#AI reads Urine# Automated Enrichment of DNA Biomarkers from Large-Volume Samples: Detection of B. burgdorferi Cell-Free DNA in Urine

This article introduces a device called the "Automated Magnetically and Thermally Induced Conical Separator (Auto-MATICS)", which can automatically enrich trace DNA biomarkers from large-volume (up to 15 mL) biological samples using magnetic beads and Thermally Responsive Alkane Partitions (TRAPs). Its core principle involves magnetic beads capturing target DNA, a rotating device collecting the beads, and heating to melt the TRAP to transfer the beads into a small-volume recovery solution, ultimately concentrating the magnetic beads into a 20 μL volume with an enrichment factor of up to 705-fold. Experiments have verified that the device improves the limit of detection for single-stranded DNA by approximately 260 times, and successfully detected fragmented genomic DNA of "Borrelia burgdorferi" as low as about 100 copies/mL in 15 mL synthetic urine samples, which is over 150 times more sensitive than the limit of detection for unenriched samples. The device eliminates the need for complex operations such as centrifugation and manual pipetting, features low-cost components and ease of use, and can be further extended to point-of-care diagnostics when combined with isothermal amplification technology, holding broad application prospects in the early diagnosis of cancers, infectious diseases, and other conditions.

Anal Chem. 2026 Jan 29. doi: 10.1021/acs.analchem.5c06280.

Youhe Gao

Statement: During the preparation of this work the author(s) used Doubao / AI reading for summarizing the content. After using this tool/service, the author(s) reviewed and edited the content as needed and take(s) full responsibility for the content of the published article.

For earlier AI Reads Urine articles：

https://www.keaipublishing.com/en/journals/advances-in-biomarker-sciences-and-technology/ai-reads-urine/