Rotation Body for Dry Land Nucleic Acid Collection

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Current methods for collecting biological nucleic acids from terrestrial organisms are limited, as they often decompose in water and are difficult to sample over wide areas, particularly in dry land environments, where they are more stable.

Innovation Solution

A biological nucleic acid collection method and apparatus that uses a rotation body to collect nucleic acids-containing sediment from the ground surface, allowing for exhaustive sampling by rotating the body in contact with the ground, which includes collectors to efficiently gather and extract nucleic acids from a wide range of species.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If water samples are collected for environmental DNA analysis, then nucleic acids of aquatic organisms can be collected, but the method cannot collect nucleic acids of terrestrial organisms and the collection range is limited

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecollection rangeVSAvoidnucleic acid preservation quality
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The invention changes the sampling medium from water to dry land surface, exploiting the parameter difference in nucleic acid stability between aqueous and terrestrial environments. This allows collection of terrestrial organism nucleic acids while improving preservation quality through the dry state that prevents decomposition

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The rotation body is designed to collect nucleic acids from the dry surface of land, enabling the system to universally collect nucleic acids from both aquatic and terrestrial organisms by adapting to different environments, thereby expanding the collection range beyond water-only sampling

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Quantity of substance

If soil is collected for environmental DNA analysis in land areas, then terrestrial organism nucleic acids can be collected, but sampling in a wide range is difficult

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenucleic acid stabilityVSAvoidsampling efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
Quantity of substanceVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The invention replaces static soil sampling with a dynamic rotation body that moves across the land surface. The rotation body's movement and rotation enable continuous contact with different ground areas, dramatically improving sampling efficiency and the ability to collect samples over wide ranges while maintaining nucleic acid stability through dry contact

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The rotation body automatically collects nucleic acids from the ground surface through its own rotation and movement, eliminating the need for manual soil sampling operations. The system serves itself by using the rotation body's contact with the ground to naturally accumulate nucleic acid-containing sediment

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

3Area of stationary object

If a rotation body is used to collect nucleic acids from the ground surface, then sampling coverage is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesampling coverageVSAvoidcollection apparatus structure
Core Design Contradiction:
Area of stationary objectVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The rotation body serves multiple functions: it acts as both the sampling surface that contacts the ground and the collection mechanism that accumulates nucleic acids. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate complex sampling mechanisms while expanding sampling coverage through the rotation body's movement and rotation

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

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

This approach enables the comprehensive collection and analysis of nucleic acids from terrestrial organisms across a wide range, improving the accuracy and efficiency of species surveys and monitoring compared to traditional methods.

Implementation Method 1

rotating a rotation body with a surface of the rotation body coming into contact with surface of ground in the collection target area, so as to cause nucleic acids-containing sediment including the biological nucleic acids present on the surface of ground to adhere to the surface of the rotation body

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectFriction: Friction

Implementation Method 2

cause nucleic acids-containing sediment including the biological nucleic acids present on the surface of ground to adhere to the surface of the rotation body

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectAdhesion: Adhesive

Data Source

PatentEP4220119A1Biological nucleic acid collection method and biological nucleic acid collection apparatus
Publication Date: 2023.08.02 KK TOYOTA CHUO KENKYUSHO
  • EP4220119A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4220119A1 patent drawingFigure 2(A)~2(C)
  • EP4220119A1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

There is provided a biological nucleic acid collection method of collecting biological nucleic acids from an environment. The biological nucleic acid collection method comprises: setting a collection target area that is a subject for collecting the biological nucleic acids in the environment; rotating a rotation body with a surface of the rotation body coming into contact with surface of ground in the collection target area, so as to cause nucleic acids-containing sediment including the biological nucleic acids present on the surface of ground to adhere to the surface of the rotation body; and collecting the nucleic acids-containing sediment from the rotation body.