Solid-phase extraction methods for nucleic acid separation. A review

The separation and purification of biomacromolecules such as nucleic acid is a perpetual topic in separation processes and bioengineering (fine chemicals, biopharmaceutical engineering, diagnostics, and biological characterization). In principle, the solid-phase extraction for nucleic acid exhibits efficient phase separation, low pollution risk, and small sample demand, compared to the conventional liquid-phase extraction. Herein, solid-phase extraction methods are systematically reviewed to outline research progress and explore additional solid-phase sorbents and devices for novel, flexible, and high-efficiency nucleic acid separation processes. The functional materials capture nucleic acid, magnetic and magnetic-free solid-phase extraction methods, separation device design and optimization, and high-throughput automatable applications based on high-performance solid-phase extraction are summarized. Finally, the current challenges and promising topics are discussed.