Method and apparatus for isolating nucleic acids

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9441220-B2
Application number	US-201214364436-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 20, 2012
Priority date	Dec 22, 2011
Publication date	Sep 13, 2016
Grant date	Sep 13, 2016

Abstract

A method comprises: sorbing a sample solution comprising nucleic acids to a sample receiving portion of a quartz fiber filter by contacting the sample solution with the sample receiving portion; and washing the sample receiving portion while keeping most of nucleic acids around the sample receiving portion by flowing a wash solution through the sample receiving portion under a wicking force directed away from the sample receiving portion. An associated apparatus is also provided.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for isolating nucleic acids comprising:
sorbing a sample solution comprising nucleic acids to a sample receiving portion of a quartz fiber filter by contacting the sample solution with the sample receiving portion; and
washing the sample receiving portion while keeping most of nucleic acids around the sample receiving portion by flowing a wash solution through the sample receiving portion under a wicking force directed away from the sample receiving portion, wherein the quartz fiber filter has a particle retention efficiency of about 98% for particles of a size of no less than 2.2 μm, a basis weight of 85 g/m 2 , and a thickness in a range of from about 300 μm to about 600 μm.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sample solution comprises a chaotropic salt.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the wash solution comprises at least one of ethanol and isopropanol.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the quartz fiber filter comprises a wash portion distant from the sample receiving portion and the wash solution is added to the wash portion.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the quartz fiber filter is an elongated strip comprising a first end, the wash portion, the sample receiving portion, and a second end, the wash portion is located closer to the first end than to the second end and the sample receiving portion is located closer to the second end than the wash portion.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising: providing a bibulous pad made of at least one of cellulose, silica microfiber filter, glass fiber, and quartz filter, and adjacent to and vertically aligned with at least one of the wash portion and the second end.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the wash portion is the first end and is soaked in the wash solution while the sample receiving portion is located outside the surface of the wash solution in the step of washing.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: providing a bibulous pad made of at least one of cellulose, silica microfiber filter, glass fiber, and quartz filter, and adjacent to and vertically aligned with the quartz fiber filter, wherein the wash solution is added to the sample receiving portion.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: drying the quartz fiber filter after washing.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Chen Lin
• Shang Bing
• Hochleitner Klaus
• Hou Rong
• Wang Yanju

Classifications

• C12N15/1017 Primary

  by filtration, e.g. using filters, frits, membranes · CPC title

• B01J20/28023

  Fibres or filaments (fibres or filaments in the form of membranes B01J20/28038; B01J20/28007 takes precedence) · CPC title

• C07H1/06

  Separation; Purification · CPC title

• B01J20/28038

  Membranes or mats made from fibers or filaments · CPC title

• B01J20/281

  Sorbents specially adapted for preparative, analytical or investigative chromatography · CPC title