Electroluminescent illumination source for optical detection systems
First Claim
1. An optical detection system for detecting the presence or quantity of an analyte within a test sample, said system comprising:
- a lateral flow assay device that includes a porous membrane and a conjugate pad that is in fluid communication with said porous membrane, wherein said conjugate pad contains detection probes conjugated with an immunoreactive specific binding member, said detection probes being capable of producing a detection signal, wherein a receptive material is immobilized within a detection zone defined by said porous membrane and located downstream from said conjugate pad, said receptive material being configured to bind to said immunoreactive specific binding member or to the analyte;
an electroluminescent illumination source capable of providing electromagnetic radiation that causes said detection probes to produce said detection signal within said detection zone, wherein said electroluminescent illumination source is laminated to said porous membrane; and
a detector capable of registering said detection signal produced by said detection probes within said detection zone.
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Abstract
An optical detection system that utilizes an electroluminescent (EL) illumination source is provided. Unlike illumination sources used with some conventional optical detection systems, an EL device is relatively homogeneous and diffuse, and thus may provide uniform illumination to the test sample. In addition, the emitted light intensity of the EL device may be easily controlled by simply varying the voltage or the frequency of the applied current. The relatively flexibility of EL devices may also allow them to be readily incorporated into a chromatographic-based assay device for detecting the presence or absence of an analyte within a test sample.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. An optical detection system for detecting the presence or quantity of an analyte within a test sample, said system comprising:
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a lateral flow assay device that includes a porous membrane and a conjugate pad that is in fluid communication with said porous membrane, wherein said conjugate pad contains detection probes conjugated with an immunoreactive specific binding member, said detection probes being capable of producing a detection signal, wherein a receptive material is immobilized within a detection zone defined by said porous membrane and located downstream from said conjugate pad, said receptive material being configured to bind to said immunoreactive specific binding member or to the analyte; an electroluminescent illumination source capable of providing electromagnetic radiation that causes said detection probes to produce said detection signal within said detection zone, wherein said electroluminescent illumination source is laminated to said porous membrane; and a detector capable of registering said detection signal produced by said detection probes within said detection zone. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. An optical detection system for detecting the presence or quantity of an analyte within a test sample, said system comprising:
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a lateral flow assay device that includes a porous membrane and a conjugate pad that is in fluid communication with said porous membrane, wherein said conjugate pad contains detection probes conjugated with an immunoreactive specific binding member, said detection probes being capable of producing a detection signal, wherein a receptive material is immobilized within a detection zone defined by said porous membrane and located downstream from said conjugate pad, said receptive material being configured to bind to said immunoreactive specific binding member or to the analyte; an electroluminescent illumination source capable of providing electromagnetic radiation that causes said detection probes to produce said detection signal within said detection zone, wherein said electroluminescent illumination source is laminated to a support for said porous membrane; and a detector capable of registering said detection signal produced by said detection probes within said detection zone.
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Specification