The present invention provides apparatus and methods for the rapid determination of analytes in liquid samples by immunoassays incorporating magnetic capture of beads on a sensor capable of being used in the point-of-care diagnostic field.

The invention generally relates to using magnetic particles and magnets to isolate a target analyte from a body fluid sample. In certain embodiments, methods of the invention involve introducing magnetic particles including a target-specific binding moiety to a body fluid sample in order to create a mixture, incubating the mixture to allow the particles to bind to a target, applying a magnetic field to capture target/magnetic particle complexes on a surface, and washing with a wash solution that reduces particle aggregation, thereby isolating target/magnetic particle complexes.

The present invention provides apparatus and methods for the rapid determination of analytes in liquid samples by immunoassays incorporating magnetic capture of beads on a sensor capable of being used in the point-of-care diagnostic field.

The invention includes a method of assaying an analyte in a sample in a portable, handheld microfluidic reader. The method includes the steps of: inserting the sample in the reader; capturing the analyte with a first antibody having a DNA tag attached thereto; capturing the analyte in the sample with a second antibody attached to a surface or having a magnetic nanoparticle (MNP) attached thereto; where a sandwich including the magnetic nanoparticle, first and second antibodies, the analyte and the DNA tag is formed; replicating the DNA tag using isothermal amplification to a predetermined amount of DNA tags detectable by a detector sufficient to overcome the minimal mass sensitivity limitations of the detector; and measuring the amount of replicated DNA tags using the detector. The invention also includes an apparatus or handheld portable field microfluidic reader in which the method is performed.

The invention generally relates to using magnetic particles and alternating magnet fields to separate a target analyte from a sample. In certain embodiments, methods of the invention involve contacting a sample with magnetic particles including first moieties specific for a target analyte, thereby forming target/particle complexes in the sample, flowing the sample through a channel including second moieties attached to at least one surface of the channel, applying alternating magnetic fields to the flowing sample to result in target/particle complexes being brought into proximity of the surface to bind the second moieties and unbound particles remaining free in the sample, binding the target/particle complexes to the second moieties, and washing away unbound particles and unbound analytes of the sample.

The invention includes a method of assaying an analyte in a sample in a portable, handheld microfluidic reader. The method includes the steps of: inserting the sample in the reader; capturing the analyte with a first antibody having a DNA tag attached thereto; capturing the analyte in the sample with a second antibody attached to a surface or having a magnetic nanoparticle (MNP) attached thereto; where a sandwich including the magnetic nanoparticle, first and second antibodies, the analyte and the DNA tag is formed; replicating the DNA tag using isothermal amplification to a predetermined amount of DNA tags detectable by a detector sufficient to overcome the minimal mass sensitivity limitations of the detector; and measuring the amount of replicated DNA tags using the detector. The invention also includes an apparatus or handheld portable field microfluidic reader in which the method is performed.

Disclosed herein is an integrated microfluidic chip for detecting cancerous cells, particularly, cholangio-cancerous cells, from a biological sample. Also disclosed herein is a method of detecting cholangio-cancerous cells from a biological sample.

The invention generally relates to conducting an assay on a sample that isolates a pathogen from the sample and allows for analysis of the pathogen with minimal (i.e., at most 24 hrs of culturing) or no culturing of the pathogen. In certain embodiments, the invention provides methods for identifying a pathogen from a sample that involve obtaining a sample including a pathogen, conducting an assay that isolates the pathogen from the sample, culturing the isolated pathogen for at most about 24 hrs, and analyzing the pathogen.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide for polymer conjugates, methods of making the polymer conjugates, methods of using polymer conjugates, and the like, where the polymer conjugates include magnetic particles (e.g. iron oxide particles). Embodiments of the present disclosure can be advantageous for one or more of the following reasons: strong and rapid magnetic response, multiple types of agents can be attached to the polymer conjugate, the size of the polymer conjugate can be controlled, and the polymer conjugates can be produced in a cost-effective manner.

Disclosed herein are methods and kits for identifying platelet activating anti-PF4/P antibodies in a biological sample useful in diagnosing heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT).