The present invention eliminates the problems of conventional techniques caused by impurities or aggregates, and provides a new method for detecting an
analyte or estimating the concentration thereof. The method for detecting an
analyte or estimating the concentration thereof is characterized by comprising estimating the concentration of an
analyte in a
test sample using: a pore sensor having one pore, two chambers connected to both surfaces of the pore, and a pair of electrodes each installed in each of the two chambers; and a reaction
reagent including adhesion-type magnetic beads having a
magnetic bead surface to which a first adherent that specifically binds to the analyte is adhered, and adhesion-type detection beads having a non-
magnetic bead surface to which a second adherent that specifically binds to the analyte is adhered. When the
test sample and the reaction
reagent are mixed to form a reaction liquid, bonding occurs between the adhesion-type magnetic beads and the adhesion-type detection beads via the analyte in accordance with the concentration of the analyte in the reaction liquid. A
magnetic field is applied to a container accommodating the
test sample including sandwich complexes, generated by the bonding, of an adhesion-type
magnetic bead, the analyte, and an adhesion-type detection bead, to thereby fix the sandwich complexes including the adhesion-type magnetic beads in the container, and in this state, the reaction liquid is replaced with a cleaning liquid. Then, the cleaning liquid is removed, and further an eluate is introduced into the container to cause the adhesion-type detection beads to be released from the sandwich complexes into the eluate, and at the same time, the adhesion-type magnetic beads are fixed in the container by means of the
magnetic field, thereby separating the adhesion-type detection beads from the adhesion-type magnetic beads. The eluate containing the separated adhesion-type detection beads is introduced into one of the two chambers of the pore sensor, and an
electrolyte is introduced into the other of the two chambers, thereby providing electrical communication between the pair of electrodes. A
voltage is applied to the pair of electrodes, and the number of pulse signals due to a current transient change caused in the pair of electrodes each time an adhesion-type detection bead passes through the pore is measured, thereby measuring the presence or absence or the concentration of the analyte in the test sample.