NEW YORK, Oct. 11 – Xtrana has been issued a US patent for a family of its nucleic acid extraction matrices, the company said on Wednesday.
The patent, numbered 6,291,166 and entitled "Nucleic Acid Archiving,” represents “the foundation technologies” for Xtrana products, according to a company statement.
The matrices, called Xtra Bind, capture and stabilize DNA and RNA and facilitate enzymatic manipulation of the nucleic acid, which Xtrana says results in “an extremely rapid and efficient extraction protocol.”
“The Xtra Bind matrices are unique in that they not only serve to selectively bind DNA and RNA, but also interface with multiple amplification technologies and downstream applications,” the company said in its statement.
Xtrana explained that the matrices allow DNA to be amplified by PCR, and RNA copied and amplified by RT-PCR, “directly off of the solid phase bound nucleic acid without elution,” allowing for “extremely rapid extraction protocol and eliminates the requirement for the vacuum filtration, centrifugation, or hazardous chemicals commonly associated with other extraction methods.”
One of these matrices can be found in the company’s Xtra Amp technology, Xtrana’s DNA or RNA extraction kits, according to the statement.
In August, Xtrana, based in Broomfield, Colo., received a $400,000 Phase I NIH grant to develop nanofluidic nucleic-acid preparation components. The company will work on this with researchers at the University of New Mexico and Sandia National Laboratory.