Isotachophoretic focusing of nucleic acids

US8846314B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University · US

Inventors

• Robert D. Chambers · Lebanon, US
• Juan G. Santiago · Fremont, US
• Alexandre Persat · Princeton, US
• Reto Schoch · Speicherschwendi, CH
• Mostafa Ronaghi · Menlo Park, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Mar 2, 2010
• Grant date: Sep 30, 2014
• Expiry date: Dec 9, 2030

Classification

• Technology area (CPC C): Chemistry; Metallurgy
• CPC primary: C12N15/101
• WIPO field: Chemical engineering
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

A method and system are presented for fast and efficient isolation, purification and quantitation of nucleic acids from complex biological samples using isotachophoresis in microchannels. In an embodiment, a sieving medium may be used to enhance selectivity. In another embodiment, PCR-friendly chemistries are used to purify nucleic acids from complex biological samples and yield nucleic acids ready for further analysis including for PCR. In another embodiment, small RNAs from biological samples are extracted, isolated, preconcentrated and quantitated using on-chip ITP with a high efficiency sieving medium. The invention enables fast concentration and separation (takes 10s to 100s of seconds) of nucleic acids with high selectivity and using lower volumes of reagents (order of 10s of μL to focus less than 1 pg/μL of nucleic acid).