Assay devices
First Claim
1. An assay device incorporating a composite strip comprising at least two bodies of porous liquid-conductive material so as to provide an upstream body and a downstream body in liquid-flow contact with each other via an interface and together defining at least part of a liquid flow path through which liquid must flow during the performance of an assay, wherein at said interface the lateral dimension, relative to the direction of said liquid flow path, of the contact area of the upstream body is narrowed such that liquid flow from said upstream body into the downstream body is focused towards the centre-line of said flow path in said downstream body, the upstream body being narrowed at said interface by at least 50% of its width to provide a narrowed point or prow on the centre-line of said flow path for contact with said downstream body, said narrowed point or prow of the upstream body overlapping with the downstream body to provide the interface for contact between the upstream body and said downstream body whereby deviation from the intended flow path is reduced.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An assay device incorporates a composite strip comprising at least two bodies of porous liquid-conductive material in liquid-flow contact with each other via an interface and together defining at least part of a liquid flow path through which liquid must flow during the performance of an assay, wherein at said interface the lateral dimension, relative to the direction of the liquid flow path, of the contact area of the upstream body is narrowed such that liquid flow from the upstream body into the downstream body is focused towards the centre-line of the flow path in the downstream body, thereby reducing the likelihood that liquid will deviate from the intended flow path. The upstream body can be a sample-collecting wick, terminating at the interface as a point or prow (FIG. 7).
110 Citations
14 Claims
- 1. An assay device incorporating a composite strip comprising at least two bodies of porous liquid-conductive material so as to provide an upstream body and a downstream body in liquid-flow contact with each other via an interface and together defining at least part of a liquid flow path through which liquid must flow during the performance of an assay, wherein at said interface the lateral dimension, relative to the direction of said liquid flow path, of the contact area of the upstream body is narrowed such that liquid flow from said upstream body into the downstream body is focused towards the centre-line of said flow path in said downstream body, the upstream body being narrowed at said interface by at least 50% of its width to provide a narrowed point or prow on the centre-line of said flow path for contact with said downstream body, said narrowed point or prow of the upstream body overlapping with the downstream body to provide the interface for contact between the upstream body and said downstream body whereby deviation from the intended flow path is reduced.
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14. An assay device incorporating a composite strip comprising at least two bodies of porous liquid-conductive material in liquid-flow contact with each other via an interface and together defining at least part of a liquid flow path through which liquid must flow during the performance of an assay, wherein at said interface the lateral dimension, relative to the direction of said liquid flow path, of the contact area of the upstream body is narrowed such that liquid flow from said upstream body into the downstream body is focused towards the centre-line of said flow path in said downstream body, both said upstream and downstream bodies including reagents for said assay, the upstream body incorporating a mobilizable reagent upstream from said narrowed portion, the narrowed area of the upstream body overlapping with the downstream body to provide the interface for contact between the upstream body and said downstream body whereby deviation from the intended flow path is reduced.
Specification