Integration of sample storage and sample management for life science

A substantially dry-storable nucleic acid sample, comprising:

• (a) an isolated nucleic acid;
• (b) a substantially dry matrix material that dissolves or dissociates in a solvent and that has been dried, during or after fluid contact in the solvent with said nucleic acid of (a), to substantially remove said solvent;
• and
• (c) at least one stabilizer.

A substantially dry-storable isolated nucleic acid sample, comprising:

• (a) an isolated nucleic acid;
• (b) a substantially dry matrix material that dissolves or dissociates in a solvent, and that has been dried during or after fluid contact in the solvent with said isolated nucleic acid of (a), to substantially remove said solvent;
• and
• (c) at least one stabilizer,
• wherein:
• (I) the matrix material of (b) does not covalently self-assemble and has the structure:
• —[—X—]n—
• wherein X is —CH3, —CH2—, —CH2CH(OH)—, substituted —CH2CH(OH)—, —CH2CH(COOH)—, substituted —CH2CH(COOH)—, —CH═CH2, —CH═CH—, C1-C24 alkyl or substituted alkyl, C2-24 alkenyl or substituted alkenyl, polyoxyethylene, polyoxypropylene, or a random or block copolymer thereof;
• and wherein n is an integer having a value of about 1-100, 101-500, 501-1000, 1001-1500, or 1501-3000;
• and
• wherein
• (II) the stabilizer is not covalently linked to the polymer.

A method of storing a substantially dry-storable nucleic acid sample, comprising:

• (a) contacting, in a biocompatible solvent, an isolated nucleic acid with (i) a matrix material that dissolves or dissociates in the biocompatible solvent and at least one stabilizer;
• (b) substantially drying the matrix material during or after said step of contacting to obtain a substantially dry-storable isolated nucleic acid sample;
• and
• (c) maintaining the substantially dry-storable isolated nucleic acid sample for a time period of at least one day without refrigeration, and thereby storing said substantially dry-storable isolated nucleic acid sample;
• wherein substantially all biological activity of the substantially dry-storable isolated nucleic acid sample is recoverable following storage without refrigeration for a time period of at least one day.

A method of recovering a stored substantially dry-storable nucleic acid sample comprising:

• (a) contacting in a first biocompatible solvent, simultaneously or sequentially and in any order in a storage device, (i) an isolated nucleic acid with (ii) a matrix which comprises a matrix material that dissolves or dissociates in the first biocompatible solvent and at least one stabilizer, wherein said storage device comprises one or a plurality of sample vessels capable of containing the isolated nucleic acid and the matrix;
• (b) substantially drying the matrix during or after said step of contacting to obtain a substantially dry-storable isolated nucleic acid sample in the storage device;
• (c) maintaining the storage device without refrigeration subsequent to the steps of contacting and drying;
• and
• (d) resuspending or redissolving the substantially dry-storable nucleic acid sample in a second biocompatible solvent, and therefrom recovering said stored substantially dry-storable nucleic acid sample.

A substantially dry-storable cell sample for recovering cellular nucleic acid, comprising:

• (a) one or a plurality of isolated intact cells that contains nucleic acid;
• and
• (b) a dry-storage matrix that comprises (i) a matrix material that dissolves or dissociates in a solvent, (ii) at least one stabilizer, and (iii) a sample treatment composition,
• wherein the matrix has been dried to substantially remove the solvent before, during or after contacting the dry-storage matrix with the intact cell, thereby to provide said substantially dry-storable cell sample.

A substantially dry-storable cell sample for recovering cellular nucleic acid, comprising:

• (a) one or a plurality of isolated intact cells that contains nucleic acid;
• and
• (b) a dry-storage matrix that comprises (i) a matrix material that dissolves or dissociates in a solvent, and (ii) at least one stabilizer, wherein the matrix has been dried to substantially remove the solvent before, during or after contacting the dry-storage matrix with the intact cell, thereby to provide said substantially dry-storable cell sample, wherein:
• (I) the matrix material does not covalently self-assemble and has the structure:
• —[—X—]n—
• wherein X is —CH3, —CH2—, —CH2CH(OH)—, substituted —CH2CH(OH)—, —CH2CH(COOH)—, substituted —CH2CH(COOH)—, —CH═CH2, —CH═CH—, C1-C24 alkyl or substituted alkyl, C2-24 alkenyl or substituted alkenyl, polyoxyethylene, polyoxypropylene, or a random or block copolymer thereof;
• and wherein n is an integer having a value of about 1-100, 101-500, 501-1000, 1001-1500, or 1501-3000;
• and
• wherein
• (II) the stabilizer is not covalently linked to the polymer.

A method of storing a cell sample from which cellular nucleic acid can be recovered, comprising:

• (a) contacting, simultaneously or sequentially and in either order, (1) one or a plurality of intact cells that contain nucleic acid, and (2) a dry-storage matrix that comprises (i) a matrix material that dissolves or dissociates in a solvent, (ii) at least one stabilizer, and (iii) a sample treatment composition, thereby to provide a cell sample composition;
• (b) drying the cell sample composition of (a) to substantially remove said solvent before, during or after contact with said intact cell, thereby to provide a substantially dry-storable cell sample;
• and
• (c) maintaining the substantially dry-storable cell sample without refrigeration for at least one day subsequent to the steps of contacting and drying, and thereby storing said cell sample from which nucleic acid can be recovered.

A method of recovering nucleic acid from a cell sample, comprising:

• (a) contacting, simultaneously or sequentially and in either order in a storage device, (i) one or a plurality of isolated intact cells that contain nucleic acid and (ii) a dry-storage matrix, thereby to obtain one or a plurality of dry-storable cell samples, wherein said storage device comprises one or a plurality of sample wells that contain the dry-storage matrix and said isolated intact cells, and wherein said dry-storage matrix comprises (i) a matrix material that is dissolved or dissociated in a first solvent, and (ii) at least one stabilizer;
• (b) drying said dry-storable cell sample to substantially remove said first solvent before, during or after the step of contacting;
• (c) maintaining the substantially dry-storable cell sample without refrigeration for a period of at least one day subsequent to the steps of contacting and drying;
• (d) resuspending or redissolving the substantially dry-storable cell sample in a second solvent, thereby isolating the nucleic acid to obtain isolated nucleic acid;
• and
• (e) recovering the isolated nucleic acid, wherein if the cell comprises a non-bacterial cell then said step of recovering further comprises purifying the nucleic acid from the isolated nucleic acid of (d).

A substantially dry-storable cell sample for recovering cellular nucleic acid, comprising:

• (a) one or a plurality of isolated intact cells that contain nucleic acid;
• and
• (b) a dry-storage matrix that comprises (i) a matrix material that dissolves or dissociates in a solvent, (ii) at least one stabilizer, and (iii) an activity buffer, wherein the matrix has been substantially dried to remove the solvent before, during or after contacting the dry-storage matrix with the intact cell, thereby to provide said substantially dry-storable cell sample, and
• wherein following drying, the substantially dry-storable cell sample is maintained for a time period of at least one day without refrigeration.