Arrangement and Method for the Electrochemical Analysis of Liquid Samples by Means of Lateral Flow Assays

Abstract

The invention relates to an arrangement (1) and to a method for the electrical detection of liquid samples (5) by means of lateral flow assays. The lateral flow assay comprises a membrane (4) that is arranged on a front side of a first carrier (2). The first carrier (2) is electrically insulating. On the front side of the first carrier (2) between the carrier (2) and the membrane (4), electrically conductive electrodes (3) are arranged in direct contact with the membrane (4).

Description

The present invention relates to an arrangement and a method for the electrical detection of liquid samples by means of lateral flow assays, wherein the lateral flow assay comprises a membrane arranged on a front side of a first carrier. The first carrier is embodied in an electrically insulating fashion and electrically conductive electrodes are arranged on this carrier.

Lateral flow assays are in widespread use in in-vitro diagnostics (IVD). They are simple in terms of handling and very cost-effective. Disadvantages of lateral flow assays include a low sensitivity, a low multiplexity and a poor quantifiability of the results.

A good quantifiability can be achieved by means of optical, magnetic and electrical methods, but heretofore with very low multiplexity, i.e. simultaneous measurement at a plurality of spatially separate measurement points.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,896,778 discloses an arrangement in which, for a good multiplexity, gold electrodes are arranged above cutouts of an electrically insulating carrier as an array, and the cutouts are filled with membranes composed of a polymer/microfiber matrix material, said membranes being spatially separated from one another. The membranes are ion-selective, and not suitable e.g. for immunosensors in immunoassays.

With the use of capture antibodies in immunoassays, these have to be immobilized directly on the gold electrodes or sensors. In an arrangement analogous to the laminated arrangement of a carrier comprising insulator layers and gold electrodes that is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,896,778, wherein the gold electrodes are arranged above cutouts in the insulator layers in array form, a small cavity in each case arises above the gold electrodes through the surrounding insulator layer. When liquid is applied directly or via a lateral flow paper as a membrane above the arrangement, air bubbles arise in the region of the cavities and, during a measurement, lead to a failure of the respective electrodes with air inclusions.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to specify an arrangement and a method for the electrical detection of liquid samples which enable a good multiplexity in conjunction with very good sensitivity and quantifiability. In this case, good multiplexity should be understood to mean a multiplexity e.g. in the range of 3- to 10-plex (sensors). In particular, it is an object to specify an arrangement and a method which enable a reliable measurement, in particular without disturbing air inclusions above the electrodes.

The object specified is achieved with regard to the arrangement for the electrical detection of liquid samples by means of lateral flow assays with the features of claim 1 and with regard to the method for the electrical detection of liquid samples by means of the above-described arrangement with the features of claim 11.

Advantageous configurations of the arrangement according to the invention for the electrical detection of liquid samples by means of lateral flow assays and of the method for the electrical detection of liquid samples by means of the above-described arrangement are evident from the respectively assigned dependent claims. In this case, the features of the main claim can be combined with features of the dependent claims and features of the dependent claims can be combined among one another.

The arrangement according to the invention for the electrical detection of liquid samples by means of lateral flow assays comprises a membrane arranged on a front side of a first carrier. The first carrier is embodied in an electrically insulating fashion and electrically conductive electrodes are formed on the first carrier. The electrodes on the front side of the first carrier are arranged between the carrier and the membrane, in direct contact with the membrane.

By virtue of the arrangement of the electrodes on the front side of the first carrier, i.e. on the side on which the membrane is also arranged, the electrodes can form a direct contact with the membrane. The formation of a hollow space or of a cavity, such as is present e.g. in the prior art described above, is thereby prevented. The contact area is maximized with the membrane arranged flat on the electrode and, when the liquid sample to be analyzed is applied to the membrane, the electrodes are in direct contact with the liquid sample. Air bubbles or air inclusions which can impede or completely prevent a measurement are prevented by the direct contact of electrodes and membrane, and thus also the direct contact of electrodes and the liquid sample. As a result, a reliable measurement of the sample is made possible, including in the case of multiplex measurement (with a plurality of sensors simultaneously), with very good sensitivity and quantifiability of the sample.

