US Patent 7998748 - Detecting an analyte using a test element with nanofibers

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7998748.html

This patent from Roche Diagnostics Operations includes some basic claims to using long polymer nanofibers in diagnostic test elements. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method for qualitative or quantitative determination of an analyte in a bodily fluid sample, comprising:

providing a test element having nanofibers comprising fleeces, fabrics, membranes, layers or combinations thereof, at least some of the nanofibers having a length of at least 2 mm and containing more than one polymer bead thereon;

providing a photometric or electrochemical detection reagent with the test element for detecting the analyte in the bodily fluid sample;

applying the bodily fluid sample to the test element, wherein the nanofibers act on the liquid sample; and

determining a quantitative or qualitative property of the bodily fluid sample.