Patent — available for licensing
Rapid Nucleic Acid Isolation Method and Fluid Handling Devices
A NASA invention available to explore as a licensing opportunity.
About this technology
Overview
Sample preparation is a common bottleneck in genetic analysis. Tools that reduce time and effort are of great value in a laboratory setting. There is a need for a genetic analysis/detection system that is not only mobile, ruggedized, and easy-to-use but that also provides an enclosed fluid handling, which diminishes the risks of Ribonucleic acid (RNA) contamination and degradation during processing. NASA Ames has developed a novel assay methodology and suite of devices to isolate nucleic acids and prepare samples for Reverse Transcriptase quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction analysis that solves the problem of contamination and degradation. Gene expression analysis reveals valuable information about molecular and cellular mechanisms that can be applied not only for protecting human health during space missions but also for fundamental biology investigations and commercial drug discovery efforts on earth. This invention enables an end-to-end ability to process a biological sample for gene expression analysis - from raw tissue to data.