Pressure-enhanced extraction and purification

A method for purifying nucleic acids from a sample, said method comprising:

• providing a pressure-modulation apparatus, said apparatus comprising an electrode array system comprising at least two electrodes;
• and a conduit interconnecting said electrodes, wherein said conduit comprises an electrophoretic capillary and contains an electrically conductive fluid in contact with a phase positioned in a pressure chamber,
• contacting the sample with said phase at an initial pressure, wherein said phase non-specifically binds to nucleic acids with greater affinity than said phase binds to non-nucleic acid components of the sample;
• electrophoretically separating at least some of the non-nucleic acid components from the nucleic acids;
• modifying the pressure to a level sufficient to disrupt the binding of the nucleic acids to the phase;
• and
• electrophoretically separating the nucleic acids from the phase at the modified pressure.

A method for purifying nucleic acids from a sample, said method comprising:

• providing a pressure-modulation apparatus, said apparatus comprising an electrode array system comprising at least two electrodes;
• and a conduit interconnecting said electrodes, wherein said conduit comprises an electroosmotic capillary and contains an electrically conductive fluid in contact with a phase positioned in a pressure chamber;
• contacting the sample with said phase at an initial pressure, wherein said phase non-specifically binds to nucleic acids with greater affinity than said phase binds to non-nucleic acid components of the sample;
• electroosmotically separating at least some of the non-nucleic acid components from the nucleic acids;
• modifying the pressure to a level sufficient to disrupt the binding of the nucleic acids to the phase;
• and
• electroosmotically separating the nucleic acids from the phase at the modified pressure.

A method for isolating and purifying nucleic acids from a sample, said method comprising:

• applying the sample to a phase at an initial pressure, wherein said phase non-specifically binds to nucleic acids with greater affinity than said phase binds to non-nucleic acid components of the sample;
• spatially separating at least some of the non-nucleic acid components from the phase and the nucleic acids;
• modifying the pressure to a level sufficient to disrupt the binding of at least some of the nucleic acids to the phase;
• and
• spatially separating the nucleic acids from the phase at the modified pressure, wherein the applying and first spatially separating steps are carried out within a single reaction vessel.