Aspects of the present disclosure include sample preparation cartridges including a cylindrical structure and one or more covers. The cylindrical structure further includes a top, a bottom, an annular wall, a plurality of cavities in the annular wall that form a plurality of open-sided chambers on the annular wall and one or more interconnections providing fluidic communication between the plurality of chambers. The one or more covers cover the open side of the plurality of chambers. Also provided is a cylinder housing comprising one or more magnets. The sample preparation cartridge is removably disposed into the cylinder housing or adjacent to the cylinder housing. Methods of using the sample preparation device are also provided.

Methods and systems for processing polynucleotides (e.g., DNA) are disclosed. A processing region includes one or more surfaces (e.g., particle surfaces) modified with ligands that retain polynucleotides under a first set of conditions (e.g., temperature and pH) and release the polynucleotides under a second set of conditions (e.g., higher temperature and/or more basic pH). The processing region can be used to, for example, concentrate polynucleotides of a sample and/or separate inhibitors of amplification reactions from the polynucleotides. Microfluidic devices with a processing region are disclosed.

A system for extracting analytes from a biological sample, which includes: an electronic pipette having pipette cones with a tip; a well support; a pipette holder including: a base which can removably house each well support; a pipette support into which the pipette is inserted, and which can move relative to the base between a first position in which the tips of the cones are inserted in a well of the support and at least one second position in which the tips are outside the wells; a housing facing the pipette cones above their tip when the pipette support is in the first position, and facing the tips of the pipette cones when the pipette support is in the second position; and a magnetized part removably inserted in the housing.

Disclosed herein is a novel method to fabricate magnetic silica nanomembranes using thin polymer cores based on silica deposition and self-wrinkling induced by thermal shrinkage. These micro- and nano-scale structures have vastly enlarged the specific area of silica, thus the magnetic silica nanomembranes can be used for solid phase extraction of nucleic acids. The magnetic silica nanomembranes are suitable for nucleic acid purification and isolation and demonstrated better performance than commercial particles in terms of nucleic acid recovery yield and integrity. In addition, the magnetic silica nanomembranes may have high nucleic acid capacity due to significantly enlarged specific surface area of silica. Methods of use and devices comprising the magnetic silica nanomembranes are also provided herein.

The present invention is a new and non-obvious method for the improved and simplified purification of nucleic acids.

The invention comprises methods for isolating nucleic acids, such as DNA and RNA, while enzyme-inhibiting polyanions are reduced at the same time, using a non-alcoholic binder solution that is not based on chaotropic salts, and a washing solution containing an amine compound, and kits suitable for such a method, comprising the mentioned binder solution and washing solution.

A method is provided for enriching extracellular DNA from a biological sample comprising extracellular DNA and extracellular vesicles, wherein the method comprises: (a) preparing a binding mixture comprising—the biological sample, —a solid phase comprising anion exchange groups, —an acidic binding buffer comprising a buffering agent, and binding extracellular DNA to the solid phase comprising anion exchange groups; (b) separating the solid phase with the bound extracellular DNA from the remaining binding mixture, wherein the remaining binding mixture comprises extracellular vesicles. The method may furthermore comprise processing the remaining binding mixture to enrich one or more biological targets of interest therefrom, wherein processing may comprise (c) enriching as biological targets extracellular vesicles and/or extracellular RNA from the remaining binding mixture.

The present invention is directed to a method for extraction of cell-free nucleic acid fragments from a blood sample to facilitate cancer diagnosis, prognosis and monitoring as well as prenatal screening. The present invention provides a cartridge comprising a first compartment for filtering plasma from a blood sample and preferably also for cell fixation and cell rinsing in order to improve yield and a second compartment for performing nucleic acid separation, wherein the first compartment comprises a hollow fiber membrane and the second compartment comprises material for binding the nucleic acids or a gel for electrophoresis. The invention also provides and an automated system comprising a device with a docking site adapted to receive said cartridge, said device comprising means adapted to operate the blood plasma filtering process in said cartridge and means adapted to operate nucleic acid separation in said cartridge.

A method to recover an extracellular vesicle at a high efficiency, including (a) and (b): wherein (a) is mixing (i) an extracellular vesicle-containing sample, (ii) particles on which a substance having an affinity to extracellular vesicle membrane is immobilized, and (iii) a polymer to give a mixture solution containing (i′) target particles bound to the extracellular vesicle via the substance and (ii′) the polymer; and (b) separating the target particles from the mixture solution. The method further includes reducing a viscosity of the mixture solution between (a) and (b). A method for analyzing an extracellular vesicle. A kit having (a) a polymer, (b) a substance having an affinity to the extracellular vesicle membrane, and (c) an enzyme capable of degrading a polymer.

An apparatus and method for extracting nucleic acids such as DNA molecules from biological samples uses solid-state magnetic manipulation. A fluid sample and magnetic beads are placed in a vessel. The vessel is placed in a housing with an array of electromagnets mounted therein. The electromagnets are energized sequentially or in groups to move the magnetic beads through the fluid sample in a variety of patterns. The apparatus disclosed herein may be used as a measurement device to measure bead number density and modify magnetic patterns in order to deliver consistent dosages in bead number.