Microfluidic extraction method

1. A method for selectively isolating, in parallel, a plurality species of target molecules from a sample, comprising the steps:

(a) providing a microfluidic carrier having an array of a plurality of different receptors which are immobilized on or in the carrier wherein each different receptor is immobilized at a different position,

(b) directing a sample comprising target molecules to be selectively isolated in parallel through said microfluidic carrier under conditions under which said target molecules can specifically bind to the receptors immobilized on the carrier,

(c) removing unbound material of the sample from the carrier, and

(d) isolating, in parallel, the target molecules bound to the carrier by selective elution of said species of target molecules.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said target molecules are selected from the group consisting of nucleic acids, polypeptides, peptides and saccharides.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said target molecules are selected from the group consisting of nucleic acids.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3 , wherein said receptors used are hybridization probes.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4 , wherein said hybridization probes used are selected from the group consisting of nucleic acids and nucleic acid analogs.

6. The method as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the length of said hybridization probes corresponds to 10-100 nucleotides.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said sample is selected from the group consisting of a sample of biological origin, synthetic origin and both biological and synthetic origin.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said sample has been subjected to one or more pretreatment steps.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said microfluidic carrier comprises closed channels.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9 , wherein said carrier has microchannels of 10-1000 μm in diameter.

11. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said array on the carrier comprises at least 10 positions with different receptors.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the receptors in said positions are selected from the group consisting of individual sequences, individual sequence mixtures and both.

13. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said receptors of the array are constructed in situ on or in the carrier by stepwise immobilizing receptor building blocks in each position, wherein said position is predetermined and wherein said immobilizing is location-specific, time-specific or both.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the cycle comprising in situ construction of the receptors and steps (a) to d) is repeated one or more times.

15. The method as claimed in claim 13 , wherein said carrier is used together with a programmable light source matrix and a detection matrix.

16. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said elution of target molecules bound to the carrier is performed in a location-specific manner, a time-specific manner or both.

17. The method as claimed in claim 16 , wherein said elution of target molecules bound to the carrier comprises a method selected from the group consisting of fluidochemical, photochemical, electrochemical methods and combinations thereof.

18. The method as claimed in claim 17 , wherein said receptors are light-sensitive.

19. The method as claimed in claim 16 , wherein said elution comprises changing the temperature on the carrier in a location-specific manner, a time-specific manner or both.

20. The method as claimed in claim 19 , wherein said carrier comprises integrated thermoelements.

21. The method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising subjecting said eluted target molecules to a subsequent reaction.

22. The method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising using said eluted target molecules directly or indirectly for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes.

23. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said carrier includes additional functional biological molecules in immobilized form.

24. The method as claimed in claim 23 , wherein said additional functional biological molecules are polymeric probes and are used for analyzing the isolated target molecules.

25. A method for selectively isolating in parallel, several species of target molecules from a sample, comprising the steps:

(a) providing a microfluidic carrier having an array of a plurality of different receptors which are immobilized on or in the carrier wherein each different receptor is immobilized at a different position,

(b) directing a sample comprising target molecules to be selectively isolated in parallel through said microfluidic carrier under conditions under which interfering components of a sample can specifically bind to the receptors immobilized on the carrier, and

(c) isolating the unbound target molecules from the carrier by elution.

26. The method as claimed in claim 3 , wherein said nucleic acids comprise DNA molecules.

27. The method as claimed in claim 3 , wherein said nucleic acids comprise RNA molecules.

28. The method as claimed in claim 11 , wherein said array on the carrier comprises at least 20 positions with different receptors.

29. A method for selectively isolating, in parallel, a plurality species of target molecules from a sample, comprising the steps:

(a) providing a microfluidic carrier,

(b) synthesizing in situ on said microfluidic carrier an array of a plurality of different receptors, immobilized on or in the carrier, wherein each different receptor is immobilized at a different position,

(c) directing a sample comprising target molecules to be selectively isolated in parallel through said microfluidic carrier under conditions under which said target molecules can specifically bind to the receptors immobilized on the carrier,

(d) removing unbound material of the sample from the carrier, and

(e) isolating, in parallel, the target molecules bound to the carrier by selective elution of said species of target molecules.

30. A method for isolating nucleic acid analytes comprising the steps:

(a) providing a microfluidic carrier,

(b) synthesizing in situ on said microfluidic carrier an array of a plurality of different receptors, immobilized on or in the carrier, wherein each different receptor is immobilized at a different position,

(c) directing a sample comprising target molecules to be selectively isolated in parallel through said microfluidic carrier under conditions under which said target molecules can specifically bind to the receptors immobilized on the carrier,

(d) removing unbound material of the sample from the carrier, and

(e) isolating, in parallel, the target molecules bound to the carrier by selective elution of said species of target molecules.