Biochemical amplification of nucleic acids

• US 20040029235A1
• Filed: 08/07/2002
• Published: 02/12/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Genetix Ltd. (Danaher Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Genetix Ltd. (Danaher Corporation)
• Inventors: Hallam, Alysia, Atkinson, George Robert
• Granted Patent: US 7,247,429 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 435/91.2
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 13/02 for receptacle or instruments
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502 with fluid transport, e.g. in multi-compartment structures centrifugal-type cuvettes G01N21/07; analysis by separation into components G01N30/00; automatic analysers G01N35/00
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 7/005 by infrared radiation
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 7/0057 by ultraviolet radiation
• CPC Class Codes: C12Q 1/6848 characterised by the means for preventing contamination or increasing the specificity or sensitivity of an amplification reaction
• CPC Class Codes: C12Q 2523/313 Irradiation, e.g. UV irradiation
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/00277 Special precautions to avoid contamination (e.g. enclosures, glove- boxes, sealed sample carriers, disposal of contaminated material)
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/1004 Cleaning sample transfer devices

Abstract

A method of cleaning a pin head or other implements between handling a plurality of samples of nucleic acid subject to an amplification process using a biochemical amplification product. The method comprises exposing the pin head or other implement to ultraviolet (UV) and preferably also infrared (IR) illumination between handling different samples in order to suppress cross-contamination by non-specific amplification. The biochemical amplification product may be obtained from a rolling circle amplification (RCA) procedure, such as that catalyzed by bacteriophage phi29, or a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification product.

Claims

1. A method of cleaning an implement between handling a plurality of samples of nucleic acid subject to an amplification process using a biochemical amplification product, wherein the method comprises exposing the implement to illumination with radiation having an ultraviolet (UV) component between handling different ones of the samples in order to suppress cross-contamination by non-specific amplification.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the biochemical amplification product is obtained from rolling circle amplification (RCA).

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the RCA uses a bacteriophage enzyme.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the bacteriophage enzyme is phi29 polymerase.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the biochemical amplification product is a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification product

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the PCR amplification product is thermostable DNA polymerase.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the thermostable DNA polymerase is Taq polymerase.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the implement is a head comprising a plurality of pins.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the illumination further includes an infrared (IR) component.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the illumination is provided by at least one halogen lamp.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising subjecting the implement to a gas flow to promote cooling during and/or after the illumination.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising washing the implement.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the implement is washed in at least one of ethanol and a bleach/water mix.

14. Use of a robot comprising a head with a plurality of picking implements, wherein the method comprises providing a plurality of samples of nucleic acid, each to be subject to an amplification process using a biochemical amplification product, and wherein the picking implements of the head are exposed to ultraviolet (UV) illumination between handling different ones of the samples in order to suppress cross-contamination by non-specific amplification.

15. The use of claim 14, wherein the picking implements of the head are additionally exposed to infrared (IR) illumination between handling different ones of the samples.

16. A method of amplification of a plurality of samples of nucleic acid using a biochemical amplification product, comprising:

handling the samples with an implement; and

exposing the implement to ultraviolet (UV) illumination between handling different ones of the samples in order to suppress cross-contamination by non-specific amplification.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the implement is additionally exposed to infrared (IR) illumination between handling different ones of the samples.