Research on a Magnetic Separation-Based Rapid Nucleic Acid Extraction System and Its Detection Applications

Abstract

Nucleic acid extraction represents the “first step” in molecular diagnostic experiments. The quality of this extraction serves as a fundamental prerequisite for ensuring the accuracy of nucleic acid detection. This article presents a comprehensive design scheme for a rapid automated nucleic acid extraction system based on magnetic separation. The design and implementation of the system are analyzed and investigated in-depth, focusing on the core methods, hardware control, and software control of the automated nucleic acid extraction system. Additionally, a study and evaluation were carried out concerning the nucleic acid extraction and detection aspects encompassed by the system. The results demonstrate that the temperature deviation in the lysis and elution fluids is approximately ±1 °C, the positioning accuracy of the system’s movement is ±0.005 mm, the average magnetic bead recovery rate is 94.98%, and the average nucleic acid recovery rate is 91.83%. The developed automated system and manual methods are employed for sample extraction, enabling the isolation of highly pure nucleic acids from bacteria, blood, and animal tissues for RT-PCR detection. The instrument employs lysis temperatures ranging from 70–80 °C, elution temperature of 80 °C, and drying time of 5–10 min, with a total extraction time of less than 35 min for different sample types. Overall, the system yields high nucleic acid concentration and purity, exhibits stable instrument operation, good repeatability, high efficiency, and low cost. It meets the requirements of genetic-level research and is worthy of clinical promotion and usage.