Analysis

Abstract

A method for collecting an analyte species from a sample is provided, the method of collection potentially being supplemented to give a method of preparing a sample for analysis and/or a method of analysis. The method including providing part of a sample in a substrate, causing the sample to migrate to an interface between the substrate and a second substrate due to the action of an electrical potential difference, the electrophoretic velocity of the analyte species of the second substrate being balanced by or exceeded by the bulk flow velocity of the second substrate and the bulk flow velocity of the second substrate being in an opposing direction to the electrophoretic velocity of the analyte species in the second substrate. In this way substantial concentration of the analyte species at the interface is provided. Subsequently the species can be conveyed away from the interface for further preparation and/or analysis.

1 . A method of collecting an analyte species from a sample, the method including: 
 introducing at least a part of the sample to a substrate, the substrate having an interface with a second substrate;    applying an electrical potential difference across at least a part of the substrate, the interface and at least a part of the second substrate, at least one of the analyte species in the substrate moving towards the interface as a result of the electrical potential difference to form collected analyte species;    and wherein the electro-phoretic velocity of the analyte species in the second substrate is balanced by or exceeded by the bulk flow velocity of the second substrate and the bulk flow velocity of the second substrate is in an opposing direction to the electrophoretic velocity of the analyte species in the second substrate.    
     
     
         2 . A method of preparing a sample for analysis, the method including: 
 collecting an analyte species from a sample by introducing at least a part of the sample to a substrate, the substrate having an interface with a second substrate;    applying an electrical potential difference across at least a part of the substrate, the interface and at least a part of the second substrate, at least one of the analyte species in the substrate moving towards the interface as a result of the electrical potential difference to form collected analyte species;    the electrophoretic velocity of the analyte species in the second substrate being balanced by or exceeded by the bulk flow velocity of the second substrate, the bulk flow velocity of the second substrate being in an opposing direction to the electrophoretic velocity of the analyte species in the second substrate;    the method further including reversing the electrical potential difference across the at least a part of the substrate, the interface and the at least part of the second substrate, the collected analyte species moving away from the interface and through the second substrate as a result of the electrical potential difference being reversed.    
     
     
         3 . A method of analysing an analyte species from a sample, the method including: 
 collecting the analyte species from a sample by introducing at least a part of the sample to a substrate, the substrate having an interface with a second substrate;    applying an electrical potential difference across at least a part of the substrate, the interface and at least a part of the second substrate, at least one of the analyte species in the substrate moving towards the interface as a result of the electrical potential difference to form collected analyte species;    the electrophoretic velocity of the analyte species in the second substrate being balanced by or exceeded by the bulk flow velocity of the second substrate, the bulk flow velocity of the second substrate being in an opposing direction to the electrophoretic velocity of the analyte species in the second substrate;    the method further including reversing the electrical potential difference across the at least a part of the substrate, the interface and the at least part of the second substrate, the collected analyte species moving away from the interface and through the second substrate as a result of the electrical potential difference being reversed;    and wherein the analyte species in the second substrate are fed to an analysis stage, one or more pieces of information being determined about the analyte species by the analysis stage.    
     
     
         4 . A method according to any preceding claim in which the substrate is a gel, the second substrate is a buffer, and the electrophoretic velocity of the analyte species in the buffer is balanced by or exceeded by the electro-osmotic velocity of the buffer and the electro-osmotic velocity of the buffer is in an opposing direction to the electrophoretic velocity of the analyte species of the buffer.  
     
     
         5 . A method according to any preceding claim in which the analyte species is one or more of a disease marker, a protein, a drug, a metabolite, a bio-chemical marker, a chemical residue, a chemical component of fingerprint or other body marks, a skin residue or an excretion or a plurality of such species or of different types of the same species.  
     
     
         6 . A method according to any preceding claim in which the interface between the substrate and the second substrate is provided on an opposing side of the substrate to the surface to which the sample is introduced.  
     
     
         7 . A method according to any preceding claim in which the pH is provided to maximise the electrophoretic velocity of the analyte species in the substrate.  
     
     
         8 . A method according to any preceding claim in which the pH is provided so as to minimise the electrophoretic velocity of the analyte species in the second substrate.  
     
     
         9 . A method according to any preceding claim in which the pH is provided so as to maximise the electro-osmotic velocity within the second substrate.  
     
     
         10 . A method according to  claim 1  or any claim depending therefrom in which the method of collection is turned into a method of preparing a sample for analysis by reversing the polarity of electrical potential difference.  
     
     
         11 . A method according to  claim 2  or any claim depending therefore, or  claim 3  or any claim depending therefrom, or  claim 9 , in which the application of the reversed electrical potential difference occurs after a time period without an electrical potential difference applied, the period without an electrical potential difference applied is used to obtain diffusion of the analyte species away from the interface.  
     
     
         12 . A method according to any preceding claim in which the reversing of the polarity of the electrical potential difference causes the electro-osmotic flow to be away from the interface and the electro-osmotic velocity conveys the analyte species away from the interface.  
     
     
         13 . A method according to  claim 10  or  claim 11  in which the electro-osmotic velocity exceeds the electro-phoretic velocity of the analyte species in the second substrate during this part of the process.