DNA purification is an important step in the sample preparation workflow. It removes enzymes and salts from samples that have been lysed, or PCR products prior to the cloning and sequencing process. It also removes unwanted PCR artifacts like primer dimers or unincorporated nucleotides. DNA purification is a crucial process in molecular biology that requires careful planning to ensure high quality, reliable results.
The process of purifying DNA can be accomplished in a variety more information of ways. Traditional DNA isolation methods require various steps like leukocyte isolation or red blood cell lysis for the removal of heme proteins that inhibit the PCR reaction, deproteinization and treatment of RNAse, ethanol and isopropanol precipitation, and then DNA elimination. Most of these protocols require specially designed equipment, like an electrophoresis device and biosafety cabinets due to the hazardous intercalating dyes used in the gel electrophoresis.
Other methods for DNA purification employ spin columns or 96 well filter plates to remove contaminants by adsorbing them to the surface of the plate or column. These methods can be quite time-consuming, particularly when dealing with large quantities of samples or when the columns need to be filled manually with new agents.
Dipsticks reduce the number sample processing steps from six to three. They bind nucleic acids with the cellulose-based waxy material and subsequently release them when in contact with water. This method is particularly effective in low resource settings, like remote sites and teaching labs. Its simplicity and speed (30 s for each sample) makes it ideally suited for molecular diagnostics like the detection of disease, genotype screening, and heterozygosity testing.
