Lateral Flow Device Segmented Wells Surface Tension
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Solution Overview
Problem
Lateral flow devices face challenges in ensuring a reliable sample volume reaches the test strips, leading to inaccurate assays due to insufficient or excessive sample quantities, especially when multiple samples are analyzed simultaneously, which can result in inconsistent ambient conditions and uneven distribution of the sample.
Innovation Solution
A lateral flow device with multiple wells and flow restriction outlets, where surface tension prevents sample passage until actuation, allowing controlled distribution of sample volumes onto separate strips, ensuring simultaneous and even delivery for accurate assays.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single sample volume is deposited in a sample receiving zone for multiple lateral flow strips, then sample distribution control becomes complex, but each strip requires different sample volumes for accurate assays
Solution Approach 1:
The sample receiving zone is segmented into multiple separate wells (first well, second well, etc.), each dedicated to a specific lateral flow strip. This segmentation allows each well to control and deliver the precise sample volume required by its corresponding strip, eliminating the complexity of distributing a single sample volume across multiple strips while ensuring reliable assay accuracy for each.
Solution Approach 2:
Each well is designed with local quality characteristics tailored to its specific lateral flow strip requirements. The first well is configured with properties suitable for delivering the first sample volume to the first strip, while the second well has different properties optimized for delivering the second sample volume to the second strip. This local customization enables precise volume control without complex global distribution mechanisms.
2Productivity
If multiple samples are analyzed simultaneously on multiple lateral flow strips, then productivity increases, but ambient conditions may become inconsistent across strips
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple lateral flow strips are merged into a single integrated device housing, sharing common ambient conditions including temperature, humidity, and atmospheric pressure. The device structure ensures that all strips experience identical environmental conditions during the assay process, maintaining reliability while enabling simultaneous analysis of multiple samples for increased productivity.
3Manufacturing precision
If surface tension is used to prevent sample passage through flow restriction outlets, then sample volume control is improved, but device actuation complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The flow restriction outlets are pre-configured with specific aperture sizes and surface properties that create appropriate surface tension barriers before sample application. This preliminary setup ensures that samples remain contained in their respective wells at controlled volumes until actuation, providing precise volume control while maintaining simple operation through straightforward well-to-strip delivery mechanisms.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution ensures that multiple samples are distributed evenly and reliably onto their respective strips, minimizing the risk of inconsistent results and maintaining consistent ambient conditions for timed tests, thereby improving assay accuracy and reliability.
Implementation Method 1
a first surface tension of the first volume of the sample within the first well prevents the first volume of the sample passing through the first flow restriction outlet
Implementation Method 2
the first volume of the sample makes contact with the first lateral flow strip and is drawn along the first lateral flow strip thereby overcoming the first surface tension
Data Source
AI summary
A lateral flow device for analysing a sample of liquid has a first lateral flow strip configured to respond to a first volume of sample and a second lateral flow strip configured to respond to a second volume of the sample, wherein the second volume is greater than the first volume. The lateral flow device comprises a first well configured to receive the first volume of the sample and a second well configured to receive the second volume of the sample. Each well has a flow restriction outlet located adjacent its lateral flow strip. The lateral flow device comprises a pre-actuation configuration and an actuated configuration. The first and second flow restriction outlets are configured such that, in use, in the pre-actuation configuration, a first surface tension of the first volume of the sample within the first well prevents the first volume of the sample passing through the first flow restriction outlet and a second surface tension of the second volume of the sample within the second well prevents the second volume of the sample passing through the second flow restriction outlet. In the actuated configuration, (a) the first flow restriction outlet is located sufficiently proximate the first lateral flow strip such that the first volume of the sample makes contact with the first lateral flow strip and is drawn along the first lateral flow strip thereby overcoming the first surface tension; and (b) the second flow restriction outlet is located sufficiently proximate the second lateral flow strip such that the second volume of the sample makes contact with the second lateral flow strip and is drawn along the second lateral flow strip thereby overcoming the second surface tension.