Patent ID: 7052844

Claim:
A method for capturing and separating a target from a sample, said method comprising: providing the sample comprising the target, wherein the target contains a heteropolymeric target sequence of nucleic acids or nucleic acid analogues; providing a probe comprising a heteropolymeric probe sequence of nucleic acids or nucleic acid analogues; bonding the heteropolymeric target sequence to the heteropolymeric probe sequence to provide a complex; attaching the probe to a support before, during or after the complex is provided; and separating the sample from the complex to separate the target from the sample, wherein the heteropolymeric probe sequence is bonded to the heteropolymeric target sequence by Watson-Crick complementary base interaction or by homologous base interaction, provided that when the complex is a duplex and the heteropolymeric probe sequence is antiparallel to the heteropolymeric target sequence, the heteropolymeric probe sequence is bonded to the heteropolymeric target sequence by homologous base interaction, and provided that when the complex is a triplex, the complex is free of recombination proteins.