the mark or notch is correctly positioned a related embodiment provides a raman reader that includes a test strip receiving member adapted to align or allow the alignment of the test stripes with illuminating and signal receiving elements of the raman spectrometer based on a reference marking and or notche s present on a later flow assay test strip a still further embodiment provides a system that includes the aforementioned test strip and a raman reader unit that are adapted to be used together the lateral flow matrix material may or may be at least partially housed in a casing in this case the casing rather than the actual strip material may include one or more reference markings notches and or other physical elements that permit the strip to be properly aligned in the reader for reading of the stripe s for example fig3 shows a lateral flow assay test strip 3 1 having a sample deposition area 32 and bilateral notches 33 formed at the axial position of a test stripe 34 and bilateral notches 35 formed at the position of a control stripe 36 arrow 37 illustrates the direction of lateral flow in the test strip fig4 shows an example of the test strip of fig3 positioned in a strip positioning mechanism of a.