Patent ID: 7955867

Claim:
A method of detecting a target specific ligand that is bound to a target molecule to indicate the presence or absence of the target molecule comprising the steps of: a. selecting a cell having a selected target molecule located in a position selected from the group consisting of a cell wall or inside the cell, b. culturing the cell on a multiwell filter plate; c. contacting the cell on the multiwell filter plate with a reagent comprising a ligand for the selected target molecule in or on the cell, the ligand being selected from the group consisting of ligands having a detectable marker conjugated thereto and ligands being capable of attaching to a secondary ligand that contains a detectable marker, d. washing the cell with gravity flow at least one time to remove any reagent which is not bound to the selected target molecule of the cell to provide a washed cell by using sufficient fluid to achieve a head height at which filtration occurs; and e. detecting the presence of the ligand bound to the target molecule to indicate the presence or absence of the target molecule in or on the washed cell on the multiwall filter plate.