The membrane can be embodied as a closed layer via which the electrodes, in particular all the electrodes, are connected to one another. This enables a lateral liquid transport (lateral flow) completely via the membrane in particular via all the electrodes.

The membrane can comprise or be a lateral flow paper, in particular composed of nitrocellulose. Lateral flow paper has a high porosity and absorbs the liquid sample well and transports it well to the electrodes and leads there to a good wetting of the electrodes with the sample liquid to be examined. A good electrical contact via membrane saturated with liquid sample between electrodes is thus made possible. Nitrocellulose is cost-effective and, used as a membrane, has the properties described above.

The electrodes can be metal electrodes, in particular composed of gold. Electrodes composed of metal are generally relatively stable, and gold electrodes, in particular, can be used well electrochemically since they can lead to temporally stable measurement signals and chemically are substantially inert.

The electrodes can be electrically contact-connected on the front side of the carrier, in particular in an edge region in which the membrane is not arranged. This affords advantages in particular if the rear side cannot readily be reached for electrical contacts e.g. as a result of encapsulation.

However, the carrier can also have in each case in the region of a respective electrode an opening passing through its thickness, from the front side to the rear side, through which opening the electrode is electrically contact-connected conductively from the front side to the rear side of the carrier. This makes it possible to prevent electrical short circuits between electrode contacts e.g. upon contact with sample liquid on the front side of the carrier.

The carrier can comprise a plurality of insulating layers, in particular layers composed of polymers and/or layers which are connected to one another by lamination. Laminated carriers composed of polymers are printed circuit boards, for example which can be produced cost-effectively.

The membrane can be arranged in a sandwich-like fashion firstly between the front side of the first carrier in direct contact with the electrically conductive electrodes (working electrodes) of the first carrier and secondly a rear side of a second carrier in direct contact with at least one electrode (counterelectrode), in particular exactly one electrode on the rear side of the second carrier. This arrangement enables a compact construction and short paths via the membrane between electrodes in order to establish a voltage between the working electrodes and the counterelectrode.

Each electrode on the front side of the first carrier can be in each case electrically connected to the at least one electrode on the rear side of the second carrier, in particular via an electrical measuring instrument or measuring device for measuring current and/or voltage and/or capacitance. The electrodes can be arranged on the front side of the first carrier in a series in tandem or in array form. As a result, an electrochemical measurement is made possible and a spatially resolved electrochemical measurement of the liquid sample in the membrane can be carried out analogously to an optical measurement in chromatography.

The method according to the invention for the electrical detection of liquid samples is effected by means of an arrangement described above. The liquid sample is applied to the membrane and is moved by means of capillary forces, in particular, via the membrane to the electrodes. The membrane interconnects the electrodes, in particular electrochemically if the membrane is filled with liquid. In particular, exactly one membrane interconnects in particular all the electrodes. As a result, a good conductivity is ensured in the case of conductive liquid between the electrodes via the one membrane.

The arrangement brings about according to the lateral flow method a spatial and/or temporal separation of substances in the liquid sample analogously to chromatography or with different capture molecules immobilized at different locations. The spatial and/or temporal separation can be measured electrochemically by means of the electrodes in the form of current and/or voltage and/or charge changes.

In the case of the construction described, the membrane can be in direct contact with the electrodes. In each case the contact area of each electrode with the membrane can thus be completely wetted with the liquid sample, in particular without air inclusions above the electrode. This ensures a good electrochemical measurement by means of the electrode, which would be prevented or at least impeded e.g. by air bubbles directly above the electrode.

The liquid sample can be a biochemical sample, in particular a body fluid. In this regard, e.g. urine, blood, or the information thereof can be examined.

The advantages associated with the method for the electrical detection of liquid samples by means of the arrangement described above are analogous to the advantages described above with regard to the arrangement for the electrical detection of liquid samples by means of lateral flow assays.

Preferred embodiments of the invention with advantageous developments in accordance with the features of the dependent claims are explained in greater detail below with reference to the figures, but without being restricted thereto.

