Construction of dry reagent chemistries: use of reagent immobilization and compartmentalization techniques.

The development of dry reagent systems has provided convenience to the user as well as devices that are more versatile and suitable for a variety of analyses. Most dry reagent chemistries are usually less than 7 cm2 by 300 micron thick packaged as discrete test devices. This reduces spoilage of unused reagents. Sample volumes needed for analysis are usually in the range of 3-30 microliter, with 10 microliter most commonly used. The use of such small volumes makes these devices suitable for neonatal and geriatric patients where large sample volumes are not often available. Hence, 150 microliter of serum (approximately 300 microliter blood) is sufficient for at least 15 different analyses on a sample. Dry reagent chemistries are easy to store, readily available for use, and disposable. Only application of a sample is needed to start an analysis.