Miniaturized Flow Injection Immunoassay Analysis System Development

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have recently developed a flow injection-based immunoassay which offers high sensitivity, reduced sample volume requirements and reasonable assay cycle times. This promising technology lends itself to substantial reduction in size, creating an opportunity for the development of flow injection immunoassay analysis (FIIA) systems for field use. These ultra-compact, perhaps credit card-sized, versions of an FIIA system could find applications throughout the medical, chemical and environmental industries. The goal of the proposed Phase I program is to design such a system with the intent of fully exploring this wide range of commercialization opportunities . The heart of the FIIA system is the flow injection subsystem, which routes the samples, buffers, detergents and waste products used in the analysis to the appropriate locations at the requisite times. The flow injection subsystem will be the focus of the Phase I effort, although sizing studies will be performed for the detector and power/electronics subsystems as well. The consideration of the flow subsystem includes the definition of the micro-pump(s), the micro-valves, and the micro-fluidic passages and chambers dimensions and locations.