Patent ID: 7407813

Claim:
A method for making a device for analyzing an aqueous liquid sample for the presence of an analyte, comprising: (a) preparing a reagent sheet comprising a sheet of a macroporous material and a direct particulate labeling reagent, the direct particulate labeling reagent comprising a binding portion capable of binding the analyte; (b) subdividing the reagent sheet into multiple individual macroporous bodies comprising the labeling reagent; (c) drying the direct particulate labeling reagent; and (d) positioning a porous sample receiving member, one of the macroporous bodies, a porous carrier having a detection zone, and a capture reagent immobilized in the detection zone in moisture conductive contact such that a liquid sample received by the sample receiving member permeates by capillary action through the sample receiving member and subsequently passes into the macroporous body, permeates by capillary action through the macroporous body and mobilizes the dried particulate labeling reagent thereof and, subsequently, liquid comprising mobilized labeling reagent passes into the porous carrier at a location spaced apart from the detection zone and permeates by capillary action along the porous carrier to the detection zone, the capture reagent immobilized in the detection zone being effective to capture labeling reagent and analyte in the detection zone when the analyte is present in a sample received by the porous sample receiving member.