Nucleic Acid Isolation and Purification Automation and its Applications

 During the study of molecular biology and recombinant DNA techniques, isolation of nucleic acid and its purification are the first and foremost step. The isolation process of nucleic acid involves steps such as enzymatic digestion and mechanical & chemical disruption. The purification process involves a combination of chromatography, precipitation, centrifugation, electrophoresis, and separation methods. The isolation and purification of nucleic acid offer several benefits to the researchers in obtaining high-quality materials for several applications, thus generating highly accurate results.

The products covered in the nucleic acid market include instruments such as column-based, bead-based, low-throughput, medium-throughput, and high-throughput instruments, along with kits and reagents. The nucleic acid isolation and purification method has a wide variety of applications, and its automation has further facilitated applications such as:

·         Genomic/Plasmid DNA Extraction: The advantages of genomic/plasmid DNA extraction include the involvement of simple and short procedures for minimizing the exposure time of DNA to other contaminants, followed by reducing degradation rates.

·         Cell-Free DNA (cfDNA) Extraction: The analysis of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) for monitoring and diagnostics has significantly resulted in a need for standardized and efficient cfDNA extraction.

·         Viral RNA Extraction: The genetic information present in viruses has a high genomic recombination rate, allowing a high chance of mutation. The efficient extraction of viral RNA aids in inhibiting viral infectious diseases through early detection by utilizing polymerase chain reaction and reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR).

·         Cell-Free RNA Extraction: Cell-free RNA is present in a marginal amount in plasma, which is insufficient to perform downstream applications, particularly NGS. Several protocols have been successfully developed for the efficient extraction of cell-free RNA from the plasma, followed by quantification of specific genes.

According to a market intelligence report published by BIS Research, the global nucleic acid isolation and purification market is estimated to generate $2,273.9 million revenue in 2020 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 5.98% during the forecast period from 2020 to 2029.

The nucleic acid isolation and purification market is driven by factors such as the growing number of genetic tests, the increasing demand for reliable next-generation sequencing (NGS) results, the rising prevalence of infectious diseases, the expanding field of microbial sequencing, the increasing research funding in the field of molecular biology, and the increasing awareness and acceptance toward personalized medicines on a global level.

The global nucleic acid isolation and purification market has a long way to go with large as well as small players operating at global and regional levels. Some of the prominent players in this market are Promega Corporation, F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, Illumina, Inc., QIAGEN N.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., and Merck KGaA.