Patent ID: 8039613

Claim:
A method of purifying a nucleic acid present in an in vivo cellular environment, the nucleic acid and in vivo cellular environment being contained in a medium, the method comprising: (a) combining a medium containing a nucleic acid a binding matrix and a formulation, the formulation comprising: i) guanidine thiocyanate; and ii) acetamide, or one or more acetamide derivatives, or a combination of acetamide and one or more acetamide derivatives, the amounts of the guanidine thiocyanate and the acetamide, the acetamide derivative(s), or the combination of acetamide and acetamide derivative(s) present in the formulation being sufficient to cause the nucleic acid to separate from its in vivo cellular environment and bind to the binding matrix; (b) separating the binding matrix with the nucleic acid bound thereto from substantially the rest of the combined medium and formulation; and (c) eluting the nucleic acid from the binding matrix, thereby obtaining the nucleic acid in a substantially purified form wherein said acetamide derivatives are N-methylacetamide and N,N-dimethylacetamide.