Methods for analysis of DNA and RNA, such as Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), require very clean samples. Salts, metals, humic acids, or many other compounds in samples can inhibit the PCR reaction. In addition, the presence of sediment in the sample can reduce light transmission making detection impossible. Many methods exist for cleanup of DNA and RNA but few are automated and even fewer are readily integrated into automated detection systems. Systems that are capable of concentrating DNA and RNA from a large input volume into a small volume that closely matches the detector volume are virtually non-existent.

InnovaPrep has demonstrated the ability to clean and concentrate DNA in an automated and readily integrated system. Research for this effort was funded internally and through a Leonard Wood Institute and Army Research Laboratory SBIR Phase 0 grant. Samples containing lysed Bg spores are passed through a large pore membrane to remove large particulate matter and cellular debris. DNA is then captured onto a small pore size membrane as the clarified liquid is passed through. By completely removing the original fluid the major percentage of soluble and small particle inhibitors are removed. The DNA is then recovered with the novel InnovaPrep elution method.

A demonstration of the ability to pass one particle size while retaining another is shown in the photograph below. A mixture of 1 micrometer pink and 25 nanometer fluorescent green polystyrene microspheres is shown on the left. An InnovaPrep dual stage unit was used to separate and concentrate 10 milliliters of this suspension into a large particle concentrate (center) and a small particle concentrate (right).

The InnovaPrep methods for cleanup and concentration of DNA and RNA have application for a wide range of fields including Biodefense, criminal justice, and medical and veterinary diagnostics.