Patent ID: 7452668

Claim:
A method of detecting the presence or absence of one or more target molecules in a test sample, wherein the one or more target molecules has a defined mobility in an appropriate electrophoretic medium when the medium is exposed to an electric field and the target molecule can form binding complexes with capture probes, comprising the steps of: a) copolymerizing one or more capture probes with a material capable of forming a matrix suitable for electrophoresis to form an electrophoretic medium containing immobilized capture probes covalently attached to the electrophoretic medium, wherein said one or more capture probes are modified with a 5′-acrylamide moiety and are selected from the group consisting of a nucleic acid, modified nucleic acid and a nucleic acid analog, and wherein said one or more capture probes are immobilized in a two dimensional array within the electrophoretic medium; b) introducing a test sample into the electrophoretic medium; c) subjecting the electrophoretic medium to an electric field resulting in the electrophoretic migration of the test sample into the region or regions of the electrophoretic medium containing immobilized capture probes, under conditions suitable for the target molecules to bind to the immobilized probes; and d) detecting the presence, or absence of target molecules or target molecule/capture probe complexes immobilized in the medium, thereby detecting the presence or absence of one or more target molecules in the test sample.