RNA/DNA extraction from VTM, UTM, eSwab and others

Intended Purpose (CE-IVD):

SwiftX™ Media is intended to be used for extraction of DNA and RNA of eukaryotic cells, bacteria, and viruses from human samples in transport media. For professional use.

Intended Purpose (RUO):

SwiftX™ Media is designed for rapid extraction of RNA and DNA from biological samples in transport media.

Key Features:

Rapid, cost-efficient nucleic acid extraction

SwiftX™ Media allows for a time- and cost-efficient one-step extraction of RNA as well as DNA. The kit contains a protease which enables the efficient lysis of cells and which inactivates inhibitors such as nucleases. SwiftX Media was particularly designed for use with samples stored in various transport media.

Applicable extraction targets:

• Viruses
• Bacteria
• Human and animal cells
• Parasites

Applicable sample types:

• Universal Transport Medium (UTM)
• Viral Transport Medium (VTM)
• Liquid Amies Medium (e.g. used in eSwab™ from Copan)
• Phosphate buffered saline (PBS)
• Saliva

Extraction of nucleic acids from transport media:

• mix liquid specimen with activated Buffer ME
• incubate 10 minutes at 90°C
• cool down and mix shortly
• use lysate for downstream application

Can I shorten the heat lysis step in SwiftX™ Media?

We do not recommend to shorten the 10 minutes of heat incubation for DNA and RNA extraction in SwiftX Media. It enables the efficient release of nucleic acids from cells and viral particles as well as the inactivation of the protease in activated Buffer ME. If the heating time is further shortened, there is a considerable risk that the lysate will impair your downstream RNA/DNA amplification & detection method. 

Does the heat lysis of 10 minutes harm or degrade my RNA or DNA?

No, the RNA is not degraded during the incubation at 90°C. The lysis buffer of SwiftX Media, Buffer ME, has been formulated to avoid chemical stress to the nucleic acids in the sample.

What sample types can be extracted with SwiftX™ Media?

SwiftX Media was designed to rapidly extract nucleic acids from transport media samples. It is validated for use with UTM, VTM, PBS, and Liquid Amies. The swabs have been sampled from nasal and oral cavities. Samples such as rectal swabs may contain too much inhibitory potential and should be extracted using SwiftX™ DNA.

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Which transport media can be processed with SwiftX™ Media?

Basically, SwiftX Media can be applied for any non-inactivatiing transport medium. Media that contain guanidinium, ethanol, isopropanol or other inactivation agents in higher concnetrations are not compatible with SwiftX Media due to the nature of the method (direct extraction). Nucleic acids extracted from inactivating transport media will inhibit enzyme-driven downstream analysis methods, such as PCR, isothermal amplification or sequencing.