Rapid. Smart. Anywhere.

Discover the convenient DNA extraction protocols of SwiftX™ DNA

Intended Purpose (CE-IVD)

SwiftX™ DNA is intended to be used for manual extraction of DNA of fungi, bacteria, parasites, viruses and human cells from various human samples. For professional use.

 

Intended Purpose (RUO)

SwiftX™ DNA is designed for rapid extraction of genomic and mitochondrial DNA from human or animal samples as well as for extraction of DNA from bacteria, parasites (protozoa as well as helminth eggs), fungi and viruses.

 

Advantages

Reverse Purification

One of the two differentiators to most rapid DNA extraction kits is our Reverse Purification technology, which actively removes inhibitors and cell debris from the cell lysate containing the DNA. This is why our extraction protocols work well with much more sample types than direct extraction methods of competitors. Our Reverse Purification is performed using proprietary magnetic particles and does not need bulky or expensive equipment such as a centrifuge or addition of Chelex resin - a simple magnetic stand is sufficient.

 

Cell capture

Our proprietary centrifugation-free cell capture technology is unique among nucleic acid extraction solutions available on the market. It can be utilized to concentrate human & animal cells, parasites, fungi and bacteria in liquid samples in just 4 minutes using nothing else than a magnetic rack. In a second step, the concentrated cells are resuspended in lysis buffer and DNA as well as RNA is extracted.

 

Rapid and flexible

SwiftX™ DNA is intended to be a powerful research tool, which can be applied to a multitude of specimens and applications. Thus, we offer 3 different protocols for using the kit. Each of the protocols is tailored to particular sample types that shall be processed. The direct extraction approach using protocol 1 for swabs and solid samples is as short as 7 minutes. Protocols 2 and 3 are intended to be used for liquid specimens and make use of our cell capture technology and can be performed in as little as 10 minutes. Additional use of Proteinase K improves lysis efficiency of skin, fungi and gram-positive bacteria.

 

 

 

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Applicable extraction targets

  • Human and animal cells
  • Gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria
  • Parasitic protozoa and helminths
  • Fungi
  • Viruses

Applicable sample types

  • Solid samples: swabs, pre-concentrated cells, dried blood spots, FTA cards, tissue (skin, muscle, liver, brain, bone marrow), hair follicles, etc.
  • Liquid samples (up to 1mL): urine, cell cultures, saliva, sputum, fine-needle aspirates, tissue fluid, cerebrospinal fluid, throat washes, whole blood, tissue suspensions, liquid-based cytology media, swab samples in transport media, etc.

How to use

Protocols

Protocol 1

Direct extraction workflow incl. reverse purification:

  • mix sample with Buffer DL and Beads A
  • incubate for 5 to 15 minutes at 95°C
  • remove tubes from heat block and place in a magnetic rack
  • use supernatant for downstream application

 

To be used with the following sample types:

  • Swabs (e.g. buccal, nasal, pharyngeal, rectal)
  • Pre-concentrated cells
  • Dried blood spots, blood cards
  • Tissue samples (e.g. skin, muscle, liver, brain, bone marrow)
  • Fine-needle aspirates
  • Tissue fluid, cerebrospinal fluid
  • Hair follicles, tongue scrapings

 

 

Protocols 2 and 3

Workflow for cell capture, extraction and reverse purification:

  • mix sample with Buffer EN and Beads A
  • incubate for 3 minutes at ambient temperature
  • place tubes in a magnetic rack
  • discard supernatant
  • Protocol 3 only: wash Beads A once with Buffer EN
  • resuspend Beads A in Buffer DL
  • incubate for 5 to 15 minutes at 95°C
  • remove tubes from heat block and place in a magnetic rack
  • use supernatant for downstream application

 

To be used with the following sample types:

  • Whole blood
  • Urine
  • Saliva, throat washes
  • Homogenized tissue suspensions
  • Liquid-based cytology medium
  • Mammalian and bacterial cells in culture medium

 

 

 

How to order

Prices and Accessories

SXD-25

SwiftX™ DNA (RUO) - 25 extractions

Kit of reagents for rapid DNA extraction (Buffer EN, Buffer DL, Beads A)

 

74.90€

BEN-25mL

Buffer EN - 25mL

Accessory to the SwiftX™ DNA kit, required if volumes larger than 1mL shall be processed

17.90€

SXD-25-IVD

SwiftX™ DNA (CE-IVD) - 25 extractions

Kit of reagents for rapid DNA extraction (Buffer EN, Buffer DL, Beads A)

 

74.90€

MAG-12

Magnetic separation rack for 12x 1.5mL to 2mL microtubes

Accessory for efficient use of the SwiftX™ DNA kit

149.00€

PRK-1mL

Proteinase K - 1mL with 20mg/mL

Accessory to the SwiftX™ DNA kit, improves lysis for tissue, skin, gram+ bacteria, and fungi

34.90€

PRK-25MG

Proteinase K - 25mg (lyophilized)

Accessory to the SwiftX™ DNA kit, improves lysis for tissue, skin, gram+ bacteria, and fungi

34.90€

 

All prices without logistics costs.

