Nucleic acid extraction is an important tool in molecular biology research as it is generally needed to start experiments from basic research to more complex ones including biomarker discovery, cell free diagnostics, epidemiology study and microbiome research.

Following the nucleic acid extraction process, the nucleic acid extracted is usually subjected to downstream analysis such as next generation sequencing (NGS) and qPCR. As these downstream analyses are very sensitive, purity of the nucleic acid is important, and any variations and inconsistencies in the nucleic acid extracted should be avoided to ensure consistency and reliability in the study results

Conventional method of manual nucleic acid extraction poses many potential risks for human errors such as pipetting error and protocol deviation, as well as inter-variability between sample handling and sample processing time.

In view of the increasing volume of samples to process as well as the advantages of automation to ensure consistency and reliability of the nucleic acid extraction process and study result, many researchers are trending toward automated nucleic acid extraction.

We share below the benefits of automation in nucleic acid extraction:

• Consistency in extraction process

  • Accurate pipetting and consistency in the processing steps (lysis, binding, washing and elution) with an automated protocol helps to minimize inter-variability in the nucleic acid extraction from the samples.

• Minimal cross-contamination

  • With fewer manual handling and pipetting steps in an automated nucleic acid extraction, the risk of contamination from external environment and the risk of sample carryover is minimized.

• Smooth workflow and time saving

  • Automated nucleic acid extraction is generally faster as the steps in the nucleic acid extraction are integrated and aligned for smooth workflow. Furthermore, automation reduces the need for human intervention and allows for more walk-away time for the researcher to do other work.

• Flexibility of Throughput

  • With automated nucleic acid extraction one can process larger sample numbers at greater speed, thus increasing one’s throughput. This also allows flexibility to expand the scope of research such as to test more sample types, study conditions and others.

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