Patent ID: 8772017

Claim:
A microfluidic cartridge for extracting a nucleic acid fraction from a sample, comprising: a) a loading port for introduction of the sample; b) a waste chamber; c) a lysis sub-circuit operably linked to said loading port, wherein said cell lysis sub-circuit comprises: 1) a mixing chamber; 2) a sealed pouch containing lysis reagent; and 3) a pump member configured for pumping said lysis reagent into said mixing chamber, wherein said lysis sub-circuit is configured to generate a lysed sample from the sample in said mixing chamber; and d) a nucleic acid extraction sub-circuit operably linked to both of said lysis sub-circuit and said waste chamber, wherein said nucleic acid extraction sub-circuit comprises: 1) a solid phase nucleic acid extraction component configured to bind nucleic acids present in said lysed sample; 2) a sealed pouch containing wash reagent; 3) a sealed pouch containing elution reagent; and 4) a pump member configured for pumping said elution reagent over said solid phase nucleic acid extraction component to generate a mixture of extracted nucleic acids; wherein said microfluidic cartridge is configured to pump said lysis reagent through a valved connection into said mixing chamber of said lysis subcircuit and said microfluidic cartridge is configured to pump said elution reagent through a valved connection to said solid phase nucleic acid extraction component of said nucleic acid extraction subcircuit; wherein said pump members are configured to be pneumatically driven by applied positive pressure strokes and suction pressure strokes; wherein said applied positive pressure strokes and suction pressure strokes enable reciprocating flow through said valved connections; and wherein the pump member for pumping said elution reagent is a pneumatically actuatable, elastomeric diaphragm configured to enable slug elution of said mixture of extracted nucleic acids.