In the figures:

FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic sectional illustration through an arrangement 1 for the electrical detection of liquid samples 5 comprising a laminated electrode 3 and an ion-selective membrane 4 arranged thereabove according to the prior art, and

FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic sectional illustration through an arrangement 1 according to the invention for the electrical detection of liquid samples 5 comprising a laminated electrode 3 for lateral flow assays, wherein the electrode 3 on the front side of a carrier 2 is arranged between carrier 2 and membrane 4, and

FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic sectional illustration through an arrangement 1 analogous to that in FIG. 2, comprising a plurality of electrodes 3 arranged in series in tandem and without electrical contact 6 from the rear side of the arrangement 1, and

FIG. 4 illustrates a schematic illustration in a plan view of the arrangement 1 shown in FIG. 3 with a strip of lateral flow paper 4 placed onto the electrodes 3 in such a way that a lateral region remains free for an electrical contact 6, and

FIG. 5 illustrates a schematic sectional illustration through an arrangement 1 analogous to that shown in FIG. 3, comprising a second electrode carrier 8 with counterelectrode 9 arranged on the membrane 4 and measuring devices 10 in each case connected to a working electrode 3 of the first carrier 2 and the counterelectrode 9 of the second carrier 8.

The arrangement 1 for the electrical detection of liquid samples 5 according to the prior art as shown in FIG. 1 has a laminated electrode 3 of an electrode array. The arrangement 1 is shown schematically in sectional illustration. The electrode 3 is arranged below a first carrier 2, which is constructed e.g. from laminated polymer layers analogously to a printed circuit board, wherein the electrode 3 is laminated e.g. as a gold layer onto the carrier 2. However, the electrode can also e.g. be adhesively bonded or applied electrolytically.

A cutout passing through the carrier 2 is introduced in the carrier 2, above the electrode 3. Said cutout can be embodied e.g. in the form of a drilled hole or milled hole e.g. in a circular fashion. Arranged in the cutout, in contact with the electrode 3, is a membrane 4 as an ion-selective layer, which completely covers the free area of the electrode 3 in the cutout.

The electrode 3 is electrically contact-connected via an electrical contact 6 from the rear side, i.e. from the side of the electrode 3 which is opposite relative to the membrane 4 and is not covered by the membrane 4. A liquid sample 5 is guided via the membrane 4 and that side of the carrier 2 on which no electrodes 3 are arranged and which is opposite relative to the side with the electrodes on the carrier 2, said liquid sample being electrochemically in contact with the electrode 3 via the membrane 4. That means that ions can move through the membrane 4 from the liquid samples 5 to the electrode 3.

A counterelectrode, not shown for the sake of simplicity, is in electrical contact with the liquid sample 5. Between the counterelectrode and the electrode 3, which functions as a working electrode, a current, voltage and/or charge change at the electrode 3 can be measured by means of a measuring device 10 (not shown). The measurement is carried out depending on the liquid sample 5 and serves for analyzing the sample 5. The measurement can be carried out depending on the sample flow rate and/or time and provides information about the composition or chemical/biochemical constituents of the sample 5. By way of example, blood, urine or other body fluids can serve as samples 5. However, other liquids through to gases can also be examined.

The arrangement 1 shown in FIG. 1 can be used in a sensor array or some other arrangement of sensors, e.g. in series. The electrodes 3 constitute the sensors. For a reliable measurement it is important that no liquid 5 passes to that side of the first carrier 2 with the electrodes 3 on which the electrical contacts 6 are secured.

One disadvantage of the construction described above is the ion-selective membrane 4. The membrane 4 is not suitable for immunosensors, for example. The complicated construction is costly to produce and difficult to handle.

FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic sectional illustration through an arrangement 1 according to the invention for the electrical detection of liquid samples 5. An electrode 3 is arranged on a first, laminated carrier 2, analogously to the arrangement 1 described above under the prior art. The membrane 4 is arranged on the front side of the electrode 3, which according to the invention is opposite relative to the side of the electrode 3 in contact with the carrier 2. The membrane 4 is lateral flow paper, for example, which lies flat on the electrode.

