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European Advances in Nucleic Acid Purification and Amplification Technologies
Frost & Sullivan, June 2005
Increased Demand for Nucleic Acid Isolation Products Attributed to Growing Molecular Diagnostic Testing
The growing need for a large number of high-quality isolations in the research community is leading to an increasing acceptance of nucleic acid separation technology in the clinical laboratory community. Desire for high-throughput sequencing has spurred advances in automated instrumentation which has resulted in further utilisation of this technology. Apart from commercial diagnostic laboratories that require automated, high-throughput nucleic acid isolation products, there is also demand for low- to mid-throughput instrumentation from smaller hospital laboratories that desire to process their valuable samples in-house.
This Technical Insights study provides an overview of emerging trends in nucleic acid purification and amplification technologies in Europe. A synopsis of the emerging technologies involved in the nucleic acid purification [deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), ribonucleic acid (RNA) and plasmid DNA] and amplification is included in this analysis. The various technologies covered in this research service are membrane-based purification, magnetic separation technology, purification reagents, chromatography-based purification, thermal cyclers, and fluorogenic probes.
Automation Enhances User Friendliness, Spurring Growth of Nucleic Acid Purification and Amplification Products
The incorporation of automated instrumentation in the research process can eliminate human errors, while increasing productivity and resource savings, explains the analyst. The implementation of such automated systems enables scientists to spend more time designing experiments and performing data analysis, rather than handling experimental samples.
Detection tests based on nucleic acid amplification are much more sensitive than those conducted on immunoassays. Due to this, there is a huge demand from end users for the automation of standard procedures in the amplification process. The completion of the Human Genome Project, expiry of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) patents and kits which contain all the pre-prepared ingredients necessary to realize numerous reactions, are also likely to spur demand for nucleic acid purification and amplification technology.
A Shift in Focus from Sequencing to Functional Genomics Drives the Market
The shift from sequencing to functional genomics has increased the need for consistently pure nucleic acid samples and automated instrumentation products. Moreover, the availability of whole genome sequences has helped research achieve a detailed understanding of the genotype-to-phenotype relationship. Nucleic acid-based amplification kits and EU's In Vitro Diagnostic Directive (IVDD) are likely to increase sale of commercial kits, thus securing strong demand for these products in future.
Despite drawbacks such as high costs of instruments, popularity of traditional methods and the lack of technological diversity, the future of these products is secure, notes the analyst. This is due to the expansion of genomics and proteomics research in both academia and industry, necessitating the use of these instruments to deliver reproducible, precise and accurate results.
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