US 12,259,385 B2
Sample analysing device
Mark Hudson, Norwich (GB); Jonathan Johnson, Norwich (GB); David Russell, Norwich (GB); Stephan Goetz, Stowmarket (GB); and Tanya Stuchinskaya, Norwich (GB)
Assigned to Intelligent Fingerprinting Limited, Cambridge (GB)
Appl. No. 15/328,799
Filed by INTELLIGENT FINGERPRINTING LIMITED, Cambridge (GB)
PCT Filed Jul. 24, 2015, PCT No. PCT/GB2015/052157
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jan. 24, 2017,
PCT Pub. No. WO2016/012812, PCT Pub. Date Jan. 28, 2016.
Claims priority of application No. 1413157 (GB), filed on Jul. 24, 2014.
Prior Publication US 2017/0307605 A1, Oct. 26, 2017
Int. Cl. G01N 33/543 (2006.01); G01N 33/487 (2006.01); G01N 33/49 (2006.01); G01N 33/94 (2006.01)
CPC G01N 33/54388 (2021.08) [G01N 33/48714 (2013.01); G01N 33/492 (2013.01); G01N 33/9486 (2013.01)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for analysing a sample comprising from 0.1 pg to 1 μg of analyte, the method comprising:
(a) directly contacting a region of a subject's skin comprising a ridge pattern with a sample receiving portion of a lateral flow device to provide a sample on the sample receiving portion, the lateral flow device comprising a permeable membrane including the sample receiving portion, a probe zone and a test site, the lateral flow device being housed within a cassette, and the sample receiving portion being aligned with an aperture of the cassette that is sized to receive a fingerprint of the subject, the sample containing or not containing from 0.1 pg to 1 μg of an analyte of interest, wherein the sample comprises finger-sweat and/or toe-sweat;
(b) passing a buffer through the sample to form a dissolved sample solution in which any analyte is concentrated therein;
(c) contacting at least a portion of the dissolved sample solution with the probe zone comprising a labelled probe to dissolve at least a portion of the labelled probe and allow the labelled probe to bind with the analyte, where present, in the portion of the dissolved sample solution to form a labelled probe-analyte complex;
(d) passing the labelled probe and/or labelled probe-analyte complex through the test site comprising a first immobilised capture reagent capable of binding to the labelled probe;
(e) determining whether or not the amount of analyte, if any, in the sample exceeds a threshold value by detecting the amount of labelled probe in the test site;
wherein the lateral flow device further comprises:
the probe zone downstream of the sample receiving portion; and
the test site, downstream of the probe zone and aligned with a window of the cassette;
the device being configured to permit movement of the buffer from the sample receiving portion to the probe zone and from the probe zone to the test site; and
wherein step (b) is carried out by providing the buffer upstream of the sample receiving portion and passing the buffer through the sample receiving portion,
wherein the sample provided in step (a) is substantially dry, such that the sample comprises insufficient liquid to move from the sample receiving zone to the probe zone, and
wherein the buffer comprises a water miscible organic solvent, a surfactant, a buffering agent, and an emulsifier.