Primagen Holding B.v.

Umc Utrecht Holding B.v.

Marinus Petrus De Baar

Bob Van Gemen

Eveline Catherina A C Timmermans

Maarten T Penning

Henriette C G I M Maas

Emile E Voest

Esther Regina De Rooij

Emile Eugene Voest

Maarten Tjerk Penning

The invention describes means and methods for determining mitochondrion-bound nucleic acid and describes the use thereof in diagnostics. Preferable cell-free mitochondrion-bound nucleic acid is determined.

Mitochondrion-bound nucleic acid for determining a health status of an individual

The invention discloses a method for detecting a nucleic acid of interest in at least one sample comprising administering the sample to a solid carrier capable of at least in part absorbing the sample, drying the carrier, providing at least a representative part of the carrier to a nucleic acid isolation solution so that a representative amount of the nucleic acid is extracted from the carrier, and detecting the representative amount of the nucleic acid. With a method of the invention, a sample, such as a body fluid sample, is stabilized in such a way that it can be shipped from the site of taking (for instance local hospital or lab in a less-developed country) and be sent to a service testing laboratory elsewhere in the world by normal logistics means. At least 100 &#x3bc;l or at least 250 &#x3bc;l of sample is administered to the carrier in order to detect low titers of nucleic acid of interest. A kit for detecting, identifying and/or quantifying a nucleic acid of interest in a sample, comprising a solid carrier capable of at least in part absorbing the sample, and a nucleic acid isolation solution, is also described.

Storing and detecting nucleic acid administered to a solid carrier

The invention provides a method for reducing background in hybridization reactions of nucleic acids involving at least two homologous probes, wherein at least one of the probes is non-linear, or two homologous target sequences and a non-linear probe. Background is reduced by introducing an intended mismatch with a target sequence in at least one of the probes. The presence of the mismatch reduces the specificity of probes not entirely complementary to a target sequence to such an extent that the background signal is reduced. A set of mixed homologous probes, wherein at least one of the probes is non-linear, comprising such specific mismatch is also provided. The set can be used for the detection of variants of a family of nucleic acids, for instance a number of HIV variants. The invention also provides kits for carrying out the methods according to the invention.

Reducing background in hybridization reactions

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Utrecht, Netherlands

Marinus Petrus De Baar