APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR ASSAYING COAGULATION IN FLUID SAMPLES

• US 20100240067A1
• Filed: 05/21/2010
• Published: 09/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Abbott Point Of Care Incorporated (Abbott Laboratories Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Abbott Point Of Care Incorporated (Abbott Laboratories Incorporated)
• Inventors: Cheadle, Rhonda J., Opalsky, David, Widrig Opalsky, Cindra A., MacZuszenko, Andrzej, Lauks, Imants R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,977,106 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 435/7.400
• CPC Class Codes: C12Q 1/56 involving blood clotting factors, e.g. involving thrombin, thromboplastin, fibrinogen
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/86 involving blood coagulating time or factors, or their receptors
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/11 Automated chemical analysis
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/2575 Volumetric liquid transfer

Abstract

This invention is a disposable cartridge for use at the patient side to perform traditional coagulation assays on fresh whole blood or blood derivative samples. The cartridge, in use with an electronic analyzer allows a fluid sample to be metered and quantitatively mixed with reagents which activate the coagulation cascade. An artificial substrate for thrombin, the enzyme whose action results in clot formation is also provided. Clot formation is subsequently detected using a microfabricated sensor also housed within the cartridge which detects electrochemically the product of the thrombin reaction upon the synthetic substrate.

Claims

1. A method of assaying an enzyme in a sample of blood or blood derivative, comprising the steps of:

introducing the sample into a cartridge which includes an analysis location,

metering a portion of the sample,

moving the metered sample to the analysis location,

mixing the metered sample with reagent at the analysis location,

allowing the enzyme to react with the reagent to form a reaction product in the sample,

positioning the sample at a sensor in the analysis location, and

detecting the reaction product of the enzyme reaction using the sensor.

2. The cartridge of claim 1, wherein the enzyme is selected from the group consisting of factor VII, factor VIII, factor IX, factor X, factor XI, factor XII, and thrombin.

3. The cartridge of claim 1 wherein the enzyme is thrombin.

4. The cartridge of claim 1 wherein the enzyme is selected from the group consisting of glucose oxidase, lactate oxidase, and other oxidoreductases, dehydrogenase based enzymes, alkaline phosphatase and other phosphatases, and serine proteases.