Magnetics Business & Technology - September/October 2022 - 10

FEATURE ARTICLE
Magtration Technology by Precision Supports Growing Demand for Magnetic Particle
Extraction of DNA
Magtration technology by PSS automates DNA magnetic separation at clinical labs
Automated magnetic extraction systems and reagents from Precision
System Science are helping medical laboratories meet
the increasing demand for faster and more precise extraction of
DNA for vaccine and other applications, spurred especially by
the spread of Covid-19 and other serious infectious diseases.
The Japanese biotech company has been meeting the widespread
expansion of the field of molecular biology for clinical
purposes with its core technology, Magtration, an automated
apparatus for extraction of DNA with magnetic particles that is
coming into wider use globally.
PSS produces its own brand of products as well as versions
for other biotech manufacturers. One factor expected to drive
continuing growth is its business alliance with Hitachi HighTechnologies,
established in 2017. In addition, it has developed
new preLEAD multi-sample simultaneous nucleic acid extractors
and has been supporting large volumes and high-throughput
demand fields, thus expanding the use of its Magtration
technology.
Its geneLEAD VIII, for example, is a fully automated, sampleto-result
precision instrument, standing about 30 inches high.
Samples, reagents and consumables are placed inside and the
assay is started. Nucleic acids are obtained from the samples
using magnetic bead extraction by Magtration. Upon completion
the nucleic acids are transferred to the polymerase chain
reaction (PCR) well, the PCR master mix is added and thermal
cycling started. Results are analyzed and reported directly by
the instrument and can be accessed remotely.
Bringing its Magtration automation to genetic testing
Clinical diagnosis, which is useful in diagnosis and prognosis
of illness, has been practiced widely and routinely in the world,
explains the company. There are in-vivo and in-vitro diagnoses
in this field, and the in-vitro diagnosis methods are largely
separated to biochemical testing, immunological serum testing
and genetic testing, and the biochemical and immunological serum
testing, which have been used for a long time, have been
already mostly automated.
In contrast, however, the development of full automation in
genetic testing has lagged far behind those of biochemical and
immunological serum tests due to complexity of detection technology
and difficulty of gene handling even though automation
of each testing process is relatively automated.
In their product development, PSS scientists and engineers
focused on magnetic particles already practically used as an
ultimate immobilization material in automating immunological
serum tests and studied automation of the extraction process
needed for genetic tests. As a result, PSS invented a control
technique of magnetic particles by using a device based on a
conventional X-Y-Z-axis robot-type pipetting machine. It has
a specially-shaped plastic disposable tip and a magnet automatically
detachable outside the tip. This constitutes its core
Magtration technology.
geneLEAD VIII from PSS
10 Magnetics Business & Technology * September/October 2022
In the device, a sample is first drawn up into a specially shaped
tip, which is loaded into a nozzle. The sample is then dispensed
into a well containing reagent and mixed by aspirating and
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Magnetics Business & Technology - September/October 2022

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