Technicon Instruments Corporation

Martin J Lee

Bruce J Oberhardt

Leonard Ornstein

Michael J Malin

Methods and apparatuses are featured for preconcentrating immunological reactants prior to their contact and reaction, to greatly enhance the rate of reaction and the sensitivity. The preconcentration is accomplished within the reaction medium and is followed automatically by the separation of unreacted and reacted reactants resulting in a simplified and compact apparatus.

Method and apparatuses for electrophoretic immunoassay

There is disclosed a method and apparatus for obtaining a precise aliquot of a sample by diffusing the sample into a gel mass for a controlled period of time. The sample may comprise a liquid containing an unknown quantity of a diffusible, to-be-assayed, component or components. The method may further include reacting a component of the sample with an assay-reagent present in excess quantity above that needed for reaction, the reagent being disposed in the gel mass. The sample is placed in contact with a preselected surface area of the gel mass. The component of the sample is allowed to diffuse into the gel mass for a controlled period of time. Thereafter, the remainder of the sample containing the component is removed, and further diffusion of the component through the gel mass may proceed for a controlled period of time. This provides both a further dilution of the component and permits continuous reaction of the component with a reagent distributed throughout the gel mass. It is possible to measure the degree of reaction between the diffused component and the reagent in the gel mass. Alternatively, the method may involve obtaining an aliquot of a sample containing an unknown quantity of diffusible, to-be-assayed component as above, but without requiring further dilution via diffusion. Also, there may be no need for any assay-reagent and a property of the to-be-assayed component such as color, fluorescence, etc. may be measured directly in the gel mass. In another embodiment, the invention may be practiced so as to obtain a precise aliquot of a sample or of a reagent by diffusing them into a gel mass for a controlled period of time.

Method and apparatus for obtaining an aliquot of a liquid in a gel medium

Method and apparatus for analyzing whole blood samples which feature impregnating a gel medium used for the analysis of the whole blood sample with an inert substance. When the whole blood sample is placed on the gel medium, the inert substance diffuses from the gel as the plasma solutes of the blood diffuse into the gel. The amount of the inert substance diffusing from the gel medium is inversely proportional to the hematocrit of the blood sample. In one embodiment, plasma solutes are caused to react with one or more reagents in the gel medium to assay various specific analytes. Also, the hematocrit, indicated by the diffusion rate of the inert substance from the gel, is determined and used to correct such assay.

Whole blood analyses in porous media

A method for separating a blood cell portion and a liquid portion of a whole blood sample comprising the steps of contacting over a period of time a substance in the form of a nonparticulate gel mass with the sample, so as to diffuse the liquid portion into the mass, the mass having an effective pore size to exclude the blood cells, and collecting the blood cells remaining after such contact of the sample with the mass. The method may include impregnating the substance of the mass with a selective reagent to react with the liquid portion diffused therein, and furthr include analyzing a reaction product produced within the mass.

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Leonia, NJ, United States of America

Martin J Lee