Methods and devices for removal of organic molecules from biological mixtures using a hydrophilic solid support in a hydrophobic matrix

Abstract

Methods and devices for removing small negatively charged molecules from a biological sample mixture that uses a solid-phase extraction material that includes a hydrophilic solid support at least partially embedded within a hydrophobic matrix.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 10 / 027,226, filed Dec. 20, 2001, now allowed, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference in their entirety herein.BACKGROUND [0002] Water-soluble dyes (e.g., fluorescent, chemiluminescent, visible, and near-IR) are used routinely in molecular biology to label and monitor components of biological reactions. Frequently, residual dyes as well as other organic molecules should be removed before proceeding with many downstream applications. Thus, the present invention is directed to removing dyes and other organic molecules from biological mixtures, particularly in low volume, microfluidic devices. [0003] There is a significant need for high throughput, low volume, integrated microfluidic devices in order to increase sample throughput and reduce the amount of reagents used per sample (thereby reducing cost per sample) in biological reactions. Small volume Polymerase Ch...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0012] The present invention provides a solid-phase extraction material that includes a hydrophilic solid support (typically in the form of particles) at least partially embedded within a hydrophobic matrix. The present invention also provides methods for processing biological mixtures, i.e., samples containing a biological material such as peptide- and / or nucleotide-containing material, using such solid-phase material. Specifically, the present invention provides methods for the removal of negatively charged organic molecules (e.g., dyes, primers, probes, dNTPs, dye terminators such as ddNTPs, ddNDPs, ddNMPs, and nucleosides) from biological sample mixtures using hydrophilic particles at least partially embedded within a hydrophobic matrix. These methods are based on solid-phase extraction techniques. They are advantageous because they can be incorporated into high throughput, low volume, integrated microfluidic devices, if desired, particularly those being developed for PCR and DNA sequencing.

Problems solved by technology

Failure to sufficiently reduce the concentration of dye terminator molecules leads to dye artifacts (i.e., other dye-containing molecules such as dye-labeled dideoxy terminators such as dideoxynucleotide diphosphates (ddNDPs), dideoxynucleotide monophosphates (ddNMPs), and dideoxynucleosides) that can significantly obscure DNA sequence information.

Such conventional technologies for the purification of PCR and nucleic acid sequencing reactions have not proven to be suitable for incorporation into a microfluidic device.

Gels are first swollen with a relatively large volume of water, centrifuged, and loaded substantially immediately, because, upon dehydration, these materials are prone to cracking.

Although biotin-streptavidin and HBP purification methods yield clean PCR and sequencing fragments, both approaches require customized primers, which can be cumbersome and expensive.

This multi-step bind / rinse / elute purification scheme may also prove to be cumbersome within the context of a microfluidic device.

Unfortunately, however, with such particles, the particles must remain in a hydrated state, which limits the ability to prefabricate particle-loaded devices.

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