LIQUID-TRANSFER DEVICE PARTICULARLY USEFUL AS A CAPTURING DEVICE IN A BIOLOGICAL ASSAY PROCESS

摘要

A capturing device (20) and method for use in capturing a substance in a liquid, by feeding the liquid through a capturing device (20) including: a lateral capillary flow matrix (13) and a capturing matrix (26) in fluid communication with the lateral capillary flow matrix (13) such as to produce a lateral capillary flow in the capturing matrix having a lower velocity than that in the lateral capillary flow matrix. This produces by the Bernoulli effect, a lower pressure with respect to the two lateral flows sufficient to impart transverse oscillations to the lateral flow in the capturing matrix, such oscillations driving the liquid into the interior of the capturing matrix thereby exposing its interior, rather than merely a surface thereof, to the liquid. In the described preferred embodiments, the capturing device is a biological assay device, and each substance in the liquid to be captured in the capture zone of the capturing matrix is a biological substance.