester removes non-specifically bound targets or at least any labeled portions thereof from said upper surface of said substrate without affecting targets specifically bound to capture agents within said porous hydrogel microspots, associating labels with said targets either before or after said washing if said targets do not comprise labels at the time of said binding, and measuring said washed microarray to detect signals from labeled targets bound within particular microspots.