Sample Preparation Cartridges for Automated Nucleic Acid Capture
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current sample preparation methods for nucleic acids are labor-intensive, prone to contamination, and require lengthy quality control processes, which hinder rapid detection of pathogens in food products, leading to extended shelf-life and increased costs.
Innovation Solution
The development of sample preparation cartridges and apparatuses that automate lysing, selective capturing, and purifying nucleic acids, allowing for the detection of low copy numbers of pathogens and determining viability, using mechanisms such as mechanical, chemical, and heat lysis, and selective capture with antibodies, aptamers, and polysaccharides.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual or semi-automated sample preparation methods are used, then flexibility and adaptability are maintained, but labor costs increase, contamination risks increase, and preparation errors increase
Solution Approach 1:
The sample preparation process is divided into distinct functional modules: lysis chamber for cell breakdown, capture chamber for nucleic acid isolation, and purification chamber for contaminant removal. Each module is independently designed and optimized, allowing automated execution while maintaining preparation accuracy through specialized functionality at each stage.
Solution Approach 2:
The cartridge system is designed as a self-contained, single-use unit that performs all sample preparation functions automatically without requiring manual intervention. The integrated design allows the system to service itself by automatically progressing through lysis, capture, and purification steps using pre-loaded reagents and built-in mechanisms.
2Loss of time
If traditional quality control culture-based methods are used, then comprehensive pathogen detection is achieved, but detection time extends to 24 to 48 hours
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary nucleic acid extraction and purification actions automatically during the sample preparation phase, before the actual pathogen detection. This preliminary processing isolates and concentrates target nucleic acids, enabling rapid detection while maintaining accuracy by preparing samples in advance through automated lysis and capture mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical culture-based detection methods with molecular biology techniques using nucleic acid hybridization and amplification. This substitution eliminates the need for lengthy bacterial culture growth phases, reducing detection time from 24-48 hours to under 24 hours while maintaining or improving detection accuracy through sensitive molecular markers.
3Productivity
If automated sample preparation is implemented, then labor costs are reduced and contamination is minimized, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple sample preparation functions including lysis, nucleic acid capture, purification, and concentration are merged into a single integrated cartridge unit. This consolidation reduces system complexity by eliminating the need for separate automated instruments for each function, while maintaining high productivity through automated execution of the complete preparation workflow in one device.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses disposable, single-use cartridges that contain all necessary reagents and components for sample preparation. This approach reduces device complexity by avoiding expensive, maintainable automated mechanisms, instead using simple, throw-away cartridges that are automatically advanced by the instrument, thereby achieving high productivity without complex equipment.
4Measurement precision
If selective capture mechanisms are used, then pathogen detection specificity is improved, but the ability to detect low copy numbers decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary selective capture of nucleic acids specific to target pathogens during the sample preparation phase. This preliminary enrichment concentrates the target nucleic acids and removes non-target contaminants, thereby improving detection specificity while simultaneously increasing the quantity of detectable pathogen material through selective accumulation before final detection.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables rapid, automated, and contamination-free sample preparation, reducing detection time to under 24 hours and enhancing the ability to detect viable pathogens in food samples, thereby extending shelf-life and reducing costs.
Implementation Method 1
The cells in the sample are lysed in the lysis chamber
Implementation Method 2
The cells in the sample are lysed in the lysis chamber
Implementation Method 3
The cells in the sample are lysed in the lysis chamber
Implementation Method 4
The nucleic acids in the fluid sample are captured on a nucleic acid binding unit
Implementation Method 5
The sample is filtered to remove particulates
Data Source
AI summary
The invention includes sample preparation cartridges and apparatuses. The invention provides means for lysing and optionally selectively capturing at least one compound in a sample to purify, concentrate, and/or select for the at least one compound. The invention can be used in conjunction with a sample processing instrument to create a fully-automated or near-fully-automated sample workflow.