Patent Application
20080237038
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a biostrip, and more particularly, to an alternate form of back gum on the cover of the biostrip.
2. Description of the Prior Art
With the fast development in technology, diagnoses for diseases are also greatly improved. However, most diagnoses rely on the assistance of medical care personnel and determinations have to be made with instrumental readings. They are time-consuming and cost inefficient and lots of human resources are required. In particular, to people who value privacy, health condition is considered to be part of their privacy. Before further seeking medical advice and help, they do not want their health condition disclosed to others. Moreover, for modern people who live a busy life, these steps of diagnosis are too complicated, and they look forward to a more convenient alternative. As it is common to use body fluids in the determination of health condition and the diagnosis of disease, various test strips for body fluid testing have been developed.
Generally speaking, common test strips are mainly for testing blood glucose.
For a number of blood glucose test strips currently on the market, the method for adding the test sample is categorized in two major types: the dripping type and the siphon type (by capillary action). Test strip of the dripping type usually has a plastic mesh covering the reaction area. This means that a larger amount of sample is required and it has to be aggregated into a drop of blood so as to be dripped onto the reaction area with precision and in sufficient amount. It is quite inconvenient for the operator and an operational error can be easily made, which often leads to a waste of test strips. As for the test strip of the siphon type, since it works working by capillary action and the sample is automatically introduced to the reaction area upon contacting the sample inlet, the required sample amount is naturally much smaller. However, in the siphon designs of the siphon type test strips currently on the market, a hole is usually made on the opposite end from the sample inlet. Or, alternatively, air outlets are retained between the base material and the partition sheet of the siphon type test strip. Therefore, the production process required thereby is very complicated.
To keep the advantages of the siphon type test strip and to avoid its disadvantages at the same time, the inventors of the present invention have proposed a biostrip based on years of research and practical experience to meet the above said expectations.
In view of the above, the object of the invention is to provide a biostrip which, in addition to retaining the above said advantage of the conventional siphon type test strip that requires a smaller amount of sample, can avoid the complicated production process of the conventional siphon type test strip.
To achieve the above object, the biostrip of the invention comprises at least an insulating baseboard and a capillary channel. Said insulating baseboard has at least one surface and a printed electrode can be disposed on the surface. Moreover, said capillary channel is disposed above the insulating baseboard and has at least two ends on which at least one fixation reaction area and an exhaust channel of at least one direction can be disposed respectively. The end with the fixation reaction area is used to contact the sample and the exhaust channel of one or more directions is used to expel air so as to have the sample diffused and absorbed onto the fixation reaction area. It should be noted that the exhaust channel can be formed by making use of the thickness and the shape of the back gum.
The biostrip of the invention further comprises an inlet to introduce the sample to the fixation reaction area. When the sample approaches the inlet, it can be rapidly introduced to the fixation reaction area and the air that is co-introduced can be expelled at the same time through the exhausting channel. A substrate of oxidation or reduction capacity is usually disposed on the fixation reaction area so as to perform a specific biochemical reaction with the sample and then produce an electronic transfer by the printed electrode. The biostrip of the invention can be combined with an electrochemical biosensor. The concentration of certain substrates in the sample can therefore be measured according to the electronic transfer and used as a reference for the determination of the health condition, disease or infection of the organism.
The technical characteristics of the invention and the effects achieved thereby are further illustrated with the following detailed description in conjunction with the preferred embodiments and the relevant drawings.
To further explicate the above objects, characteristics and advantages of the invention, the biostrip of the invention will be described in details in the following section with reference to the relevant drawings.
It is to be noted that the combination of
Moreover, in the subject example, the biostrip should comprise an inlet (not shown). When the sample approaches the inlet, it can be rapidly introduced to the fixation reaction area 201 and the air that is co-introduced can be expelled from the exhaust channel of at least one direction 202. In the subject example, the sample can be blood, preferably. It is to be noted that although blood is considered the main sample applicable to the invention, the sample can further include plasma, urine, saliva, tear and the like of an organism and is not limited to blood.
Furthermore, in the subject example, human blood is used as the testing subject for the determination of health conditions and infection risks. Namely, a blood sample in micro unit (in μL) is collected from the fingertip, the earlobe or the vein to make contact with the above said inlet. Or, alternatively, the blood sample can be mixed with a given amount (in mL) of buffer before making contact with the above said inlet. The buffer can be an acid with a salt of an acid (such as KH2SO4) or a base with a salt of a base (such as NaHSO4), which can react with the hydrogen ions added or removed to prevent a change of the pH and is made after adding sodium hydroxide and distilled water. When the blood sample is introduced through the capillary channel 20 to the fixation reaction area 201, a specific biochemical reaction occurs and an electronic transfer is produced to an electrochemical biosensor (not shown). The electrochemical biosensor receives such an electronic transfer to measure the concentration of a specific substrate in the sample so as to determine the health condition, disease or infection of the organism (for example, when an abnormal change in blood glucose level is observed).
The above description is provided for illustration only. It can be in no way construed as limitation to the present invention. Any modifications or changes without departing from the spirits of the invention are intended to be within the scope of the invention as defined by the appending claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 095143552 | Nov 2006 | TW | national |
