Method for preservation of cells and nucleic acid targets
AssigneeBecton, Dickinson and Company
InventorRay A. McMillian
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Abstract
The present invention provides a method for preserving cells and nucleic acids in a sample by exposing the sample to a composition that causes an inhibitory affect on proteolytic agents and/or nucleic acid degradative agents in the sample. Such compositions that are useful in the method of the present invention include chelating agents such as sodium citrate, sodium borate, sodium fluoride and EDTA, that will bind trace metals necessary for proteolytic activity of proteolytic agents and/or nuclease activity of nuclease agents in a sample.
Claims38
A method for preserving the integrity of nucleic acid in cells in a sample comprising exposing the sample to a composition that causes an inhibition of proteolytic agents in the sample, said composition lacking effective concentrations of chelator enhancing components.
A method for preserving the integrity of nucleic acid in cells in a sample comprising exposing the sample to a composition that causes an inhibition of nucleic acid degradative agents in the sample.
A reaction mixture for preserving the integrity of nucleic acid said reaction mixture comprising:
- (a) a sample comprising cells;
- and
- (b) a composition that binds at least one co-factor necessary for activity of a proteolytic agent or a nucleic acid degradative agent, said composition lacking effective concentrations of chelator enhancing components.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.