SPRI Laboratory Automation

The Agencourt line of reagent systems, accessories, and software methods coupled with Beckman Coulter automation, create an unparalleled alignment of automation proficiency. The reagents are based on Solid Phase Reversible Immobilization (SPRI) paramagnetic bead-based technology, which is ideal for automating on Biomek Laboratory Automation Workstations. The end result is faster throughput and higher quality data.

Solid Phase Reversible Immobilization

SPRI is a patented, high performance nucleic acid purification technology invented at the Whitehead Institute (Hawkins, et. al., Nucleic Acids Res. 1995 (23): 4742-4743). It is a simple and highly efficient means of microplate-based nucleic acid isolation used extensively in the Human Genome Project. Targeted nucleic acids are immobilized onto paramagnetic microparticles using specific buffer conditions. Flexibility is added to the system through modification of the binding buffer, which alters the type and size of immobilized nucleic acid. Sample contaminants are easily removed without the need for centrifugation or filtration, creating a streamlined, scalable and automation-compatible format.

Why SPRI Works

SPRI offers automated sample preparation, superior performance, and streamlined workflow processes. By using SPRI, researchers save time and money. SPRI beads do not require expensive filtration or centrifugation and their size and uniformity allow for high yield and purity, produce robust and consistent performance, and offer easily scalable reaction volumes and sample throughputs. All SPRI reagent systems are optimized on Beckman Coulter automated laboratory workstations for a fully walk away solution.

How SPRI Outperforms the Competition

Most competitive methods use vacuum filtration, silica beads, and other magnetic beads. These procedures can require large input volumes, recover poor quality or dilute nucleic acid samples, and result in inconsistent data. SPRI beads avoid these challenges due to their high uniformity, high non-specific binding capacity, and high iron content. These technological advances allow SPRI to achieve reproducible performance, easy removal of contaminants, and high quality nucleic acid recovery without clumping, vacuum filtration, or hazardous chemicals.

The key features that lead to better purification and overcome the limitations of silica-based systems are:

• Uniform bead size enables highly reproducible results.
• Elution with aqueous solutions without the use of chaotropic salts.
• Non-styrene polymer surface achieves low non-specific binding.
• High surface area to mass ratio increases binding capacity.
• Fast magnetic response time leads to rapid purifications.
• Paramagnetic microparticles are easily automated with no centrifugation minimizing sample contamination.

How SPRI Fits into the Workflow

Beckman Coulter offers Agencourt nucleic acid isolation systems to purify nucleic acid from samples such as cultured cells, whole blood, mammalian tissue, plant material, viral particles, fresh, frozen or fixed-formalin, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue, and PCR^† fragments. The SPRI technology allows for easy automation of nucleic acid purification with superior performance.