Scientific literature

References

Please note:

Older publications refer to the SpeedXtract® Nucleic Acid kit from Qiagen. This kit has been discontinued. The SwiftX™ DNA kit is identical in handling and performance to the former SpeedXtract kit. Thus, all published work can be reproduced using SwiftX™ DNA.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

There's always more to learn

How long do I have to conduct the heat lysis with SwiftX™ DNA?

The duration of the heat extraction step in SwiftX™ DNA protocols is dependent on the sample and organism you want to extract the DNA from. For example, viruses and homogenized tissue are usually easy to extract and 5 minutes incubation will do in most cases. Intact animal or human cells as well as gram-negative bacteria would require a slightly longer heat incubation such as 10 minutes at 95°C. For efficient DNA extraction from tough organisms such as Mycobacteria we recommend to conduct the heating step up to 15 minutes.

 

Does heat lysis for 15 minutes harm or degrade my DNA?

No, it does not. First of all, an incubation at 95°C for 15 minutes is actually not so stressful to DNA apart from the melting of the double strands. Furthermore, Buffer DL does not contain any substances or conditions that can jeopardize the integrity of DNA but is rather formulated so that sample-intrinsic degrading mechanisms are blocked.

 

What sample types can be extracted with SwiftX™ DNA?

SwiftX™ DNA can be applied to a wide range of biological samples. For each sort of sample, SwiftX™ DNA provides a dedicated extraction protocol. For example, Protocol 1 is to be used if you want to extract DNA from solid samples such as swabs, tissue, hair follicles, or dried blood spots.

If you want to extract from liquid specimens, then Protocols 2 or 3 should be considered. Both include a cell capture step upfront to the lysis & extraction step. By that, samples such as saliva, urine, whole blood, tissue suspensions or cultured cells can be efficiently extracted. See also our Technical Sheet for more information.

If you intend to extract DNA from complex liquids such as whole blood or liquid-based cytology (LBC) media, Protocol 3 is optimal. It includes the same cell capture step as Protocol 2 but includes a washing step before cell lysis in order to reduce the presence of inhibitory substances in the DNA extract. Further information and data can be found in Application Note 2021-02.

 

What is the function of Beads A in SwiftX™ DNA?

The magnetic particles “Beads A” can have two different functions. Depending on which protocol you use, one or both functions are utilized. All three protocols of SwiftX™ DNA make use of the paradigm-changing functionality called “Reverse Purification” to clear nucleic acid extracts from various impurities.

If Protocol 2 or 3 of SwiftX™ DNA is applied, then Beads A are also used for capturing of cells from a biological specimen before its lysis. If used with Buffer EN, Beads A change their binding behavior and become capable of binding various types of cells such as animal or human cells, bacteria, parasites and even some viruses. This is leveraged to enrich intact target cells mainly from liquid biological specimens.

 

Which cells or structures can be captured and enriched with Beads A from SwiftX™ DNA?

In confunction with the binding buffer “Buffer EN”, the magnetic particles Beads A enable a centrifugation-free enrichment (cell capture) of various cells and tissue types of human and animal origin as well as bacterial and parasite cells. SwiftX™ DNA has been successfully applied to bind epithelial cells, white-blood cells, and cells from homogenized brain tissue. It has been shown that both gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria from different families bind to Beads A, for example Mycoplasma, Staphylococci, Listeria, and Mycobacteria and many more. Among the parasite cells binding to Beads A are Leishmania, Plasmodium and Schistosoma oocytes. Detailed information can be found in our Product Information and Technical Sheet in the download section.

 

How does Reverse Purification work?

The process, which we named “Reverse Purification”, is a true paradigm change in nucleic acid extraction. Instead of binding nucleic acids to magnetic particles, impurities such as proteins, cell debris and others are bound to our magnetic particles Beads A and extracted DNA and RNA remains untouched in the lysate. The inversion of the conventional nucleic acid purification workflow minimizes has two significant advantages: (a) there is no loss of DNA and RNA during the extraction and purification process, which prevents reduced yields of nucleic acids, and (b) SwiftX™ DNA can be appplied to a much wider range of sample types than other rapid extraction technologies, which do not feature a reverse purification of extracted DNA or RNA.

 

Are Beads A in SwiftX™ DNA binding nucleic acids?

No, Beads A are not capable of binding nucleic acids, neither RNA nor DNA. Beads A bind other biomolecules such as proteins and carbohydrates. Consenquently, they are used for clearance of the lysate after the heat extraction step by removing impurities such as cell debris and other inhibitory substances. But nucleic acids are not bound by Beads A.