Akonni Launches Kit for the Ultra-Rapid Extraction of Human Genomic DNA from Blood

Revolutionary approach delivers inhibitor-free, PCR-ready nucleic acids from human blood samples five times faster than spin columns

Frederick, MD — January 20, 2011 — Akonni Biosystems, a molecular diagnostics company focused on providing rapid and highly scalable solutions for infectious and genetic disease testing, today announced the launch of a TruTip™ kit for extraction of human genomic DNA from fresh or frozen whole blood.

The patented TruTip approach uses a nucleic acid binding matrix that easily inserts into either a Rainin EDP® 3-Plus pipette (best for extraction of a few samples) or with an Eppendorf® epMotion® system for extraction workflows that require a higher level of throughput. The TruTip technology can be adapted to work with most other standard electronic pipettes and automated liquid handling systems. By passing the sample back and forth across the binding matrix multiple times, TruTip now delivers inhibitor-free, PCR-ready, human genomic DNA from both saliva and whole blood, faster and more efficiently than other extraction kits on the market today.

The TruTip approach for extraction of human genomic DNA from blood is truly revolutionary in that it is five times faster than spin columns when automated and doesn’t require centrifugation, vacuum manifolds, or magnets. Samples from 50µL to 400µL can easily be extracted in just minutes allowing molecular biologists and clinical labs to achieve results equivalent to ‘gold-standard’ methods, in a fraction of the time.

In 2010, Akonni launched the Influenza Kit for viral RNA extraction from nasopharyngeal samples and the gDNA Saliva Kit for extraction of human genomic DNA from saliva using the Oragene® DNA collection kit from DNA Genotek, Inc.. TruTip kits are also in development for extraction of a variety of other nucleic acid targets from a range of clinical samples, such as sputum, nasal wash, urine, stool or CSF, where faster purification methods are being required by accelerating infectious disease testing to prevent bottlenecks.

For more information on Akonni TruTip technology for ultra-rapid sample extraction call 301-698-0101, send an email to info@akonni.com or visit www.akonni.com.

About Akonni Biosystems

Akonni Biosystems was founded in 2003 and has over 20 patents issued with 13 others pending. The company’s core technology is based on work developed at Argonne National Laboratory and the Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology and utilizes gel-drop array technologies optimized for medical applications. Supported by a series of government grants and contracts from NIH, CDC, DOE, DOD, NIJ, and NSF, the company has significantly advanced the original technology by improving the system’s capabilities from sample preparation to final result. Commercial products and products in its near-term pipeline include rapid sample preparation methodologies for nucleic acid extraction (TruTip) and multiplex panel assays for detecting multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), upper respiratory infections, viral encephalitis, and hospital-acquired infections (MRSA).