METHOD FOR DETECTING THE PRESENCE OF A NUCLEIC ACID IN A SAMPLE

• Main Authors: BURNS RALPH E, HORNER GLENN A, HANSBERRY (DECEASED) ERNEST V, KLING JOHN E, JAKUB CHERYL A, AMMANN KELLY G, SMITH ROBERT J, NIEGLOS DONALD J, SCHNEIDER ROBERT E
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 09.01.2014
• Subjects: APPARATUS FOR ENZYMOLOGY OR MICROBIOLOGY; BEER; BIOCHEMISTRY; CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL LABORATORY APPARATUS FOR GENERAL USE; CHEMISTRY; COMPOSITIONS OR TEST PAPERS THEREFOR; CONDITION-RESPONSIVE CONTROL IN MICROBIOLOGICAL ORENZYMOLOGICAL PROCESSES; ENZYMOLOGY; FERMENTATION OR ENZYME-USING PROCESSES TO SYNTHESISE A DESIREDCHEMICAL COMPOUND OR COMPOSITION OR TO SEPARATE OPTICAL ISOMERSFROM A RACEMIC MIXTURE; INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIRCHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES; MEASURING; MEASURING OR TESTING PROCESSES INVOLVING ENZYMES, NUCLEICACIDS OR MICROORGANISMS; METALLURGY; MICROBIOLOGY; MIXING, e.g. DISSOLVING, EMULSIFYING, DISPERSING; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL; PHYSICS; PROCESSES OF PREPARING SUCH COMPOSITIONS; SPIRITS; TESTING; TRANSPORTING; VINEGAR; WINE

An automated method for detecting the presence of a nucleic acid in a sample, where the method is performed within a housing of a self-contained, stand-alone analyzer. The method includes purifying the nucleic acid after it has been immobilized on a magnetically-responsive solid support. A pipette of the analyzer is used to form a reaction mixture comprising the purified nucleic acid and all reagents required to perform a nucleic acid amplification. As a result of the nucleic acid amplification, amplification products are synthesized that include a nucleotide sequence contained in the nucleic acid or the complement of the nucleic acid. The amplification products are exposed to a probe in a mixture, where the probe forms a hybrid with one of the amplification products. A label associated with the probe is detected as an indication of the formation of the hybrid, and the formation of the hybrid in the mixture provides an indication of the presence of the nucleic acid in the sample.