Germany: More Efficient Infection Tests High-Throughput Corona Tests: Tiny Stirrers Prepare Samples

PCR tests are currently the most reliable method of detecting infection with Sars-Cov-2. Fragments of the genetic material of the virus are detected. The genetic material contained in the sample must first be purified and concentrated. For this purification, the most effective methods use specially coated magnetic particles. An invention by KIT scientists makes this complex method more efficient.

Karlsruhe/Germany — Matthias Franzreb and Jonas Wohlgemuth from the KIT Institute for Functional Interfaces have developed a new method to purify PCR tests. In their method, the particles are manipulated with metal needles with a magnetic attraction that can be switched on and off from the outside. This allows the particles to be transported to a new vessel for the next purification step, where they are rapidly rotated to redistribute the DNA fragments — like tiny stirrers. The process runs quickly and fully automatically with 96 needles simultaneously. This allows the genetic material to be extracted from 96 samples in 30 minutes. So one device can prepare more than 4000 samples in 24 hours.

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