Claims
- 1. A process for screening for an analyte in a sample, which process comprises
- importing a fluid mixture into a capillary tube having a wall and coated on at least a portion of its interior surface with a substrate, wherein the fluid mixture comprises a sample suspected of containing the analyte and a reagent comprising a fluorescently-labeled conjugate that
- (a) binds to the analyte or to the analyte and the substrate and
- (b) fluoresces when irradiated with an appropriate electromagnetic signal;
- maintaining the fluid mixture in the capillary tube for a time sufficient for binding to take place between the substrate and the fluorescently-labeled conjugate; removing excess fluid mixture from the capillary tube; externally irradiating the coated portion of the capillary tube with an electromagnetic signal sufficient to cause fluorescence of bound fluorescently labeled conjugate; and detecting through the capillary tube wall the resulting fluorescence occurring on the capillary tube interior surface to screen for the analyte.
- 2. The process of claim 1, wherein the capillary tube is dried after the removal of excess fluid from the capillary tube and prior to detecting the resultant fluorescence.
- 3. The process of claim 2, wherein the capillary tube is dried by spinning the capillary tube on a centrifuge, which is designed to securely hold the capillary tube and spinning it for a sufficient time and at a sufficient speed to dry the capillary tube.
- 4. The process of claim 3, wherein the capillary tube is held by a cartridge designed to fit and be securely held on said centrifuge.
- 5. The process of claim 2, wherein the means to dry the capillary tube comprises aspirating the capillary tube with a stream of gas.
- 6. The process of claim 1, wherein the binding in the capillary tube involves binding a fluorescently-labeled conjugate to the substrate of the interior surface of the capillary tube.
- 7. The process of claim 6, wherein the electromagnetic signal is generated by a laser or a tungsten lamp.
- 8. The process of claim 1, wherein the detected fluorescence is used to determine the amount of analyte present.
- 9. The process of claim 1, wherein data reduction and data analysis of detected fluorescence is used to give a result.
- 10. The process of claim 9, wherein the result of the process is presented as a digital display, a printout, a computer storable file, an output to an external device, or any combination of the foregoing.
- 11. The process of claim 8, wherein data reduction and data analysis of detected fluorescence is used to determine the amount of analyte present.
CROSS-REFERENCE
This is a continuation-in-part of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/254,302 filed Jun. 6, 1994, which application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety now U.S. Pat. No. 5,624,850.
US Referenced Citations (4)
Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
254302 |
Jun 1994 |
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