A Rapid Microfluidic Immunoassay for Quantitative Measurement of Interactions among One or More Analytes
Introduction There is a need for rapid and versatile means to quantitatively measure binding interactions between analytes. Most conventional competitive assays are carried out in an ELISA format for which the time to assay a sample can take several hours. In order to obtain quantitative data using ELISA, sample results must be compared to a calibration set, requiring additional reagent cost and labor. Technology description Researchers at the University of Washington have developed a microfluidic device and assay method that uses an imaging assembly, such as surface plasma resonance imaging to measure the rate at which analytes bind to a binding partner immobilized on a sensing surface of the device. This assay provides an improvement over conventional competitive immunoassays because quantitative determinations of multiple analytes in a single small fluid sample can be made rapidly and simultaneously with a reference solution containing a known concentration of competitor. Additionally, by selecting particular fluidic geometries measurements can include real-time comparisons to reference solutions to control for variations in temperature, detector response, and other manufacturing uncertainties. Business Opportunity This assay can be adapted to work downstream of microfluidic sample pre-conditioning methods to enable detection of small molecules in a variety of clinical samples (e.g., saliva, serum, whole blood, CSF, urine, stool, pulmonary fluid, etc.), making it well suited for integration into “lab on a chip” microfluidic systems and allowing for a high degree of automation. Taken together with the rapid time to obtain a result, the present invention is much better suited to point-of-care diagnostic testing by relatively untrained personnel than standard immunoassay formats. Stage of Development Our researchers have successfully manufactured thus device and have a working prototype. Intellectual Property Position The UW has patents pending in the US, Europe, and Canada on this technology.Type of Offer: Licensing
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