Patent ID: 8530639

Claim:
A method for isolating a nucleic acid from a biological sample, comprising the steps of: lysing cells from a biological sample; and isolating a nucleic acid from insoluble aggregate comprising denatured protein aggregate and cell debris in cell lysates, characterized by applying particulate matter formed from Fe, Ni, Si, TiO 2 or white quartz to promote co-aggregation and co-precipitation of the insoluble aggregated by carrying out one of the following steps: (a) directly adding the particulate matter to the biological sample; (b) adding the particulate matter to, and mixing with, the biological sample and a cell lysis buffer; (c) adding the particulate matter to the biological sample previously treated with a cell lysis buffer; (d) adding the particular matter to cell lysates in admixture with a buffer which forms denatured protein aggregate; or (e) adding the particulate matter to cell lysates comprising a preformed denatured protein aggregate, wherein the particulate matter is dispersed in an aqueous solution comprising a dispersing agent selected from the group consisting of an alkoxylate, an alkanolamide, an ester, an amine oxide, an alkyl polyglycoside, polyacrylate, a polymethcacrylate, a polyvinyl pyrrolidone, a polyethyleneamine, polyvinylamine, a betaine, a glycinate, imidazoline and glycerol, wherein the nucleic acid is isolated from the insoluble aggregate by centrifugation, vacuum manifold type filtration, gravity separation or chromatography.