Random access system and method for polymerase chain reaction testing

摘要

A random access, high-throughput system and method for preparing a biological sample for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing are disclosed. The system includes a nucleic acid isolation/purification apparatus and a PCR apparatus. The nucleic acid isolation/purification apparatus magnetically captures nucleic acid (NA) solids from the biological sample and then suspends the NA in elution buffer solution. The PCR testing apparatus provides multiple cycles of the denaturing, annealing, and elongating thermal cycles. More particularly, the PCR testing apparatus includes a multi-vessel thermal cycler array that has a plurality of single-vessel thermal cyclers that is each individually-thermally-controllable so that adjacent single-vessel thermal cyclers can be heated or cooled to different temperatures corresponding to the different thermal cycles of the respective PCR testing process.

主权项

1. A method of testing at least one first biological sample, the method comprising:
selecting randomly the first biological sample having an initial first NA concentration of a first nucleic acid (NA); isolating and purifying the first NA by magnetically capturing the first NA contained in the first biological sample; eluting the magnetically-captured first NA using a first aqueous elution buffer, to re-suspend the magnetically-captured first NA in the first aqueous elution buffer to form a purified first NA in solution; adding a pre-determined first reagent mixture to the purified first NA in solution to provide a first reaction liquid; performing a continuous random access polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing on the first reaction liquid through multiple PCR cycles consisting of denaturing, annealing, and elongating thermal cycles; wherein the continuous random access PCR testing is performed continuously and randomly using a multi-vessel thermal cycler array; wherein the first reaction liquid is randomly inserted into and extracted from a first single thermal cycler in the multi-vessel thermal cycler array for the continuous random access PCR testing including a first temperature and a first thermal cycle; wherein a second reaction liquid of at least one second biological sample can be continuously and randomly inserted into and extracted from a second single vessel thermal cycler optionally adjacent to the first single thermal cycler in the multi-vessel thermal cycler array and can undergo continuously the continuous random access PCR testing including a second temperature and a second thermal cycle concurrently with the continuous random access PCR testing of the first reaction liquid, the second biological sample having an initial second NA concentration of a second NA, the second NA being different from the first NA, the second temperature and the second thermal cycle being different from the first temperature and the first thermal cycle; and estimating the initial first NA concentration of the first biological sample.