In the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, the electrode 3 is electrically contact-connected via an electrical contact 6 on the rear side of the electrode 3. In the laminated carrier 2, in the region of the electrode 3 on the rear side thereof there is a cutout through which the electrical contact 6 projects as far as the electrode 3. As described below, the electrode 3 can also be contact-connected from the front side.

FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 show an exemplary embodiment of the arrangement 1 according to the invention in which an electrical contact 6 of the electrodes 3 can be effected laterally on the front side. FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic sectional illustration through an arrangement 1 analogous to that shown in FIG. 2, but with a plurality of the electrodes 3 shown in FIG. 2 arranged in series in tandem. The electrodes 3 can also be arranged as an array, e.g. in a matrix-type fashion on the first carrier 2.

FIG. 4 illustrates a plan view of the arrangement 1 shown in FIG. 3 with electrodes 3 in a series 7. A membrane 4, e.g. composed of lateral flow paper, is arranged in strip form on the electrodes 3 in such a way that a lateral region of the electrodes 3 remains free for an electrical contact. In the lateral region, electrical contacts 6 can be fitted in each case to each electrode 3, this not being illustrated in the figures for the sake of simplicity.

FIG. 5 shows a construction for an electrical measurement with the arrangement 1 according to the invention as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, in a schematic sectional illustration. A second carrier 8 with an electrode 9 is arranged on the membrane 4, wherein the membrane 4 bears in direct contact flat against the electrode 9. The electrode 9 serves as a counterelectrode. Below the membrane 4, a series of electrodes 3 serving as working electrodes is arranged in direct contact with the membrane 4. The electrodes 3 are arranged on a carrier 2, as already shown in FIGS. 2 to 4. Consequently, the membrane 4 lies in a sandwich-like fashion between the electrodes 3 on the first carrier 2 and the electrode 9 applied in a planar fashion on the second carrier 8.

As shown schematically in FIG. 5, for a measurement the electrode 9 can be electrically connected to each electrode 3 in each case via an electrical measuring instrument or a measuring device 10. In this case, the electrodes 3, 9 can be electrically contact-connected from the side with the carrier 2, 8 through openings in the carrier 2, 8 as shown in FIG. 2, or, as described for FIG. 4, from that side of the electrodes 3, 9 which is in direct contact with the membrane 4, but in a region of the electrodes 3, 7 in which the membrane 4 is not arranged.

If a liquid sample 5, e.g. blood or urine, is applied to the membrane 4, e.g. lateral flow paper comprised of nitrocellulose in strip form or in some other form, the sample 5 is moved into and through the membrane 4 e.g. through the porous structure of the membrane 4. The membrane 4 is thus “filled” with the sample 5. As a result of the electrical conductivity of the sample 5, the electrodes 3, 9 in direct contact with the membrane 4 are electrically or electrochemically connected to one another, and a closed electric circuit is provided in each case via the measuring device 10 between the respective electrode 3 as working electrode and the electrode 9 as counterelectrode. With electrochemical measurements, in the case of an electrode array or electrodes 3 arranged in series, the composition of the liquid sample can be examined in a spatially and temporally resolved manner. In this regard, at the individual electrodes 3 in a location-related fashion, i.e. at the location of the electrode 3, electrochemical measurements via current, voltage and/or capacitance measurements can provide information about the sample 5 situated at the location.

Analogously to chromatographic examinations, the sample composition can be analyzed or capture molecules can be immobilized on the respective electrode 3, e.g. different capture molecules on different electrodes 3, and enable the detection of individual substances in the sample 5. The capture molecules can also be immobilized in a spatially distributed manner in the membrane 4 in the region above the electrode 3. As a result, the arrangement 1 according to the invention can be used in immunoassays.

The electrodes 3, 9 can be used as illustrated in the figures, see FIG. 5 in particular, in a measurement set-up comprising working electrode 3 and counterelectrode 9. In addition, at least one reference electrode RE, not illustrated in the figures for the sake of simplicity, can also be used. Metal layers, in particular composed of gold or platinum, can be used as electrodes or silver/silver chloride layers or electrodes can be used e.g. as reference electrode. Other measurement set-ups that are customary in electrochemistry are also possible.

