Component of a device, a device, and a method for purifying and testing biomolecules from biological samples

A fully closed component for purifying a biomolecule from a biological sample, said component comprising:

• mixing chambers, connection tubes, storage containers, sealing membranes, pressure seals or switches, purified sample collection tubes or testing chambers, a biological sample, in a liquid, solid, or solid-liquid suspension form, magnetic beads, lysis/binding buffer (either lysis buffer or binding buffer, or both), washing solution, optionally eluent, optionally test solution, and optionally a sample collection device with a sealing cap;
• wherein:
• each mixing chamber is a disposable plastic container, the mixing chambers being connected to each other by connection tubes, which are sealable soft tubes or switches;
• each mixing chamber is located adjacently and horizontally or vertically to the next mixing chamber;
• pressure seals or switches are adapted for opening and/or closing the connection tubes, to enable or disable the liquid exchange between adjacent mixing chambers, and are located on and around the middle of each connection tube;
• one or more of the mixing chambers are connected with one or more storage containers physically but not in liquid contact, with a sealing membrane between the connected mixing chamber and the storage container, said sealing membrane is a piercible membrane, piercible by syringe, pipette, capillary, or by pressure;
• the sealing membrane of the storage container prevents the transfer of a biological sample to the mixing chamber before the membrane is pierced;
• the storage containers can be stored at different places (for example, locations with different temperature), and attached to mixing chambers or testing chambers prior to operation;
• a biological sample, which can be pre-loaded in a sample collection device, which is a compressible plastic container with a sealing cap and a piercing device and which is not part of the component, but can be connected to the component to add the sample;
• or the biological sample can also enter a storage container/a mixing chamber through a sealing membrane or by injection with a syringe or by pipetting;
• or the biological sample can also be admixed with magnetic beads and lysis/binding solution prior to be added to the component;
• when there are more than one storage container mounted on a mixing chamber or a test chamber, they are located next to each other;
• each storage container comprises a puncture device;
• one or more storage containers comprise washing solution;
• one or more storage containers comprise eluent;
• one or more storage containers comprise lysis and/or binding buffer;
• one or more storage containers comprise magnetic beads;
• magnetic beads and lysis/binding buffer can be stored in the same storage container or different storage containers;
• one or more of the mixing chambers are connected by a connection tube, which is a sealable soft tube or a switch, and a pressure seal on and around the middle of the connection tube, with one or more testing chambers/purified sample collection tubes such that the biological sample isolated from the mixing chamber is transferred to the one or more testing chambers for testing or to the one or more sample collection tubes for collection, One or more storage containers attached to one or more testing chambers or one or more mixing chambers can comprise testing solution or dry powder;
• the magnetic beads are brought to contact with the biological sample by rotation or vibration;
• and
• the component is fully closed (i.e., sealed).