Disclosed are liquid and
solid assay compositions and portable sample reader devices for use in a sample-to-answer
diagnostic system for the detection of one or more analytes, preferably the detection of circulating histones in
whole blood. Further provided are methods of making and using the
assay compositions and portable sample reader, including the collection of a raw sample, testing the sample using the
assay compositions, and analyzing the sample via the portable sample reader. More particularly, assay compositions comprising a sacrificial partition, target molecule, detectable
label, and sacrificial partition are used in combination with a sample reader comprising an optical
system and a housing unit as part of a sample-to-answer
diagnostic system for quantifying circulating histones in
whole blood as a mechanism of predicting the risk of multiple organ failure.