CDs and DVDs have a polycarbonate surface and metal reflective layer which allow for storage and retrieval of information. The metal film is sometimes made of pure gold which is highly stable and has ideal optical properties. The metal can act as a substrate which allows compounds to bind to it. This alters the reflective and refractive properties of the disk. Disk reading is based on capturing analog signals with the disk drive. The signals are indicative of how much analyte is in a sample.
Because the disk spins, the platform has the ability to drive the sample through it through microfluidic channels and for multiple steps to be performed, allowing the possibility for sample preparation and more than one analysis to be conducted during a single run.
CD/DVD based assays could potentially be used for any immunoassay already in use and many assays used in analytical chemistry, as long as analytes have a corresponding probe, are soluble, and are large enough to alter the angle of incident.