Paper substrate diagnostic apparatus and related methods and systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10488362-B2
Application number	US-201715651802-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 17, 2017
Priority date	Oct 24, 2014
Publication date	Nov 26, 2019
Grant date	Nov 26, 2019

Abstract

Example paper substrate diagnostic apparatus and related methods and systems are disclosed herein. An example apparatus includes a hydrophobic substrate having a first end and a second end opposite the first end. The apparatus includes a detection zone on a first surface of the substrate, the detection zone defining an area to sense an analyte in a sample, the detection zone comprising a first electrode and a second electrode disposed on the first surface of the substrate and a layer of hydrophilic ink disposed on the two electrodes and an area between the first and second electrodes. The apparatus also includes a channel comprising hydrophilic ink disposed on the first surface of the substrate, the channel having an inlet section adjacent the first end of the substrate, a middle section, and an outlet section in contact with the layer of hydrophilic ink. The channel is to transfer a fluid sample from the inlet section to the layer of hydrophilic ink.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of manufacturing a substrate-based diagnostic device, the method comprising:
depositing a sensor on a top surface of a hydrophobic substrate, the hydrophobic substrate having a first end and a second end opposite the first end;
depositing a layer of reagent on or around the sensor;
depositing a layer of hydrophilic ink over the sensor and the layer of reagent, the layer of hydrophilic ink, the sensor, and the layer of reagent forming a detection zone; and
depositing a pathway of hydrophilic ink onto the top surface of the hydrophobic substrate, the pathway leading from an area adjacent the first end of the hydrophobic substrate to the layer of hydrophilic ink.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sensor includes a first electrode and a second electrode.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein depositing the layer of reagent includes depositing the layer of reagent on a top surface of the first electrode.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein depositing the sensor includes printing the first electrode and the second electrode onto the top surface of the hydrophobic substrate.

5. The method of claim 4 , further including using a first printer to print the first electrode and using a second printer to print the second electrode.

6. The method of claim 5 , further including using a first metallic material to print the first electrode and using a second metallic material, different than the first metallic material, to print the second electrode.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the first and second printers are screen printers.

8. The method of claim 5 , further including printing, using the first and second printers, traces and contacts for the first and second electrodes, respectively, leading from the first and second electrodes to the second end of the hydrophobic substrate.

9. The method of claim 2 , wherein the second electrode is disposed closer to the first end of the hydrophobic substrate than the first electrode, the second electrode being a ground electrode.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein depositing the layer of reagent includes printing, via an inkjet printer, the layer of reagent.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein depositing the layer of hydrophilic ink and depositing the pathway of hydrophilic ink include printing the hydrophilic ink using at least one of a flexographic printer, a screen printer, a stencil printer, or an inkjet printer.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the hydrophilic ink includes micro-beads or nano-beads and a binder to adhere the micro-beads or the nano-beads to the top surface of the hydrophobic substrate.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the binder includes at least one of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), or nanofiber cellulose (NFC).

14. The method of claim 1 , further including:
unrolling a base substrate from a roller, the hydrophobic substrate forming a portion of the base substrate; and
after depositing the sensor, the layer of reagent, the layer of hydrophilic ink, and the pathway of hydrophilic ink, cutting the portion of the base substrate to separate the substrate-based diagnostic device from a remainder of the base substrate.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the substrate-based diagnostic device is a first substrate-based diagnostic device, further including:
forming a second substrate-based diagnostic device from the base substrate adjacent to the first substrate-based diagnostic device by:
depositing a second sensor on a second top surface of a second hydrophobic substrate, the second hydrophobic substrate forming a second portion of the base substrate;
depositing a second layer of reagent on or around the second sensor;
depositing a second layer of hydrophilic ink over the second sensor and the second layer of reagent, the second layer of hydrophilic ink, the second sensor, and the second layer of reagent forming a second detection zone; and
depositing a second pathway of hydrophilic ink onto the second top surface of the second hydrophobic substrate, the second pathway leading from an area adjacent a first end of the second hydrophobic substrate to the second layer of hydrophilic ink; and

cutting the second portion of the base substrate to separate the second substrate-based diagnostic device from the remainder of the base substrate.

16. The method of claim 1 , further including, prior to depositing the sensor, the layer of reagent, the layer of hydrophilic ink, and the pathway of hydrophilic ink, forming an indentation in the top surface of the hydrophobic substrate.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the sensor, the layer of hydrophilic ink and the pathway of hydrophilic ink are deposited into the indentation.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein a top of the layer of hydrophilic ink and the pathway of hydrophilic ink are substantially even with the top surface of the hydrophobic substrate around the indentation.

19. The method of claim 16 , wherein forming the indentation includes etching, with a laser, the indentation in the top surface of the hydrophobic substrate.

Assignees

• Abbott Lab

Inventors

• Laurenson Sophie

Classifications

• B01L3/502707

  characterised by the manufacture of the container or its components · CPC title

• B01L2300/161

  Control and use of surface tension forces, e.g. hydrophobic, hydrophilic · CPC title

• G01N27/3275 Primary

  Sensing specific biomolecules, e.g. nucleic acid strands, based on an electrode surface reaction · CPC title

• B01L2300/126

  Paper · CPC title

• B01L2300/023

  Sending and receiving of information, e.g. using Bluetooth® · CPC title