The exemplary embodiments described above can be used in combination. The exemplary embodiments can also be combined with exemplary embodiments known from the prior art. In this regard, besides lateral flow paper e.g. composed of nitrocellulose, membranes 4 composed of polyvinylidene fluoride, electrostatically treated nylon or polyethersulfone can be used as membranes 4. Electrodes 3, 9 can be applied in planar fashion on the carrier 2, 8 or in a spatially structured fashion, in series in tandem, in array form in a n×m matrix comprising n lines and m columns, or else can be provided with different height profiles.

Claims

1. An arrangement (1) for the electrical detection of liquid samples (5) by means of lateral flow assays, wherein the lateral flow assay comprises a membrane (4) arranged on a front side of a first carrier (2), and wherein the first carrier (2) is embodied in an electrically insulating fashion and electrically conductive electrodes (3) are arranged on the first carrier (2), characterized in that the electrodes (3) on the front side of the first carrier (2) are arranged between the carrier (2) and the membrane (4), in direct contact with the membrane (4).

2. The arrangement (1) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the membrane (4) is embodied as a closed layer via which the electrodes (3, 7), in particular all the electrodes (3, 7) are connected to one another.

3. The arrangement (1) as claimed in either of the preceding claims, characterized in that the membrane (4) comprises a lateral flow paper, in particular composed of nitrocellulose.

4. The arrangement (1) as claimed in any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the electrodes (3, 7) are metal electrodes, in particular composed of gold.

5. The arrangement (1) as claimed in any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the electrodes (3, 7) are electrically contact-connected on the front side of the carrier (2, 8), in particular in an edge region in which the membrane (4) is not arranged.

6. The arrangement (1) as claimed in any of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the carrier (2, 8) has in each case in the region of a respective electrode (3, 7) an opening passing through its thickness, from the front side to the rear side, through which opening the electrode (3, 7) is electrically contact-connected conductively from the front side to the rear side of the carrier (2, 8).

7. The arrangement (1) as claimed in any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the carrier (2, 8) comprises a plurality of insulating layers, in particular layers composed of polymers and/or layers which are connected to one another by lamination.

8. The arrangement (1) as claimed in any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the membrane (4) is arranged in a sandwich-like fashion between the front side of the first carrier (2) in direct contact with the electrically conductive electrodes (3) of the first carrier (2) and a rear side of a second carrier (8) in direct contact with at least one electrode (7), in particular exactly one electrode (7) on the rear side of the second carrier (8).

9. The arrangement (1) as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that each electrode (3) on the front side of the first carrier (2) is in each case electrically connected to the at least one electrode (7) on the rear side of the second carrier (8), in particular via an electrical measuring device (10) for measuring current and/or voltage and/or capacitance.

10. The arrangement (1) as claimed in any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the electrodes (3) are arranged on the front side of the first carrier (2) in a series (7) in tandem or in array form.

11. A method for the electrical detection of liquid samples (5) by means of an arrangement (1) as claimed in any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the liquid sample (5) is applied to the membrane and is moved by means of capillary forces, in particular, over the membrane to the electrodes (3, 7), characterized in that the membrane (4), in particular exactly one membrane (4), interconnects the electrodes (3, 7), in particular all the electrodes (3, 7).

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, characterized in that the arrangement (1) brings about, according to the lateral flow method, a spatial and/or temporal separation of substances in the liquid sample (5) which is measured by means of the electrodes (3, 7) in the form of current and/or voltage and/or charge changes.

13. The method as claimed in either of claims 11 and 12, characterized in that the membrane (4) is in direct contact with the electrodes (3, 7) and in each case the contact area of each electrode (3, 7) with the membrane (4) is completely wetted with the liquid sample (5), in particular without air inclusions.

14. The method as claimed in any of claims 11 to 13, characterized in that the liquid sample (5) is a biochemical sample (5), in particular a body fluid.