Abstract
Khokhar, S.K.1, Leos, N.K.1, Mitui, M.1, Park, J.Y.1,2 and Rogers, B.B.3,4
Departments of Pathology, 1Children’s Medical Center Dallas
2The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
3Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, and
4Emory University, Atlanta, GA
Nucleic acid extraction is one of the most technically demanding and labor intensive procedures performed in molecular diagnostic laboratories. Manual sample preparation methods are time consuming and susceptible to contamination, handling errors and variation. Automated nucleic acid extractors are successful in extracting clinical specimens due to their efficient recovery, lack of cross contamination and ease of performance. As a new method or technology becomes available, it is ideal to assess and compare it with the existing methods before being applied to clinical use. The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of Maxwell® 16, (Promega, Madison, WI) in extracting nucleic acid from different specimen types and to compare it to a manual (Qiagen, Valencia, CA) and an automated nucleic acid extraction (Biomerieux, Durham, NC) methods.