| CPC G01N 27/44756 (2013.01) [G01N 1/405 (2013.01); G01N 27/44708 (2013.01); G01N 27/44743 (2013.01); G01N 33/543 (2013.01); G01N 33/561 (2013.01)] | 21 Claims |
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1. A method of detecting disease comprising the steps of:
providing a portable biomarker analyzer electrophoresis apparatus including: (a) a main transport passage; (b) at least one secondary transport passage; (c) a plurality of separation passages, each of the separation passages having a separation passage overlapping portion that overlaps a different portion of the main transport passage, each intersection of each of the separation passages with the main transport passage has a staggered configuration of the main transport passage having an elongated separation passage portion that forms the respective separation passage overlapping portion where the main transport passage and the separation passages connect at two separate and distinct points, the plurality of separation passages being separate and independently communicable upstream of the respective overlapping portions with a separation buffer supply or with a supply of an elution buffer or solution; (d) a different analyte concentrator-microreactor (ACM) device in each of the overlapping portions;
isolating and concentrating a different biomarkers from one or more specimens from an animal or organism, the one or more specimens being introduced into an inlet end of the main or secondary transport passage, a first set of the different biomarkers being associated with a first disease and a different second set of the different biomarkers being associated with a second disease, each of the analyte concentrator-microreactor (ACM) devices includes at least one affinity ligand capable of attracting the respective different biomarker from the specimen;
controlling fluid flow, using a valve system, through the main and the at least one secondary transport passage from the inlet end of the main transport passage to an outlet end of the transport main passage and from the separation passages to a detection zone; the valve system controlling the flow of a separation buffer in the separation passages introduced from the separation buffer supply or a plug of an elution buffer or solution in the separation passages introduced from the biomarker elution buffer supply in a sequential order from an inlet end of the respective separation passages to an outlet end of the respective separation passages, the valve system being selectively operable in a first disease mode wherein biomarkers associated with the first disease are released from a first set of the analyte concentrator-microreactor (ACM) devices for delivery to the detection zone and in an alternative second disease mode wherein biomarkers associated with the second disease are released from a second set of the biomarker concentrators for delivery to the detection zone;
determining a panel of biomarkers from the different biomarkers being associated with the first disease and the different biomarkers being associated with a second disease; and
evaluating the panel of biomarkers in an evaluator, the evaluator having an updatable memory having reference data corresponding to the first and second diseases, the evaluator in both first and second disease modes compares data relative to the biomarkers detected at the detection zone with the reference data,
wherein an inlet end of each of the at least one secondary transport passage has a coupling connection to a respective external source for collection of the one or more specimens, the external source for collection of the one or more specimens being selected from a portable exhaled breath and oral fluid collection system, a Foley catheter urine collection system or an intravenous blood collection system.
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