An immunoassay device has a housing defining a first opening for receiving
a solution and a second opening through which a liquid sample is
deposited, a strip of sorbent material having a test site with
immobilized antigen or antibody for the ligand to be tested, and a filter
for filtering the sample. The filter is located at the second opening and
directly above the test site. The sorbent material defines a horizontal
flow path in the housing for the solution from the first opening to the
test site. In use, the sample is first applied via the filter to the test
site, and then, after the ligand has been captured, a buffer added
through the first opening is used to cause a secondary specific binder
conjugated to a marker to migrate horizontally by capillary action to the
test site where it can bind to the already captured ligand. This
immunoassay offer several advantages over the traditional chromatographic
immunoassays.