This disclosure is directed, in part, toward preparing and utilizing tunable electrostatic capture (“TEC”) ligands that have an ionizable function. The electrostatic nature of the ionizable functionality of the TEC ligands can be “tuned” or adjusted to either reversibly bind or release a desired target anion, such as a biomolecule, by varying the pH and/or the ionic strength of the binding conditions and release conditions. The TEC ligands can be bound to a solid support to form TEC binding surfaces. TEC surfaces, ligands, solid supports and the accompanying methods and buffer systems can be used to isolate polyanions, such as nucleic acids, from materials, for example in a size-selective manner.

Disclosed is a sample preparation container for purification and/or enrichment of bio-organic compounds from cellular material, viruses and/or sub-components of these. The container includes a reaction chamber and a chromatography medium. The reaction chamber is for holding the cellular material, etc. and is configured to perform reactions inside. The chromatography medium is configured to purify the bio-organic compounds. The chromatography medium is located at a wall of the reaction chamber, and the wall is closed or sealed and configured to be opened for obtaining purified bio-organic compounds. The sample preparation container further includes a receiving chamber for receiving the bio-organic compounds, that is adjacent to the chromatography medium such that the chromatography medium separates the reaction chamber from the receiving chamber. The outer face of the receiving chamber is closed and configured to be opened for obtaining purified bio-organic compounds.

Methods and devices for isolating microbial cells from a sample, extracting eukaryotic DNA from a sample, and identifying the microbial species in the sample are disclosed herein.

Provided herein is technology related to processing samples of nucleic acids and particularly, but not exclusively, to methods for enriching samples for small nucleic acids, such as small circulating cell-free DNA.

A filter for isolating nucleic acid from a sample and methods of isolating and purifying nucleic acid from a sample are described. The filter has a first porous region and a second porous region. The first porous region is arranged to be contacted in use by the sample before the second porous region, and the first porous region has a nominal pore size that is greater than the second porous region.

The present invention relates to methods for purifying nucleic acids. In particular, the present invention relates to a method for separating guanine-rich oligonucleotides from quadruplex secondary structures formed from the oligonucleotides using monolithic anion exchange chromatography. Mobile phase parameters that control quadruplex formation and enable separation of the intact quadruplex from the single-strand oligonucleotide are also described.

A method for separation of an oligonucleotide from a mixture using a biphasic mobile phase/stationary phase liquid-liquid chromatography system. A first mobile phase contains the oligonucleotide and the stationary phase contains an exchanger substance that removably binds to the target oligonucleotide. The mobile phase is caused to flow in contact with the stationary phase in a liquid-liquid chromatography apparatus such that the oligonucleotide becomes bound to the exchanger substance in the liquid stationary phase. The oligonucleotide is then displaced from the liquid stationary phase into a second liquid mobile phase by means of a displacer substance able to displace the oligonucleotide from the stationary phase into the second mobile phase.

The invention provides methods of detecting a nucleic acid present in a biological sample, comprising combining the biological sample with a lysis buffer to form a lysis mixture comprising nucleic acid released from cells in said biological sample; and subjecting a volume of the lysis mixture to size-exclusion chromatography in a column comprising a volume of size-exclusion medium. In certain embodiments, the lysis buffer separates double-stranded nucleic acid into single-stranded nucleic acid. In certain embodiments, the elution can have a flow rate of separation of less than 10 minutes to produce an eluted solution comprising isolated nucleic acid. The invention provides for a method of accurately and rapidly detecting products of nucleic acid amplification.

Electrophoretic separation methods and systems for performing the same are provided. The methods and systems find use in a variety of different electrophoretic separation applications, such as sub-cellular Western blotting of single cells.

Methods, systems and apparatus for automated extraction, purification, and processing of nucleic acids from biological samples are presented. In some embodiments, hydrogel supports are used to immobilize particulate biological input samples and extract nucleic acids during operations. The use of hydrogel facilitates automated sample processing on robotic liquid handling systems. Devices, methods, and systems are also provided for electrophoretic sample preparation.