Electrode strips for testing small volumes

• US 20050287035A1
• Filed: 12/27/2004
• Published: 12/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/1997
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Bernadette Yon-Hin, James Mccann, Lorna Jean Cox, Neil Blair, Stephen Charles Williams
• Original Assignee: Bernadette Yon-Hin, James Mccann, Lorna Jean Cox, Neil Blair, Stephen Charles Williams
• Inventors: McCann, James, Williams, Stephen Charles, Cox, Lorna Jean, Blair, Neil, Yon-Hin, Bernadette
• Application Number:
  US11/022,626
• Publication Number:
  US 20050287035A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 422/400
• CPC Class Codes: C12Q 1/006 for glucose
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/3272 Test elements therefor, i.e. disposable laminated substrates with electrodes, reagent and channels optical biosensors G01N33/52

Abstract

A test strip for testing small volumes in which a layer of mesh or membrane material is provided, in which a small volume of liquid to be tested can be distributed and provide contact between an active electrode and counterelectrode on a support, and wherein an analyte-specific reagent is coated on the mesh or material or one of the electrodes, and in which the sample application area is at one edge of the mesh or membrane.

Claims

1. A test strip comprising:

a support carrying an active electrode and a counterelectrode;

a layer of a mesh or membrane material within which a small volume of liquid to be tested can be distributed and provide contact between said active electrode and said counter electrode, and wherein an analyte-specific reagent is coated on said material or on one of said electrodes; and

which includes a sample application area at one edge of the mesh or membrane.

2. The test strip according to claim 1, wherein said reagent is at least one component of a redox reaction.

3. The test strip according to claim 2, wherein said at least one component is one or more of an enzyme, a mediator and/or cofactor for the enzyme.

4. The test strip according to claim 2, wherein said at least one component comprises an enzyme.

5. The test strip according to claim 4, wherein said enzyme is selected from the group consisting of glucose oxidase and glucose dehydrogenase.

6. The test strip according to claim 1, wherein said material is a monofilament mesh or membrane.

7. The test strip according to claim 1, which additionally comprises a spacer layer deposited over said electrodes.

8. The test strip according to claim 7, wherein said mesh or membrane material is a monofilament mesh coated with a surfactant or chaotropic agent, the mesh being laid over the reagent, the reference electrode and the spacer layer;

and wherein the test strip additionally comprises a second non-conductive layer, adhered to the mesh layer, but not coextensive therewith, thereby providing a sample application area at one edge of the mesh.

9. The test strip according to claim 1, wherein said reagent is free of filler having both hydrophobic and hydrophilic surface regions

10. The test strip according to claim 8, wherein said mesh is additionally coated with a cell lytic agent.

11. The test strip according to claim 10, wherein said cell lytic agent is selected from the group consisting of digitonin, saponin, DNMG and combinations thereof.

12. The test strip according to claim 1, wherein said electrodes comprise graphite particles, carbon particles and a polymer binder.

13. The test strip according to claim 12, wherein the graphite particles have an average size of 1-20 μ

m and a surface area of 1-50 m²/g, and the carbon particles have an average size of 5-70 nm and a surface area of less than 150 m²/g.

14. The test strip according to claim 1, in combination with means for obtaining a sample, such that the obtained sample passes directly to the sample application area.

15. A method for testing a liquid for the presence of an analyte, which comprises contacting the liquid with a test strip according to claim 1, and detecting the current.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the liquid is blood and the analyte is glucose.

17. A flexible tape of a material within which liquid can be distributed and on which are coated discrete areas of at least one component of a redox reaction.

18. The flexible tape according to claim 17, wherein the material is a monofilament mesh or membrane.

19. A container containing a wound tape according to claim 17, and optionally also comprising automatic dispensing means.