Patent ID: 8206918

Claim:
A method for extracting a nucleic acid from a sample, comprising: providing a device comprising a first chamber comprising magnetic particles, a second chamber, a third chamber, and a channel connecting the second chamber and the third chamber; placing into the first chamber a lysis buffer and placing into the second and third chambers a water-containing solution; depositing in the channel a water-immiscible substance to form a contiguous barrier between the solutions in the second and third chambers; introducing a sample comprising a nucleic acid into the first chamber; applying an external force to the sample, the force capable of interacting with the magnetic particles and associated nucleic acid; and moving the magnetic particles and associated nucleic acid from the first chamber to the second chamber, and then into the water-immiscible substance in the channel and then into the third chamber, said moving by relative movement of the force with respect to the device, whereby said moving extracts the nucleic acid from the sample, and wherein during said moving the lysis buffer in the first chamber and the water-containing solutions in the second and third chambers remain stationary.