Nanobiodevices for the isolation of circulating nucleic acid for biomedical applications

Abstract

Methods that can rapidly and accurately extract or isolate nucleic acids would facilitate the capability for scientists to access key information regarding nucleic acid molecular signatures. Knowing these molecular signatures could contribute to development of strategies for detecting, treating, and diagnosing diseases based on nucleic acids. However, major impediments to accessing nucleic acids are their natural characteristics, including concentration and size. Here we review the development of nanomaterial-based devices to isolate circulating nucleic acids from biological samples, including blood, urine, cell, and virus; these devices enable enhancement of isolation and extraction efficiency compared to conventional methods.