Mechanically-driven portable device that extracts nucleic acids from blood to measure HIV viral load

11-Jun-2013 - USA

Research describes the development of a portable device that can extract HIV viral RNA from whole human blood to produce a purified and thermally-stable sample without the use of electric power. The technology has the potential to enable accurate monitoring of patient response to HIV treatment in resource-poor settings, by providing samples of nucleic acids that don’t require complex preparation or cold chain storage and transportation to laboratories to analyse viral load.

Scientists in the United States have developed a low-pressure, mechanically-driven hybrid alcohol precipitation and solid extraction process that captures the isolated RNA in a detachable cartridge that is immediately ready for storage and transportation. The scientists analysed samples captured by the system and found that they were able to detect differences in viral load across four orders of magnitude.