Glossary

Lateral-flow immunoassay

The strip-format immunoassay used in most at-home and instant-result drug tests.

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Lateral-flow immunoassay strips use capillary action to draw urine across antibody-coated zones. A visible test line indicates the analyte is below the cutoff (negative); absence of the test line indicates a non-negative / presumptive positive that should be lab-confirmed.

Sources & references

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  1. Drugs of Abuse Home Use Tests — U.S. Food and Drug Administration